On January 6 I returned my first edited review to Newman Springs Publishing. The entire process has progressed from the colorful world of writing to the black & white vastness of editing. It was painful to scrutinize every sentence. I also found the experience to be exhilarating.
Line by line, I reviewed the suggestions my editor made. Additionally, I made 57 tweaks that removed some word clutter and fine-tuned a couple of dialogue issues that never set well. It was tempting to add more color here and there, but I resisted. I stuck solely with editing and then closed the book, for now.
SCRUTINIZING THE SCRUTINIZER
After I submitted the edits, theirs and mine, I called my publication director, Lyndie. I was feeling uneasy, having reviewed the latest featured books on the Newman Springs website. (I go there from time to time and dream about when “I Knew Men” will appear on the list.) A couple descriptions of recent releases looked amateurish to me, poorly written. How did these faulty descriptions get through? What would mine look like one day in the not-too-distant future?
First, Lyndie assured me that the descriptions were not the doing of Newman Springs. I was once again reminded of the difference between self-publishing, partner publishing, and traditional publishing. A traditional publisher owns the book. They can rewrite, edit, do pretty much anything to help their property sell. If the author has a good relationship with the publisher, they may have a little influence, but in the end, it’s the publisher’s right to do what they think is best.
With self-publishing and partner publishing, the author owns the rights. The editing decisions, including cover designs, are ultimately the author’s to approve. “As hard as we try to get them to change things for the better, sometimes authors are adamant to leave things as they are, right or wrong,” Lyndie explained. “In the end, it’s their book, not ours. All we can do is try.” Descriptions on their website are taken directly from back covers, provided by the author. (I will scrutinize mine more keenly during the next round.)
ROUND 2
Depending on where my book falls in line, I may get the final review from my editor in a couple of weeks. Lyndie told me the only hold up would be if the book ahead of mine is one of those with lots and lots of “red marks.” My fingers are crossed that the book ahead of mine is also in good shape. So far, we’ve kept on schedule for releasing “I Knew Men” in the spring.
For the next review, I requested to receive a clean copy without any mark-ups. I think it will help to read from cover to cover without distraction, like playing a piano piece I’ve learned inside and out. That’s when the nuances jump out and playing the piece becomes a whole new experience. I can forget the black & white music and let feelings take hold. My hope is that reading this final, clean draft will similarly take me away from scrutinizing black & white words to feeling intimacy with the story in a whole new way.
Once this review gets approved, “I Knew Men” will go to the typesetting department where fonts will be chosen, chapter headings will be selected, and the novel will look like the end product. Lyndie shared that if I have a preference for a typeface I can let them know; otherwise, the designers will choose a standard font that they believe best complements the story.
At that point, the designers will start working on artwork for the cover. Part of me is super curious about how a graphic artist would interpret my story to find the inspiration for a cover design. Another part of me is hoping inspiration will hit and I’ll paint something that would work, truly making this my own. I also know talented artists who are among family and friends, who might like to take this on as a fun project. We’ll see.
Regardless of where it comes from, when we reach the point of needing cover art, this process will come full circle, becoming colorful once again!