We are coming along!
I finished the updates (to 2013 attitudes and technology) and revisions—as a result of changes in my writing style over the years—to BORROWING ALEX, including the addition of a couple of new scenes, a few days ago. (Gosh, that sentence is full of parentheticals!) Since then, while waiting for a friend to have time to critique the new scenes, which basically amounts to a new ending, I have been scouring photo sites brainstorming new cover ideas. To say that I was not a fan of the original cover for BORROWING ALEX (which can now only be found on used trade paperbacks, if there are any in existence) is putting it mildly. The original cover really had to grow on me. This time around, I want the cover to truly reflect the story, not look like a romantic suspense novel with a pink background to chick-lit it up a bit. BORROWING ALEX is a romantic comedy, and the cover should reflect that while still getting the romance across.
Narrowing down cover concepts is a tough job! But I hope to get the questionnaire filled out for my cover designer next week. She’ll also need the new back cover blurb, so I have to work on that, too. And, once I have the new scenes back from my critique partner, then begins the arduous proofreading process. No matter who you hire to proofread your books, or even if you work with a publisher and the proofreading occurs on their end, you’re usually given the opportunity to approve the proofs, and this is a step that should not be missed. It’s awfully tempting to just “accept all” changes in a proofing document without checking them. And, not only do you have to check the changes the proofreader has made, it’s advisable to re-read the entire book with a careful eye and ear, because proofreaders can miss stuff. Yes, even if you’re paying them.
I like to proofread on my Kindle (after sending my Word document to my Kindle address and they convert it for me). I have an old Kindle Keyboard model, and it’s handy to make notes using the keyboard within the document, which I can then transfer onto the manuscript on my desktop. Following that step, I painstakingly copy and paste scenes and chapters into audio reader software, then listen to the mechanical narrator read my book while I follow the words on-screen. I learned this from proofing audio books. I always proof my audio books while reading along on-screen, and it’s the best way I know to find errors. But it’s tiring and takes a long time.
I’m looking forward to getting BORROWING ALEX back on Amazon before September, barring scheduling issues with my support people (cover designer and formatter). It’s been a long haul, because 2013 has been a crazy year. But finally there’s some light at the end of the tunnel!