It seems like if you want to become an author, you must be okay with making lots and lots of changes. Changes to storylines, how you write, character names, websites, length of book, title, and a slew of other changes are (or will be) required over the course of your book. This process can be exciting and fun, and it can also feel like it is sucking the creative life right out of you.
I am certainly handling changes better today than I did at the beginning of my journey. The real thing that you need to keep in mind is intent. Each agent, editor, beta reader, rewrite, and edit has the ultimate goal of getting your writing to a place that is better than before. That doesn’t mean that each suggestion, beta reader, or insight does this, but that is what the intent is. I have begrudgingly learned to love the process and I am ready for the next step.
The Next Step
As I am heading down the pathway of self-publishing my book, there are so many wonderful websites, Youtube videos, and such that have already helped me get closer to being ready to self publish. (Seems like this journey is taking forever.) It is a lot harder than I ever imagined. You also want to do it right the first time. I have worked with Amazon publishing in the past – so I know a little of what to expect.
I am currently working on my book blurb, ISBN numbers, barcodes, and such. I’m a few days away from working towards formatting and book cover designs. Both of these are very exciting and a fair amount of nervousness.
Recent Changes
My beta readers were fantastic and really had me looking at a few things differently. I have made some changes to my character names and rewritten a few scenes. It was really helpful to have several beta readers to give me a broader response.
I was surprisingly okay with the fact that not everyone loved my book. I think that this is okay and is going to happen all the time. What I did appreciate was the positive feedback that I received. It took me longer than I wanted to make some of the changes. In the end, this will push back my release day to the Month of January 2020 (I hope). I’ve decided not to give an exact date until I know more of what to expect with the formatting process and book cover.
Until next time.
