Editing Millstone

Well, I did indeed finish my latest edit round of The Flower of Knighthood, and I discovered looking back through it that somehow some changes in the middle were never saved. I am not sure how extensive the problem is, and I will have to go back through all of it to determine how big the missed section is. I have a crunch this week to get this done by the time I start for Santa Barbara Friday night for the conference. I am determined to have something ready to take with me, but it may have to be my ten-page sample section at this point.

Editing Milestones

I just finished the latest round of edits for The Flower of Knighthood. I am printing a proof copy right now to go over with a fine-toothed comb to make sure I made all of the changes I needed to, which I have to finish at least to some degree by this weekend, because my Santa Barbara poetry conference starts on the 28th and I want to take copies of my book. I've been working on these latest edits since January, and it feels really good to have finished them.

I also am one third of the way through my first edit of Parsifal. That also feels great. I focused on writing it for so long that when I finished, I blew off some steam by taking some classes and doing some other activities, such as starting this blog. I did not really take a break, but I did ease up on my super-concentrated efforts of writing, and I needed to do that, so I am kind of surprised that I have gotten so much editing done in the last two months. I feel very highly motivated, and as I said in an earlier post, my style has gelled more over the course of the second book, so the editing, while intense, is easier than on the first book, because I know a lot more of what I am doing now.

The Operative Word in Self-Publishing is "Self"

As I do more and more research, I am honestly starting to think that publishing my books independently is the best way to go. The tide seems to be headed that way. Writers have always fought to get their vision out into the world without having it compromised somewhere along the way by interests other than their own creative ones. They have also usually had to go to third parties to make their books real because it was cost-prohibitive to create and distribute literary works, but that is changing. There is still some stigma against writers who self-publish, but that needs to change, too, and I think it will in the near future with the evolutions that the internet has brought so quickly. Musicians and filmmakers have gained respect for creating their works independently. Writers need to be given the same respect as well. The studio and label systems don't often work for the most creative people. They are processes that take control from a visionary and put it in the hands of a commerically-interested committee, and the publishing system is the same. How can someone else tell me how my books should be presented? They can't, is the only answer to that. No one else knows, because a book with a sole author is even more personal than an album or film. I want respect for my work and self-development in its process rather than the riches I might (or might not) accrue from acceding control. It's one thing if a book is non-fiction, or if the author truly does not care about things like how it is promoted or presented, but I do.

More About Editing

I am editing both of my books simultaneously, which is an interesting process. I am working on first edits for Parsifal, and am walking around with a hard-copy markup version of sections of the manuscript (it's 600 pages long, so I only carry around one quarter of it at a time). I work on reading and proofing it when I have time. I am also working on what I devoutly hope are final edits to The Flower of Knighthood, and I type in those changes when I have time for that. I said earlier that I realized in writing the second book that there were some changes I could make to the first one that would improve it, and that is carrying through the editing process, too. Comparing them as I move back and forth between them is enlightening. They are similar in style, but they have some deep differences, too. I remember the exact situations in my life from which they arose, and it is a developing curve of completion that has produced both of them. They fall in different points on that curve and I had diverse preoccupations at those times. I am improving both of them by working on them together; doing so is helping me formalize a tight, cohesive style that carries across multiple volumes. I can't wait to write the next one and see what happens there. I've also written a short new scene in Parsifal that gives closure late in the book to a small but significant plot point. Awesome.

A Courtly Challenge

I am going to set a challenge for myself here. I am planning to attend this conference in July:

http://www.uhb.fr/alc/ias/version_ang/ang_congresrennes.htm

One reason I want to go to it is that there will be publishers’ booths available. I figured it was logical to assume that publishers who would find it in their interests to exhibit at an Arthurian conference might likely be willing to publish my Arthurian books. The challenge I am going to give myself is to get my first book, The Flower of Knighthood, completely ready for self-publication in time to have it for this conference. That way I will either have a finished product ready for sale and can network with people I meet at the conference to distribute it directly, or I will have a perfectly finished sample product to show a publisher in order to convey my vision for the book. It sounds like a win-win to me. No matter what I ultimately decide to do, I’ll have something in completed form.

The other reason that I want to go to this is that it takes place in Rennes, the capital of Brittany in Northern France, and one of the activities offered is a visit to Mont St. Michel. My book Parsifal mentions both of those places, in passages I wrote last summer. I have been a member of the conference’s sponsor, the International Arthurian Society, off and on for several years, and renewed my membership back in November. I got a confirmation packet in the mail from them which included a flyer about this conference, and when I saw where it was taking place, I knew that I needed to try my best to go. More synchronicity, something I always pay attention to.

I am almost done with what I sincerely hope is the last round of edits on TFOK, and am trying to have them done in time for the poetry conference March 28-30 (see 2/25 post below) so I can take a few copies there as samples. That’s the first part of this larger goal: finish the edits, proofread the manuscript one last time, and print a few copies and have them bound at the copy store by March 28. Then I can move forward with the rest of the manuscript preparation process.

More Self-Publishing Research

I attended a self-publishing class last night at Los Angeles City College. It was very helpful and interesting. The gentleman who taught the class, Mike Rounds, showed us a book he had published through a commercial publishing house, and said he earns a royalty of eighty cents per copy sold. He also showed us a self-published book of his on a similar topic, and said he earns about eight dollars on each copy after his printing costs are taken out. He said he is equally responsible for the promotion on both books; the publishing house does nothing to promote the product they print and distribute - they produce hundreds of items, and it’s just another project to them. Even if he sells far fewer of the self-published books, he makes a lot more money on them, with less effort. He gives lectures and teaches classes in order to promote his work and instructs others how to do the same, and generates interest that way. The class covered everything you need to know before you make the decision to self-publish, and I also purchased a CD with more information in PDF format that I can print to create a checklist for more research. I still don’t know yet if I am going to pursue self-publishing or try to find a small press for my work, but I continue to prioritize my creative vision above any other concern. I want my words to be published the way I wrote them. I care what the bookcover looks like – I am commissioning an artist friend to develop a visual idea that I generated but don’t have the skills to create myself. A publisher won’t let the author have any say in the cover design. I care what font is used and I care what the layout looks like – again, things I would have no say over if I go with a commercial press. I don’t want to be just another project to a busy company. I am still daunted by the cost outlay upfront to produce a finished book product (it’s not terrible, but it is an investment, and I am a writer and not rich), and the amount of work I would need to do to ready the manuscript for printing and to distribute it once it was published. However, I also feel a sense of wild freedom at the thought of owning my books outright, and being the only person who has any say in how they are produced, promoted and distributed. It all boils down to this either/or: money upfront, less trouble and the credibility of being published by an established house VS creative control and the self-development of shepherding a project through every step of fruition. I know what my personal values are and I am starting to get a pretty clear picture of where this is headed.

Editing Progress

I am hopefully in my last round of edits of The Flower of Knighthood. The book is relatively small, only 150 pages long. I have redlined the manuscript completely, and I have finished typing in about 50 pages of the changes I noted for myself. I am also currently on the first comprehensive edit of Parsifal. It is much longer, 600 pages in manuscript form. I am 80 pages into making edits and proofreading it. I write notes sections in the back of each volume, too, to further develop ideas, and to explain some of the symbolism that I use. The notes in TFOK are finished, but I have a lot of work to do on the ones for Parsifal. The book may be a few pages longer by the time I trim the text but add the notes. Whatever happens, it ended up being at least twice as long as I expected. I hope to finish the TFOK edits completely by the end of March when I go to the poetry conference, and I hope to finish the first round of Parsifal edits by late spring.