Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Volume 2: Uploaded!

After two days of splitting hairs over the smallest of details, massaging that one sentence that just wouldn't work itself out until it gave in, and second guessing myself silly over dozens of hyphenates and compound words, I just uploaded S.P.O.T.D.: The Hero Chronicle Continues to my printer (LSI).



Good thing, too. My annual college alumni "who's doing what" letter just arrived and announced to the whole world (well, all my college alums) that the book was finished. I must have sent my update on an optimistic day!

It amazed me each time I reread the (so-called) final design proof and found more errors. Let me give an example. On page 107 the word crumbled was mysteriously just "ed." No "crumbl". I have no idea how it disappeared on me. Dramatic irony is to blame, I suspect.

This time, I worked on the kindle edition right away. Instead of 25 hours to educate myself, convert the file, reformat, check everything, and get all the hyperlinks and anchors in place, it only took about 5 hours. And there were no tears. I think I'll wait until amazon has listed the paperback and created its page before I upload the digital version, as the ISBN of the volume 1 paperback seems to work better on a search than the new ISBN I assigned for the digital version and I don't want to risk having the opposite be true for volume 2.

What's next?

Work continues on cover #3, and copy editing begins in earnest as well. Although the text is written, I have three pages of details I'd like to double check and small changes I'd like to make. I'll be adding more suspense and danger to the ending, and connecting Chase's final heroic moment to the opening of volume 1 more directly.

And then, of course, it will be time to split hairs over the small details, massage the knotted up sentences until they give in, and second guess myself silly on the hyphenates and compound words.

All in all, it's time for an Ann Leap, which is my happy dance.

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