The books have arrived!

I am looking at a carton of books on my office floor—eight-five copies of Words To Live By—the culmination of six months of effort and the beginning of at least another six months of intense promotion. This slim little volume (only 124 pages) has consumed my thoughts and much of my time since last November when the idea first struck me. Just in case you are a new reader of "The Writing Life," I will explain my motivation for going through every stage of planning, writing, publishing, and promoting this book on my blog. Besides feeling that it was time to write a memoir of my career, I wanted to demonstrate that the six-step process I teach really does work.

So far, I have learned more about the stages of writing a book than I ever imagined possible, despite having written many other books in the past. Here are only a few of the most recent lessons:

1. Once I started, I became obsessed with writing. The book became of kind of "presence" that demanded every bit of the time and attention I would give it.
2. From the first page, it became obvious I needed an editor; there was no way this book would have been anything by a rambling recollection without the steadying influence of my sister, Judy.
3. Actually, I had four editors: Judy for content and style; Bobette for grammar and punctuation; Lois for final, microscopic copy editing; and Terry for one last look.
   
4. There were dozens of decisions to be made along the way. The most important was choosing a professional book designer, Peggy Nehmen, which was a smart and absolutely essential investment. (Having gone through this process I know I will never again attempt to "design" a book on my own.)
   
5. The road to self-publishing can feel like a confusing maze if you don't have a guidebook. I recommend Dan Poynter's The Self Publishing Manual, Peter Bowerman's The Well-Fed Publisher, and Mark Levine's The Fine Print of Self Publishing.
   
6. Choosing a printer, publisher, or author services company requires research. This is often a case of not knowing what you need to know until after the fact. I had chosen CreateSpace before I heard Mark Levine speak and bought his book. Other than a few glitches, so far I'm happy with the results.
   
7. Deciphering the instructions, links, and costs on a publisher's Web site almost drove me crazy. I registered for LightningSource but couldn't get through their layers of requirements. I finally gave up.
8. Self-publishing does not literally mean alone. It takes a team of "professional partners" to accomplish all of the phases of writing and publishing a book. I could never have done this without my fabulous team, which also included talented writers who were willing to read the manuscript and write testimonials.
   
9. What can I say about a printer's proof except read it several times, have it copy edited again, mark it up, make changes, upload a new file, and get another proof until it meets your standards. (Unfortunately, it will never be perfect, no matter how many times you read it .) I went through three or four proofs before I finally hit the button that said "Proof approved. Submit for publishing."

Of all of my books, I have to say this one has been the most personal and the most fun. It is also the most attractive, inside and out. I wrote it in less time than the the allotted six months. In fact at the end of six months, I held a published book in my hand. It is a small book—exactly the size I would advise a first-time author to write. I am excited about Words To Live By and very grateful to all of you who followed my progress since last November. Thank you providing the support every author needs to get through this process.

Unattainable Perfection

I was going to title this "In the Home Stretch," but then I realized I have used that title. I seem to be in the home stretch frequently. That may be because the finish line keeps receding. I'm sure I've left out at least a dozen steps as I try to record what I'm doing to write, publish, and promote Words To Live By.

It's painful to admit publicly, but I never realized just how many steps it takes to produce a little book (and it IS little). Every proof I receive has mistakes. What is so frustrating is that these are not new mistakes; they are mistakes we (the copy editor and I) didn't catch. The last proof, which was the third, required ten tiny corrections, which meant a new high-resolution PDF to be uploaded to CreateSpace, all of CreateSpace's rules to follow again, and another proof to be mailed back to me. I guess it will never be perfect no matter how many times I read it, and frankly, I am not eager to read it again.

What complicates this process is that I have two book in progress, both at exactly the same stage of publication. The other one is the sixth edition of How to Write a Nonfiction Book. That means I am reading two proofs, making or overseeing two sets of corrections, and sending and receiving two sets of files. When I said I was "updating" my existing book, I didn't realize how much I would be adding or that a poltergeist would get involved. Short of throwing things around, this one has done almost as much damage. All I can say is save your files with draft numbers and dates, and back up, back up, back up.

Last week, I attended a presentation by Mark Levine, author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing: the Contracts & Services of 45 Self-Publishing Companies—Analyzed, Ranked & Exposed. Mark and I had a nice chat while I was buying his book. He asked me who was printing mine. I told him. He said, "Well, don't read that part."

Words fail me.

In the Home Stretch

The beat goes on, and on, and on. I had no idea it would go on this long. I found a great copy editor, and after the book had already been edited three or four times, she found about 150-200 mistakes. The moral of the story (you guessed it): You must have your book copy edited!

Next step, my wonderful designer makes corrections; the copy editor and I review them to be sure they are all made; the book goes to the printer—in this case, CreateSpace. Then, I await a proof, which I will read, cover to cover.

In the meantime, I am updating my book, How to Write a Nonfiction Book: From Concept to Completion in 6 Months, and giving it a spiffy (did I really write that?) new look. I promise I will not bore you with step-by-step description of how that project progresses. I just figured, since I was keeping you in the loop, I'd mention it.

Words To Live By Gathers Speed

It’s great to be able to say to my students, I know just what you’re going through because I’m going through it, too. The book is on fast forward, moving faster than I ever dreamed it would.

Here’s what I’ve done:

• Had my manuscript copy edited
• Purchased my ISBNs
• Had my book cover and interior designed (now in layout)
• Applied for a fictitious name for my publishing company
• Opened an account with CreateSpace to publish the book
• Begun to fill out their voluminous application forms
• Created a new Web site and ShopSite store
• Developed a detailed marketing plan
• Registered my copyright
• Designed bookmarks

What are my next steps?

• Read galleys and have them copy edited
• Create list and send out readers’ copies
• Write press release and set up press room on Web site
• Make a list of local TV and radio talk shows
• Write talking points for interviews
• Contacted a copy editor for the galley proofs
• Begun to request testimonials from fellow authors