I’m going to miss all of you! It’s the final weekly update before we head out on travels for a couple of weeks, meaning I’ll miss the next update entirely and will very likely miss the one after that, but the updates should resume on the 21st of July, probably with some Big News!
A LOT happened this week and I’m basically screaming internally out of constant happiness and eagerness to proceed. Here’s the short list:
- The Biogen’s Lament has been out for a week now and has sold more copies than I expected, and has also gotten a few read throughs on Kindle Unlimited.
- The Ocypete’s cover design is finalized. The artist has given me a copy for the ebook version, and they’re working on the paperback and hardback versions now (waiting for me to provide some final info when I get back).
- The second edit is complete and all of the changes have been merged into Rough Draft v1.2.0.
- The beta readers have received their guidance and feedback forms, and have their copies of the manuscript!
- The book is now in what I consider a publishable state, though we’re going to get the beta feedback to make sure other people agree before fully releasing it.
The Biogen’s Lament
The Biogen’s Lament has been out on Amazon for a week now, and it has exceeded my VERY modest hopes for it. I told myself I’d be happy if it sold 5 copies in the first week, since I knew for sure that two copies would go to my wife and another family member. It’s doubled that number; hardly Earth-shattering, but for a tiny drop of a story in an ocean of content, from a completely unknown author, with no advertising, that’s pretty good! I am very sure that at least a few of those copies sold came from people who found it naturally, via recommendation or search, which is a positive sign for the long term potential of the series!
Two readers left reviews on Amazon, both very thoughtful and positive. If you read the story, please consider leaving an honest review as well, whether it’s 5 star or 1 star- it’s the most powerful way to help boost the story’s reach into a broader audience, and anything that lifts The Biogen’s Lament will also help lift The Ocypete when it’s released in the near future. Also, they make me feel good.
You can find The Biogen’s Lament here:
The Ocypete’s Cover Design
The cover of The Ocypete has been finalized, other than the text that will go on the back cover. The artist is working through the final versions for the paperback and hardback now and will have them for me as soon as I decide on what exactly the back cover should say! The ebook version has been submitted and is ready to go!
I’m thrilled with the design and feel of the cover, and I hope it sparks the imagination of anyone who sees it the same way it sparked mine when I first saw the concept!
Once we get back from our vacation, I’ll be putting the final touches on how I’m going to do the cover reveal along with some other treats!
Second Edit Complete!
The editor and I finished incorporating the second edit into the manuscript late last night after a marathon session that had both of us well soaked in vodka by the end. No, it wasn’t contentious; we were laughing and having a great time, and enjoying the final moments of a very long process that has taught each of us a great deal.
All told, the changes in the second edit (which was a copy-edit, more than a line-edit, meaning we were trying to focus on flow and story and pace, more than grammar and spelling and nuts’n’bolts, though we still did that too) were rather minor. We didn’t make any large scale changes to the story, beyond revising one small section to tie in to The Biogen’s Lament more cleanly, as a treat for those of you who read (or will read) it before reading The Ocypete.
Beta Readers Gonna Beta
With the second edit complete, we both now feel that the book is in a state where we can give it to our beta readers to get their feedback. Those folks all got their guides and feedback forms this week, and got their manuscripts last night. Over the next month, they’ll give us their feedback, and we’ll use that to determine what changes we need to make. If the changes are drastic, we’ll go back into full rewrite mode and then begin the editing and beta reader process from scratch. If they’re minor, we’ll make them and proceed into publication without redoing the whole second phase.
I’m anxious and terrified and very eager to see what those folks have to say about the book! It’s going to be a very long month, but I’m hoping that some of them elect to give feedback more frequently (weekly, for example). Waiting has never been a strong suit of mine.
That all said, The Ocypete is now in what I consider a publishable state. There are no doubt still errors in it and sections that would benefit from some additional polish, and we WILL be continuing to search for and correct those things up until the day I click the big green button (and after), but right now, it’s in a place where I am satisfied. That’s a great feeling that’s been a very long time in coming, and I’m very grateful to have made it to this point right before we go on vacation for a couple of weeks, so that I can just enjoy that sensation and then come back to get back to work!
That’s All, Folks! (For 2 weeks!)
I’ll still be around and will still be checking in, but we have a busy travel schedule so the updates will be paused, as I mentioned. Look for the next one by the 21st of July, though I may sneak one in earlier if there’s time. But there are some indications that I will be extremely busy that week, getting ready for…
[ TRANSMISSION ENDS ]
