Rod Raglin
This blog will touch on the experiences I have as a writer (not to be mistaken for my experience as a writer, i.e. how many books I've written, etc); the pleasure and the pain, the joy and the grief, the satisfaction and the frustration, the magic and the reality - have I left anything out, oh yeah, the rejection, rejection and more rejection, the humiliation and the embarrassment, the jealousy and the resentment - that pretty much covers it, except for why I do it which perhaps I'll realize along the way. Are you totally confused? Good, let's begin.
New book experience anticlimactic
Anticlimactic.
That’s the feeling I had when I held my first-ever published “book”. It ranked right up there with New Year’s Eve.
And it got worse.
I’m referring to the proof copy of my new novel The BIG PICTURE – A Camera, A Young Woman, An Uncompromising Ethic, sent to me from Createspace, the traditional publishing arm of Amazon.
I chose stock cover art from the Createspace library and it was dreadful, as was the typography on the back cover. The book itself was nice – good stock, well bound, very professional.
When I began to proof read I was dismayed at how many typos and dropped words there were. This after numerous rewrites and at least two comprehensive “proofings” by myself and one by Ann Kirk, a generous and very thorough person who volunteers as my beta reader.
Apparently, it is far easier, at least for me, to pickup these errors in traditional book form than on the computer.
I also became aware of inconsistencies throughout the manuscript. Sometimes “but” was proceeded by a comma, other times not. Sometimes I used single quotes for emphasis, sometimes I used double quotes.
In addition to these obvious errors, I was disappointed in the writing.
Paragraphs of description or imagery I was particularly proud of now seemed ostentatious or smacked of author intrusion. Many neither developed character nor advanced the plot and needed to be cut or at least edited.
Some sentences seemed awkward and unnatural. It was evident I was trying too hard to use an active voice instead of a passive one, and to show rather than tell.
At times the plot seemed clumsy and convoluted.
I painstakingly corrected all the errors I could find and that had been pointed out, and rewrote such passages as was possible without having to undertake a major manuscript revision.
I scrapped the stock cover and designed my own and, though not exactly what I would have liked, the graphic was at least identifiable and somewhat representative of the story within. I reset the typography on the back cover so it flowed properly and was readable.
I uploaded these revisions to the e-book edition as well as to the book format.
I now await notification from Amazon that The BIG PICTURE – A Camera, A Young Woman, An Uncompromising Ethic, is available for sale to the public in book form.
Not Wonder More – Mad Maggie and the Mystery of the Ancients, will also be available in book form from my publisher in the near future.
I have spent a good deal of time this past year promoting on the internet. Here are two new sites I’ve incorporated in my book promotions you might find helpful in your quest:
Google Books
http://books.google.com/googlebooks/partners/index.html
Booklife
Millions of people have access to my books on Amazon, Goodreads, Booklife, BookLikes, Google Books and likely a few more I’ve forgotten about it.
I’ve promoted here, and on Bublish, and Twitter exhaustively.
I’ve had some very favorable reviews.
I appear to be doing what “the experts” say you must do.
However, The BIG PICTURE – A Camera, A Young Woman, An Uncompromising Ethic, has still to record its first sale after five months. Sales of my other books are so low as to not make the “cut” this quarter for royalty payments.
In face of this predicament I’ve reviewed the reasons I write fiction; for enjoyment, for edification, and to influence my readers(?) with my view on issues – not for money and not for fame.
I’m still good with this and so see no reason to reconsider.
I will continue to write, but I’ve decided in 2015 to not waste my energy seeking ways to actively market my books. I mean, really, why bother?
I’ll contribute to this blog for my own sanity and update and maintain the sites I have. I will not spend money. I will not waste time. I will not get frustrated.
I will very likely not be successful.
I will, however, be more content.
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My new novel, The BIG PICTURE – A Camera, A Young Woman, An Uncompromising Ethic is now available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00LTXGD58
Read Reviews https://readersfavorite.com:book-review:39014
Visit my publisher’s website for excerpts from, and buy links to, my three novels, Spirit Bear, Eagleridge Bluffs, and Not Wonder More – Mad Maggie and the Mystery of the Ancients. http://www.devinedestinies.com/?route=product%2Fauthor&author_id=92
More of my original photographs can be viewed, purchased, and shipped to you as GREETING CARDS; matted, laminated, mounted, framed, or canvas PRINTS; and POSTERS. Go to: http://www.redbubble.com/people/rodraglin
View my flickr photostream at https://www.flickr.com/photos/78791029@N04/
Or, My YouTube channel if you prefer photo videos accompanied by classical music
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsQVBxJZ7eXkvZmxCm2wRYA
