As I said I would, late last night I logged into Lulu, uploaded the corrected manuscript and the new book cover design, and ordered a copy for myself.
That is to say: the book is done.
Now I wait a few days for the new copy to be manufactured and for the postman to deliver it to me. If everything looks good, then I’ll make the novel available to the public and begin (or perhaps I should say, “continue”) the always exciting “marketing stage” of the publishing process.
Oooh, how exciting! I saw your post about wanting things to be perfect. I’ve shown things to my writing friends that weren’t perfect, but I can easily understand the attitude of wanting it to be the best it can be. But you’re right, it can never be perfect – there will always be a few typos here and there that you’re going to miss. It’s kind of frustrating when you think about it. Still, the one good thing about knowing that no one can achieve perfection is realizing that, well, no one can get there!
Comment by chibidoucet — January 24, 2009 @ 12:51 am
Something else that I try to keep in mind is that, really, the only errors or problems with the text that remain are problems that a typical reader who reads the novel for the first time won’t even notice. I only see the problems because I’ve read the book several times. I know each page and each chapter intimately. I know precisely where the story is going and how I’m trying to get there. Thus, I know what all of the weak points of the novel are — weak points that are invisible to a first-time reader.
It’s like driving a car between two cities. The first time you take the trip, you’ll notice certain features of the landscape, but you’re also very much focused on how you are getting to your destination. But the more times you drive back and forth between the cities, the more familiar you become with the route and the more you start to notice little details of the landscape that you missed the first time you drove. And each time you take the trip, you begin to anticipate the really great views — as well as all of the little bumps in the road.
Comment by J.M. Reep — January 24, 2009 @ 10:59 am