It’s one thing to sit at your PC and write up the stories that leap into your head, it’s quite another for it to somehow mutate into an actual book.
There are, of course, many stages of gestation before the beautifully cleaned up item is handed to you wrapped in its lovely clothing of paper and card.
Stage 1: I could write this idea down.
Stage 2: Don’t be ridiculous. Who do you think you are?
Stage 3: OK then I’ll have a go.
Stage 4: Well that went OK, now I’ve got a real something. I could print it out. Will need to hide it though. Don’t want to expose it to others. Think I’ll write some more.
Stage 5: Show written stuff to trusted friend. She likes it and she reads a lot! BUT she’s a friend and unlikely to say its rubbish.
Stage 6: Heard about Comely Bank Publishing (CBP). Dare I contact them? What would they say about my little embryonic book? Is it even a book?
Pic thanks to Drew Coffman on flickr.
There are, of course, many stages of gestation before the beautifully cleaned up item is handed to you wrapped in its lovely clothing of paper and card.
Stage 1: I could write this idea down.
Stage 2: Don’t be ridiculous. Who do you think you are?
Stage 3: OK then I’ll have a go.
Stage 4: Well that went OK, now I’ve got a real something. I could print it out. Will need to hide it though. Don’t want to expose it to others. Think I’ll write some more.
Stage 5: Show written stuff to trusted friend. She likes it and she reads a lot! BUT she’s a friend and unlikely to say its rubbish.
Stage 6: Heard about Comely Bank Publishing (CBP). Dare I contact them? What would they say about my little embryonic book? Is it even a book?
Pic thanks to Drew Coffman on flickr.
Stage 7. Comely Bank are willing to read a few chapters.
Stage 8: Woohoo. CBP were guardedly optimistic that it might, after a lot of work, be just about OK. Maybe. They don’t take on just anybody so my stuff might not be entirely awful. Will persevere and finish book.
Stage 9: Finished first draft. Now it’s called a draft!! Cool. So grown up.Sent it to Comely Bank Publishing. Major editing required. Punctuation very poor apparently. Oh dear. Aware that CBP putting in hundreds of hours on my account. Document being passed back and forth between creative director to managing director and back to me for alterations. Learned a huge amount about text editing with Word!
Stage 10: Draft sent out to readers for comment. Largely positive response, but with sensible comments too. Clarifies ideal readership.
Stage 11: Cover design, Copy editing, Proof reading – all painful and time consuming.
Stage 12: Final, final draft. Decision to bite the bullet and go for printing.
Stage 13: Only two weeks later and book baby safely delivered. Looks beautiful. Can’t stop staring down at it in my arms and smiling at it feebly. Can hardly bear to part with copies.
Oh oh! Now it’s time to try to promote my baby: the next part starts. Something tells me that’s going to be harder than writing the book...
With thanks to “midwives” Gordon Lawrie and Emma Baird. Pic thanks to Drew Coffman on flickr.
Stage 8: Woohoo. CBP were guardedly optimistic that it might, after a lot of work, be just about OK. Maybe. They don’t take on just anybody so my stuff might not be entirely awful. Will persevere and finish book.
Stage 9: Finished first draft. Now it’s called a draft!! Cool. So grown up.Sent it to Comely Bank Publishing. Major editing required. Punctuation very poor apparently. Oh dear. Aware that CBP putting in hundreds of hours on my account. Document being passed back and forth between creative director to managing director and back to me for alterations. Learned a huge amount about text editing with Word!
Stage 10: Draft sent out to readers for comment. Largely positive response, but with sensible comments too. Clarifies ideal readership.
Stage 11: Cover design, Copy editing, Proof reading – all painful and time consuming.
Stage 12: Final, final draft. Decision to bite the bullet and go for printing.
Stage 13: Only two weeks later and book baby safely delivered. Looks beautiful. Can’t stop staring down at it in my arms and smiling at it feebly. Can hardly bear to part with copies.
Oh oh! Now it’s time to try to promote my baby: the next part starts. Something tells me that’s going to be harder than writing the book...
With thanks to “midwives” Gordon Lawrie and Emma Baird. Pic thanks to Drew Coffman on flickr.
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