Final Stage

I'm approaching the final stage with my book that will be released in September 2007. Press deadline falls in June, so this week and possibly the next will be filled with last minute details. The map of ancient Mesoamerica is finished and approved. The final copyedits were made last week, and now I'm waiting for the typeset proof (also called a galley).

Last minute things include finalizing endorsements, writing a pronunciation guide for the audio book, and proofing the final galley.

This stage is always a little intimidating to me. It's the first time that I'll see my manuscript in the printed format of the book, but it's also the last time I'll be able to change anything. And since the editing stage is already passed, I can't change much more than a typo or grammar error.

It's also crunch time. Usually the turnaround time is 48 hours to proof the typeset and turn it back in. Last year, I split up the book between a couple of readers and myself. When I read my own work, sometimes I miss the smallest details. So it's always nice to have a 2nd pair of eyes.

Even after all the hard work, there always seems to be at least one or two errors that will slip through. And I won't be the one to find them. Usually a reader will point them out to me. Once the book hits the shelves, I'm too afraid to read the printed version. I know I'll find something I want to change. And it's too late. Interestingly enough, the errors that do come through are from the diskchanging process. This means that when I make a correction on the manuscript, I don't physically make it. It's typed in by another person (disk changer). This is where the error can occur. And so that makes reading the final typeset all that more important.

In my first book, the word mountain was spelled wrong. I couldn't believe it. I checked my original submission and sure enough, it was spelled right. But the sentence must have been transposed somehow in the copyediting process and mountain was retyped.

So as I'm on the eve of the final read, you can be sure I'll be extra careful.

How Are You Going to Spend It?

Have you ever lost a document? I mean, completely vanished? You can't remember what it was called, and you've searched every single file on your computer? Well, that's what happened with my royalty list. So if you don't see yours below, let me know.

Recently, I informally polled several author friends. My question: What did you spend your first royalty check on? Something large, small, memorable, or frivolous?

I received a variety of answers.

1. New microwave with all the bells and whistles.
2. Laptop
3. Savings Account
4. Paid some bills
5. Family Vacation
6. Life Jackets
7. 6 Tacos
8. Paid off family van
9. Romantic dinner with husband
10. Disneyland passes
11. Alphasmart
12. Greg Olson painting

As you can see, there are no trips to Europe, no exotic cars, no multi-carat diamond earrings. But perhaps, it might motivate us a little more to get that manuscript completed.

Finding Endorsements

Depending on your publisher, it's an author's job to find endorsements for his/her book. It can be tough. First of all, you want to have someone endorse your book so other people will read it and say, "Ah. If so-and-so liked it, I might too." Not everyone is going to read the endorsements on a book, but I believe they do make a difference.

I've had a couple of people tell me they picked up my book because they respected the person who endorsed it--kind of like an abstract word-of-mouth recommendation.

But what happens when someone you were hoping for says, "Sorry, but no." Make sure you have a back-up plan. And don't wait until the very last minute, or day, or week. I started sending out emails several weeks ago. A good eight weeks in advance of the deadline. One reply came back "no"--the person didn't endorse anything. Another came back "no" because of the religious nature of my book. A third went missing in cyberspace. Two were immediate "yes". And once I figured out that the awol email hadn't gone through, I was able to redirect it to the right email address. So I'll now have three great endorsements.

Let's turn the tables for a moment. What if someone asks YOU for an endorsement? What are the guidelines for reading an ARC or manuscript, then deciding if you want to endorse the work? Do you read the entire thing? A few chapters? Well, you need to decide in advance because it's your name on the endorsement.

I was asked once to write an endorsement and I had to turn it down. The press deadline was a week away. But the author asked me the day before I was scheduled for inducement to deliver my baby. I knew I couldn't do the book justice and write a fair endorsement. Especially since I still had last minute things to get ready for the big day.

But overall, I like to read the entire book in order to write an endorsement. I haven't come across a situation yet that I've had to flatly turn someone down because I haven't enjoyed their work. If you do decide to endorse someone else's book, be sure to read other endorsements to get the feel of them. They are usually 1-3 sentences long. And don't be surprised if the final version is cut and edited from what you originally submitted.