As y’all know, I recently announced Koehler Books will publish my debut novel, The Mud Bone Squabble. For an emerging writer, having an important publisher accept a book is a really big deal. It puts you on the literary map. I’ve had several very accomplished writers tell me there is something magical about the first time you physically hold a book you’ve written. There it is, a whole bunch of pages of your words bound up and wrapped in an artistic cover with your name on it. I’m sure it will be a moment, but there’s a bit of a road to get there.
Apart from my personal excitement, I’m stoked for my characters. They’ve been locked up inside Microsoft Word for many months. Soon they will be set free to romp and commit mayhem in readers’ minds, not just mine. They are squirming in their cage and can’t wait to break free.
First on the list is Chunk Farley, hero of The Mud Bone Squabble. He’s not a superhero. No washboard abs and cleft square jaw. He doesn’t carry a Magnum Research Desert Eagle in a shoulder holster underneath an Armani suit jacket.
Chunk is just an ordinary country boy with a big heart, the only son of Hank and Virginia Farley. Chunk’s life was muddling along for a few years since graduating from high school and a brief stab at college until he discovers the unsavory underbelly of his family’s prosperity. He needs to grow up in a hurry when the forces of corruption and malfeasance come down hard on him. His self-assessment: “I’m just an overweight kid who found a dead guy, and now people are trying to kill me. Total bummer.”
So, what lies ahead for the next months before release? I have learned that writing a novel, while an arduous creative process requiring discipline and commitment, is only the beginning. The publishing team’s job is to turn that creative effort into a saleable product. The author’s Times New Roman 12pt double-spaced type on a few hundred pages of white digital “paper” has very little product sizzle. In fact, there’s not much on its face to differentiate the literary manuscript from a private placement memorandum for a real estate investment in a suburb of Chicago. Snore!
Despite countless scrubs by the author, the editors are going to go through the manuscript not just to proofread it. There’ll be recommendations for additions and deletions with emphasis on deletions. Fewer words mean fewer pages, which means lower production cost.
Then there’s the cover. The designers want to get a feel for the author’s vision, but they’ll surely have something to say about it. “That’s nice, but here’s what we think.” It’s a process, and the publisher has the final say. I suspect they’re pretty smart about what works.
And, design is only part of the cover. There’s copy which includes an author’s bio, an elevator pitch summary of the story, and endorsements. Getting endorsements is a process involving sending out Advance Reader Copies (ARCs) and hoping for the best.
Then there’s marketing and sales. A tremendous amount of work goes into it by both the author and the publisher. Social media plays a big part in the marketing game, so my sincerest gratitude goes out to all of you who follow me and read these blogs. You are my peeps, and you can help me. As a heads-up, the publisher will run a contest for you, my followers, to vote on the cover designs. So, stay tuned, and you will have a meaningful hand in the eventual appearance of the book.
That’s it for now. I’ve got work to do. And I send my sincerest thanks to everyone who has been a support. It means a lot and gives me the inspiration to forge ahead. Onward!
