Manuscript Finished, But…

This morning I am feeling… a bit overwhelmed, a little down, somewhat scared… I’ve come to the not fun part.

The main manuscript is finished. I completed it (except for the epilogue, tables of content, and title) on Tuesday. Yesterday I did another read-through and made a couple corrections. The major portion is done. I’m struggling with the epilogue and what would be written on the back cover to capture readers’ attention. I’m still unsure about the title. And I am feeling anxious about the next step of taking all the Word docs and putting them in InCopy.

Epilogue, the ending, the conclusion should be fairly easy, but my mind is either blank or all over the place. So much went on this last year with the move and all. The table of contents is just listing the chapter and also making a list of photos (which I still need to decide which to use). The title – from the first I was thinking “Not Too Cold for Alligators” because I saw many more alligators on this trip than the one in 2013 – but is this title too close to the last book “Too Cold for Alligators?” This isn’t really a sequel and while similar, it’s a totally different book.

Windows freezes up if documents get too long, so each chapter was written as a separate document. Now, it’s time to actually put it all together in one full manuscript. I used Open Office for “Too Cold for Alligators,” but with the acquisition of Adobe Creative Cloud, I have more options. I’m just so… apprehensive about learning these new programs, starting with InCopy and Lightroom. 

The actual writing is the easy, fun part for me. Now it’s time for the technical aspects of putting the book together and that’s what spins my head around. I can’t even put my mind on it at this moment, but I am already anxious to move on to another book (the actual traveling and writing which I enjoy immensely), but I have to get this one done first.

I’m almost tempted to say, I wrote it, now move on to the next. I can’t do that, though. I have to publish. After all, that’s the intent of writing a book. I. Have. To. Publish. 

Book Update

I got so wrapped up in working on the final draft of my book that I haven’t taken the time to blog for a couple of days – heck, it’s been a week. Of course, I’m not just working on that project as other things need to be taken care of.

I’ve made it back through Day 9 as of this moment; only 14 more to go before I’m finished, plus writing the epilogue. I’m printing out copies with a few photos to pass on to Nan, who is proofreading for me. It’s never good for authors to proofread their own work. You get so caught up in your work that it’s easy to miss simple grammatical errors or spelling. Also, another point of view can alert you to the fact that a section might sound awkward or confusing to a reader. There’s nothing worse than reading a good story, but you can’t enjoy it because of the bad grammar and spelling; and for a lot of people, those glaring errors jump off the page in your face.

The finishing of the final draft doesn’t mean the book is ready to go. There are many, many decisions to make. There’s layout and design, choosing the size of the book, the type of paper to have it printed on, front and back cover designs, copyrights, and that’s on top of deciding to just go with a print on-demand-company or to go with a real publisher. These are not easy decisions and this is not even talking marketing, yet.

Print-on-demand is a popular way to go and it’s relatively easy (just remember none of this is as easy as it sounds). However, with the thousands of books being printed this way, what makes your book stand out? And with anyone being able to print anything, your book is mixed in with a lot of poorly written material. These print-on-demand places do not do any editing on proofreading. They are set up and print only. They could care less whether the writing is any good.

I don’t want a cheap, shoddy piece of work. As good a writer and editor as I may be, I still make mistakes. I still need, and appreciate, someone else looking over my work before it goes out to the public. I want my books to look professional and classy. The writing, though time-consuming, is the easy part. From there it gets difficult and to do a good job is not cheap. If you want quality work, you need to pay for it – from editing to designing to printing. And if you don’t have the expertise, then be willing to pay someone who does.

Ouch! But this is the type of work I want to do. I’m learning. Maybe there will come a time when I can do almost all of it myself (as I thought I could in the beginning), but I’m not there yet.

On to Day 10... and I still haven't come up with a title.

It’s All about the Paper

My goal as an author is to incorporate writing with photography. I am not just a writer and not just a photographer. I am both and want to incorporate both! I want my photographs to be embedded with the text. If you are reading about the roundhouse in Martinsburg, W. Va., I want you to see a picture right there without having to search elsewhere in the book. 

But books don’t usually work that way. Pictures are grouped together in the middle or at the end. I couldn’t get it through my head, that why, with modern technology, pictures couldn’t be with the text.

“Too Cold for Alligators” was published in 2014. I insisted the publisher print the pictures on the pages with the text. The proof copy was a letdown. I ended up re-editing all my photos and re-submitting. The second proof was much better though not perfect. I am excited about the book, but there is a disappointment because the pictures are not great. How can I make this better in the next book?

The writing will be slightly improved as I’ve learned much since becoming editor of the InterTown Record. I’ve had to research and study AP Style and rediscover forgotten rules with writing. I decided for my book purposes I will stick with the AP Style as jumping back and forth between that style and the “Chicago Manual of Style,” depending if I am doing newspaper work or writing the book, would be too confusing. What is important is my writing style remaining consistent. 

But what do I do about the photographs? I want to show the readers, not just tell them about the journey. I have taken some great pictures. How can I share them with everyone? 

I need to know more about the printing business. I had the opportunity to tour Puritan Press, a printing company in Hollis on Wednesday. What a great experience, but too much information comes in during a whirlwind tour. I really didn’t know what to expect. There are many divisions, components, departments to the business. To make a simple statement, the many types of printing jobs performed, such as newsletters, posters, art books, reading books, catalogs, letterhead and business cards, have different needs, rules, layout, and more. Five days later my head is still spinning.

“It’s all about the paper,” I was told more than once. What you want printed dictates the kind of paper. Online printing offers the self-publishing author only a couple of options whereas there are many other choices. Price is also a factor as the better quality paper, the higher the price. If you are only writing a novel or something that is just text, then it is okay to go with a standard paper, but to do something with pictures requires higher quality and probably with a coating. 

I had gone with the standard paper for “Two Cold for Alligators,” hence the ink for the images (photos and maps) had a bit of bleed. Coated paper, which holds the color ink better, is more costly and heavier. The weight is a consideration in shipping and if readers need to hold the book or it the publication needs to lie on the table (as with coffee table books and art books). 

Then there is the type of pictures needing to be printed. If you are doing brochures or catalogs showing art work for galleries or museums, then a color editor may be needed (another expense) because of the need to make the printed material as exact as possible to the original. Printers do not all print the same and not all computers are calibrated the same color-wise. How I edit my pictures to look good printed from my printer may not come out well on another printer.

Who knew there were so many issues to consider in writing a book!

“It’s all about the paper!” The research will go on as I continue work on the book. I will learn more about the printing process and available options. 

Story vs. Photos

I was the butterfly yesterday. What do I mean by being the butterfly? It means that, like a butterfly, I flit from one flower (project) to the next. I do a little here, a little there then move on to something else – and none is necessarily related.

I do my morning journaling in long-hand. The blog is done on the computer. I open the pictures file and see what I can do with a photograph. Later I dove into the last box of old writings needing to be organized. There are emails to take care of from people looking to purchase items I have for sale and those from AuthorHouse about the marketing of my book. And there’s still more organizing and settling in to do.

No wonder by 5 p.m. my brain says, “Enough!” 

I am back at it by 5:30 the next morning (today). The journaling has me thinking about words/story versus photographs. In publishing, it’s either a book filled with words or a picture book. Stories are told either with the written word or pictures and when there are pictures in a text book, there are very few. I am determined to break that rule.

As a writer, photographer, and artist, the written word and pictures are equally important. Computers make working in multiple genres easier. Pictures can be put with written text and I can’t see why there can’t be more of a balance. I not only want to tell my stories in words, but I want to show the reader sites and sights that I saw. What’s wrong with that?

Oh, I know, color ink is more expensive than black.

I love what I do. I am excited about what I find and I want to show everyone and tell everyone about my adventures. I came across one of the photos from the 2013 trip to Florida. I had taken hundreds of pictures and only 50 made it into the book. What can I do with the rest? Some are amazing and show fascinating landscape and architecture. How can I share them and tell the story that goes with those scenes? (And this isn’t even about the similar trip taken in 2015 of which I am still writing the story… or rather, I want to get back to writing the story.)

The thought of having great photos that no one will ever see saddens me. So, how can I make this happen…

Writing Styles

It’s not an easy job being an editor. I am constantly learning something new about writing. There may be hard rules in some aspects but other areas are a little gray. Just when I start feeling confident that I know what I’m doing, something comes along to keep me humble.

I came across the word en dash. What’s an en dash? I looked it up. There’s also an em dash, both of which are different than a hyphen. Oh dear, what have I gotten myself into?

A hyphen is the shortest of the three and the only one with a designated key on a computer keyboard. It’s basically used to link a compound adjective such as well-known man. An en dash is a little longer than a hyphen but not as long as an em dash. The en dash usually goes between ranges of numbers or scores. The em dash is used to take the place of commas, parentheses or colons depending on the effect desired.

The above is just a basic description of the three. However, other issues come into play. Not all computer keyboards and processors are the same. In Microsoft Word, if I put a space on either side of the hyphen, it lengthens it to a dash. That doesn’t work on the MacBook, though, where typing two hyphens together creates a dash. (Of course, I don’t know if in either of those two cases it’s an en or em dash.) Further reading said operating systems may require going into symbols to insert a dash. Gosh, this is getting complicated.

I went to an AP Style website to research further. This site compared that style with the Chicago Manual of Style of writing. Now I’m in even more trouble. I’ve been using the AP Style while writing my book. Should I be following the Chicago Manual of Style there? It’ll be back to the drawing board with my book and looking up different rules.

I woke this morning with the topic again on my mind. There is writer’s preference. I have so much going on right now that to learn another style on top of learning Mac, packing up this house, and finding a new house is too much to take in. 

Most people aren’t even aware there is a difference in writing styles. I never did or, at least, I never thought about it. I read a book for enjoyment and the style doesn’t matter if it  is consistent, well-written, grammar and spelling are correct, and it’s easy to read. My style will be my style and as long as I follow the major rules, that's all that matters.

Of course, this is how I’m thinking today. Next week may be a different story.

 

Another opportunity at learning

My morning writing has me thinking about the lessons learned over the weekend. I’m always excited when I learn interesting things. I’m willing to admit when I’m wrong, even when embarrassing. If I make a mistake and I am wrong, I’ll own up to it and do what I can to make it right. 

For instance, one of our rules with the newspaper is in only covering local news. I wrote about an event and left out names of those who did not live in “our” area. Someone sent a letter. I feel bad. It’s a wake-up call. Sometimes in my trying to be fair and do things right, I do not look at the entire picture. I’ve been trying to make rules and guidelines stricter than needed. 

1. I realize even though there’s a “rule,” we have to be flexible. Sometimes I need to look at a bigger picture and see all who would benefit from the information. 

2. Trying to be fair and treat everyone (and every town) exactly the same is unrealistic. I was afraid that if we allowed something in one area, it would open it up to others expecting the same. I now understand that each instance and story needs to be treated as its own moment.  

3. I’ve also come to realize that treating everyone the same is not fair. Some people need more molly-coddling (and yes, I fit that category) especially dealing with artists. This is how it is. We are all humans and need to be treated with respect and not put in a box designed to make us all alike. We are not all alike. We may have similarities, but we also have differences and all aspects of a person deserve respect. 

4. One of the reasons I love my editor job at the newspaper is that we pride ourselves in being small-town/local. All of the above has to be realized to maintain the type of integrity we want with the InterTown Record. We want to be able to recognize individuals and not just see a group of people as a whole or entire town. When people are no longer seen as individuals, the individual no longer matters and they become numbers and statistics that are easily written off. 

This is what has happened in this country. Individuals no longer matter and the “good of the whole” has been swallowed by big business marketing and the country’s leaders protecting an elite few. “Good of the whole” is now just a term to benefit whoever or whatever group or business is saying it.

It’s up to us to keep our local flavor and protect our people by giving them recognition when they deserve it and by telling their stories. (And that’s impossible when an organization gets too big which happens with buy-outs and all that... but that’s another subject.) Most people living in the smaller towns do so to have that community-mindedness. We love to walk down the street and have neighbors and passersby wave. It’s great to know that should something happen, neighbors will step up to help. 

I love the opportunity to tell people’s stories and to give them recognition they deserve. Everyone has a story. Everyone has an interesting life. All the media-hype and sensationalism are not needed. Instead of focusing on all the negative going on in the world, how about we tell individual stories of the wonderful people who live around us?

 

 

My mind is on fire with ideas

I crawled out of bed a little later than usual and after grabbing a cup of coffee, I sit in the upstairs writing room doing the daily journaling. Many times, something that was said the day before or some idea intertwines with the journal writing. Also, there are times when the journaling draws out those thoughts even further. My mind is so full that I will also take side notes. 

Side notes are written on scrap paper. I write on the backs of correspondence, old writings in which I have new copies, and even used envelopes as one side usually has clear space. Sheets of paper are ripped in half because I prefer to write in the smaller 5x8 rather than on the full 8 ½x11 sheet. (Journal books are 6x9).

This morning I filled three scrap pieces with notes and ideas to use later. Sometimes I get so involved in writing notes that I lose track of where I am in the journaling. Sometimes I forget to record an event from the day before because I am so focused on these new ideas. I can’t write fast enough. My mind just bubbles over and what I don’t get written down is forgotten.

This morning my mind was again on the new book. I am obsessed with it; the need to get it written, wanting to tell the story, and the desire to show the story with the photographs. That’s all wrapped up with wanting to go back to South Carolina so bad! I want to be walking those trails this time of year when the flowers are coming into bloom and leaves on the trees are coming out. (I’ve only been there in January.)

One of my worries in my travel writing is I feel I am not descriptive enough. When I wrote about the 2013 trip, I often did not have the correct words to describe what I was seeing. Even though I had the photos to refer to, I feel I failed in that aspect. (No, it was not a failure. I am really proud of that book. It’s one of my big accomplishments.) 

The hardest thing in writing a book is the length it could become; the longer the book, the more expensive to have printed. And, one of my goals is to bring the reader with me. So, this time, I am determined to be more descriptive. I want to tell the story, show what I saw with photos, but also describe what I saw and experienced. That experience includes feelings (emotional and atmosphere), smells, and sounds. How do I bring the two dimensional writing into three dimensional pictures to your minds?

What this all means is that the book is put together in piece meal. There were the original notes, the blog, and journal. There are all the photos and deciding which of the hundreds (and I do mean hundreds, perhaps even close to a thousand) to use. Reality dictates that I can only use two to five in each chapter when there can be up to or over 50 good photos for any one day. There are the history segments and facts to research and add.  

Then it’ll be going back over each chapter and using the photos to create fuller descriptions of places and situations. Each perusal of a chapter tightens it up, makes it better, even if it does get longer.

 You will be coming on this journey with me!

More photos than I can handle

I edited 59 photos for Day 7 of my trip and between yesterday and today, I edited 61 of Day 8. I can’t help it. And if I edited this many, imagine how many I didn’t. But again I hem and haw and am indecisive with the editing. I don’t trust my eyes. Is what looks good to me going to print well and look good to others? There are so many variables. I wish there was someone here who could say, “Tweak that one a little bit more” or “No, too much.” 

How can I fit all these photos in the book? There’s no way I can do just one. The travel book with all the text can only handle so many images and adding maps, means less photos. I am planning to do a picture book of the traveling, too. So many pictures never made it to print from the 2013 trip and it’s such a shame. Some are awesome photos. I don’t want it to happen this time.

But can a travel picture book sell? I don’t know. Would anyone be interested, but me? Do picture books work as ebooks? Does anyone buy those? The one thing that I have come to realize is that a picture book is much more interesting than a photograph album. Maybe that means I should only do one for myself. 

I’m also considering doing more than one picture book. I could do the recent travel book. I can go back and do 2013 trip photos. There is also the possibility of breaking it down into interests like: Plantations of the Charleston area in Pictures and I could include 2013 and 2015 photos. The plantations would include BrookGreen Gardens, Magnolia Gardens and Plantation, Middleton Place, Drayton Hall, and Boone Plantation. There are still too many photos. 

What a dilemma! Maybe it should just be a series of smaller books. I can’t just let these photos go to waste. They are too beautiful. I want to share this beauty with everyone. 

Editing the photos of the visit to Magnolia Gardens makes me want to go back there. That’s a place to return to time and again. I’d never get tired of its beauty and history and as the visits were in the winter, I wonder what it would be like to see the trees and flowers in full bloom. I would walk these trails every day if I could (and in January, I met a couple of women who walk there once a week).

 

 

Obsessed with the book

I go to bed thinking about the book and wake up thinking about the book. There are periods during the day when I tear myself away to work on other needed projects or to have a few hours of downtime to watch TV in the evening. But, for the most part, focus is totally on the writing and the pictures.

 

Most of yesterday was spent on listing the photos recently edited, printing them on a sheet of regular paper for reference, and the working on the writing of days three and four. I was pleased with the amount of work accomplished, but at the end of the day, I had a meltdown.

 

I live alone, therefore travel alone, edit pictures alone, and write alone. These are my choices… for the majority of the time. However, there are times when I get so caught up with decisions that I crash; times when I just can’t decide. These are times when I miss my mother very much. Yes, she was very opinionated, and if I did something she didn’t like, she did not hid her displeasure and her negative criticism could be quite crushing.

 

But she was here. She was always here, and even if I didn’t take her advice, she was someone I could say to: “Do you like this one or is that one better?” AND, she would have been so proud of these books. “My Life Isn’t Flowers” in 2010 was probably the proudest she ever was of me. That I could do a book and have it come out so beautifully… that HER daughter could do this…

She would have been proud, too, of “Too Cold for Alligators.”

 

Now I am working on the next book and because I want it to be even better than “Too Cold for Alligators,” the pressure is greater. I took so many photographs because I not only want to tell the story of my travels, I want to show you. I want you to see how the highways would go on and on, how the scenery could be blah of color because of the season, or the beautiful farms and country sides.

 

But I realize, too, that all the pictures cannot fit in the book. One to three may make each chapter and I will also do a picture book, but even still, I can’t use all the pictures. Some will be left behind to never be seen. How do I decide which to use and the ones that will not be shared?

 

 

 

 

How to see

I’ve been crabbing for some time about the struggle with editing photos. What looks good to me on screen sometimes does not look as good when printed. Yes, I know the type of printer and paper makes a difference. I’ve pretty much got a handle on the three printers at the house, but now the issue is if I send the image to be printed as a gallery wrap, metal print, or in a book. 

There are times when I’m saving the image two or three times depending on where and how it will be printed. The toughest decision is figuring out how much to tweak an image. Too much and the colors could look garish and often, if I add contrast to make items in the picture pop, the sky lightens too much and the dynamics of clouds disappear. And I love clouds. 

I also doubt my eyesight. Is what I see on the computer really a good picture or is my eyesight causing me to make poor editing decisions? The self doubt creates added issues and holds up the process of working faster and printing poor quality pictures is a huge waste of expensive paper and ink (let alone the waste of time).  

This morning I worked on editing more Day 3 photos of my trip. I took a lot of traveling photos that day, plus I visited the Virginia Museum of Civil War in New Market. There are still pictures to edit and I’ve already edited over 24. Virginia is a beautiful state and at that point, I was just doing a drive-through. 

I’m still trying to decide how to best show these pictures. I never got around to doing a book of all the 2013 trip pictures. That was a huge let down for myself because some of those images are amazing. I’d still like to do a photo book of them and even toyed with the idea of doing both trips in one book. However, there are too many pictures.  

How do I decide which to print? Some might not be the greatest shots, but to show, in pictures, what the journey was like is important, especially for those who never get a chance to travel. Book publishing/printing is made to sound so easy now-a-days, but it’s expensive. It’s one thing if you are just purchasing a single book or a couple of copies to give to the family, but to try to do something to sell and have an affordable price on the book is near impossible.  

But I want to do this! I not only want to tell my story in a travel book, I also want to have picture books. Big goals for 2015.

 

 

Book update

My mind is totally focused on writing about the recent trip. It’s hard to pull away to get other things (like my job, ha ha) done. I’ve spent the last couple of days doing research about areas I traveled the second day and discovered some of my previous assumptions were way off.  

I wanted to know about the elevations and mountains that I-81 traverses through Pennsylvania. Uh, oh, that area isn’t really considered the mountain as I had believed, although there are a few mountains in the areas. This information will be an excerpt in the book. I’m still trying to get an understanding of it all from reviewing the atlas, Google maps, various websites, and geology. I’ve spent a lot of time on this one subject and it’s time to move on.

And so, yesterday, I moved into Day 3. I’ve written the first draft from what was blogged during the trip, written in the journal, and little notations written in the pocket notebook I carry on my person. I edited, earlier this morning, a dozen of the photos taken while driving. Virginia is a beautiful state for photographs. I love some of the scenery along the highway. 

There are the usual issues with photo editing and how I see the pictures on the laptop and the light in that room is different from working on the PC. (The first couple of days of travel I hadn’t saved the pictures to Dropbox which can be accessed by both computers, so those earlier days are only on the laptop.) And there’s always the decision of printing out the photos so I can see them while I’m writing. 

So many decisions that sometimes I get stuck and can’t move. The hardest thing is that there isn’t really anyone to advise me. Friends may make suggestions, but I really don’t know anyone who is doing what I am doing.

Book Decisions

I’ve spent time the last few days (in between newspaper editing and article writing) working on the new book. The goal is to provide more description. I’ve managed to get through Day 1. Photos were edited which also help me to remember details I hadn’t written in the travel blog or journal. 

Yesterday, I perused Google Maps and the atlas tracing the route, and came up with a couple of surprising revelations. A quick glance at maps does not always translate well to the subsequent actual traveling. There were a couple of times when my sense of direction was totally off, even with the compass in the car. Yesterday’s scrutiny of the New York Thruway interchanges contradicted what my feelings were as the interstate was accessed. My mind kept saying, “This is not what I felt while actually driving!” I studied the maps. How did I not understand this before? 

After I finished writing Day 1, I copy and pasted it to a new sheet to see how adding photos would look. I realized that too many pictures detract from the text, so I definitely want to do a picture book of the journey. That book will contain more of the along the road shots while the travel book will have the better, more artistic pictures. 

I want to work on both books at the same time. I didn’t do that for the 2013 trip and subsequently never got around to doing anything with all the pictures that didn’t make it into the travel writing book. What a waste of some beautiful photographs. I’m not going to let that happen again. 

“Not Too Cold for Alligators” is being written at the moment in MS Word. The printing/publishing decision will be made when I’m further along with the book. As for the picture book, I’ve looked at templates and pricing with createspace.com, Blurb’s Booksmart, and Shutterfly. These books are expensive. They sound good for a copy or two, but to sell these books... there’s no room to make any money. (And I’ve learned from past experience that it is even impossible to break even!) It’s a lot to think about.

I’m almost wondering if an ebook is the best bet for a picture book. Oh, I would still want a printed version for myself and I have some feelers out to a couple of local publishing places and I’m waiting to hear back.  

My focus is on writing, but in the back of my mind, the call to draw is getting stronger. Ideas vie within my mind. I tell myself I’ll only work on the book a couple hours, but the next thing I know, most of the day has gone by. Once the light begins fading, drawing in the studio is not an option. My poor mind feels like it goes through the wringer.

 

Catching up from the Trip

Another brutally frigid morning with below zero temperatures and more snow predicted for later today through to tomorrow. I’ve only been back 10 days and I’m tired of this weather. I’m still in recovery mode from the trip and feeling overwhelmed with everything I want to do. I’m beginning to think overwhelmed is a constant state of mind for me.  

I started working on the new book, thinking I’ll call it “Not Too Cold for Alligators” to tie it into the 2013 trip as there were similar aspects with this one. Plus, I did see more alligators on this trip. Photos are slowly being edited and that’s one of the bigger issues and it drives me crazy. 

For the most part, books are either picture books or story books (novels). Yes, some pictures and images can be added to the latter, but printers/publishers frown at combining pictures with a lot of text. The printed version ends up unaffordable. Still, I am pushing. The technology that is available should allow more pictures with story. 

I never did manage to pull together a full picture book of the 2013 trip and wonder now if I should combine those photos with the current ones. There are many very good pictures that haven’t been shown. I work hard to get these photos and if they can’t be shared, what is the purpose? 

As a photographer and a writer, it is important to me to use both photos and the written word. I figure if I talk about it enough, a solution will come my way on how to resolve the issue. How can I tell my story with the written word and pictures and have the book be affordable? 

Of course, the book isn’t the only thing on my mind. I’m trying to update all my spreadsheets to properly track expenses, art inventories, sales, etc. Each year improvements are made; as my art evolves so must the record keeping. There are lots of ideas and desire to do new drawings and paintings, too. And I still have those unfinished works on the easels.  

There are bills to pay, house to maintain, and the freelance job with the InterTown Record. That means editing, putting together the community calendar, writing and arranging the weekly column, and any extra stories or interviews that come my way. 

I have to continue downsizing and it’s imperative I find a smaller house. Time management has never been my forte. But I’ll keep trying. 

Enjoy your day. Stay warm and safe.

Getting Ready for Another Exhibit

Bouncing back and forth between editing for the InterTown Record, writing other stories and articles, and doing photography, there are times when I feel my eyes are just rolling around in my head. A new book is already started and the one started last year isn’t completed. “Too Cold for Alligators” is printed and for sale, so that’s a huge accomplishment. And of course it’s time to finish up the year-end reports. 

This coming Sunday, two photographs need to be delivered to the town hall in Exeter for the annual New Hampshire Society of Photographic Artists’ show. I don’t have any idea what to bring. The goal in “getting better” in 2015 is to print photographs to mat and frame at 16x20 inches. Previously, they were either smaller or the overall size was 18x24 inches. 

Decisions are hard. Should I print this photo or that one? It’s hard to know what might catch someone’s eye enough that they would want to make a purchase. Every time I think this is the one, it doesn’t sell. People love the pictures, but too few are sold.

Right now, I’m feeling tired. It seems that these past few months have been spent running pictures here and there. There’s the big push to print, mat, and frame. The hustle to get the pieces delivered on time. Then return to pick them up. Once one round is done, it’s time to gear up for the next. 

And, as is often the case, the artist is never totally satisfied. I see the flaws. Oh, if I had just moved that way a little. Perhaps I should have added a little more contrast. There’s always something… but that’s what pushes me to do better next time.

Official Book Signing

Today I worked on what to say during an authors’ night program at the Brown Memorial Library in Bradford on Thursday, Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. I’m sharing the spotlight with another author who recently published a poetry chapbook. We each get half an hour to talk.

The subject of writing is a passion of mine and being limited to half an hour won’t be easy. The time has to also include reading, selling and book signing. Do I talk just about the book itself and the journey? Do I talk about the writing process and getting the book published?

The audience will need to buy a book before getting it signed, and because the library has a policy of no selling inside, the purchases will have to be made outside. (Or they could purchase one online or previously through me.) This is a bit awkward, but rules are rules. I am hoping that locals will pre-buy, bring their copies to be signed, and listen to the talk. I am also wondering if I ought to arrange to show up early (if the weather is good) and sit outside with my books for a bit.

Writing and selling my books is not my first go-round. I’ve written previous books and have participated in library events in the past. My latest book, “Too Cold for Alligators” is more professionally published. (I improve with each.) It’s my first “real” book as the others have been poetry and/or photography. I’m very excited about this latest adventure. I hope Thursday is a good turnout.

Hard copies of the books can be purchased through me, www.amazon.com or www.authorhouse.com. The two companies also offer an ebook version. Type in the title and it will take you to the book. You can even read an excerpt. 

Book Ready for Purchase

“Too Cold for Alligators” finally meets with my approval. Finally! It was a long time coming to get to this point and now I am ready for readers to buy.

I received my author’s copy on Wednesday afternoon and quickly looked at the pictures. They are a little dark, but that could be from my editing. I can’t tell when editing exactly how the picture will print on the book paper. I did lighten the photos and add more contrast to the original pictures. The book is now acceptable (to me) at this point. Even the printed text and maps look better.

Yesterday morning I did a more thorough look and the book passes muster. I am now ready for readers to purchase copies. I have ordered 50 copies and should have the books on hand for the upcoming estate and art sale that will be going on here Aug. 29 and 30. I will do book signings for anyone wanting to stop by and purchase a copy.

Have I learned lessons throughout this process? Of course, I did. I will know to make the photos even lighter for the next book. Maybe if I print a few on regular copy paper, that might help me with how the photos will look on book pages. I cannot trust that what looks good to my eye on the computer is how the photo will print on other printers and papers.

How do I feel about AuthorHouse and such publisher/printer companies? I’m not sure how much to say until all is really said and done. The main thing is that these places expect the authors to do most of the work unless the author is willing to pay a lot of money up front. You have to stay on top of everything and sometimes fight to make sure you get what you want.

That said, AuthorHouse did always come back and work to resolve the issues. One of the frustrations was that that every part of the publishing/printing process had a different contact person and sometimes that person had a slight accent and/or talked fast which made phone conversations a struggle. One guy I could hardly understand at all… which made a long phone call ending in total frustration when I found out he was trying to get $4,500 out of me for “marketing.” However, each person was friendly, polite, and patient. Most of the time, they responded back quickly.

So right now it’s about waiting for the copies of the books then seeing how well they sell. It’s waiting to see how many sell through AuthorHouse and amazon.com, etc. I’m holding my breath… kind of. I sooo want people to like my book!

Please visit AuthorHouse or amazon.com to purchase a copy; available in soft cover print or ebook. You can also read an excerpt. 

"Too Cold for Alligators" Update

I finally heard back after sending updated photographs to AuthorHouse. It only took a week. I opened the file for the new galley to make sure the changes looked good. I thought for sure they’d get it right this time.

These pictures were worse! How can that be? The pictures were all blurry and this time, so were the maps. Why did they alter the maps? It looked like the images were all double exposed, like one image was placed atop the originally. They were all horrible out of focus. This was worse than the first time!

Needless to say, I was devastated. Is this the kind of work AuthorHouse does? I immediately shot off an email and I called. My contact person was unavailable, of course, and I left a message on her machine. When they were first working with me, they’d get back to me right away. This time there was a wait. I guess when everything is early and they are roping people in, the communication is better. I went to bed Wednesday night feeling like I’d been scammed.

Yesterday morning my mind had its usual flow of words and my anger and disappointment escalated. How much time have I spent on this project? How many other projects were left behind? And then to find I am STILL not be done with it? Do I give up? Do I turn into a bitch and rant and scream at them? I was nervous about sending the last complaint and to have to do it again is way beyond my comfort zone. The self-doubt warred with the frustration. Was this a sign my book really isn’t good enough?

Everyone keeps saying I need to stand up and demand satisfaction. This is a year and a half in the process. I can’t just let it go!

I made a list of all my issues so far and the disappointments and after doing my morning chores, I settled at the PC to send off an email. I explained my disappointments, that I felt I’d been scammed, and accused them of talking big and not being able to deliver a sell-able product. I called them amateurish and said if they couldn’t handle images, they should have told me up front. I also asked for my money back.

An apology was received mid-afternoon. She was sorry, but what she sent was a low-resolution file for me to approve, that she should not have sent such a big file through email. She re-sent the higher resolution galley through wetransfer.com (which is what I used to upload the photo file to them) and when I opened the manuscript in that program with the corrections, the photos and mapped looked really good. What a difference! This was more like it and if the book comes out like it looked there, I will be pleased. I signed off on the galley and now it’s waiting to get a printed copy. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Update on "Too Cold for Alligators"

I received a phone call late Saturday afternoon from AuthorSolutions. She announced that they agreed to do my changes at no further cost to me. Yes! She started talking about grayscale and the work their production team will have to do. I said that I have the photos in grayscale and asked if it would be easier for me to send the file and she agreed. I liked this better because then I would have control of the editing. (Of course it still depends on the printing.)

I told her the issues I had with the color of the cover being too dark for the background pictures to show and that the font on the back was too small to read easily. She said they would take care of that, too. I next mentioned my mistake of forgetting to put “insert photo 2186” after the text on the last page of the interior. I knew as that was definitely my mistake that it would probably cost me. She surprised me by saying they would include that, also.

I am pleased. A company should work at making sure their customers (authors in this case) are happy with the product. These self-publishing companies are set up to be, basically, printers of what they are sent. However, there must be satisfaction in the result. I have been set back a few weeks and will not have copies of the book for sale at the upcoming shows, but at least when I do get copies they will be up to my standards. They have done well in their agreeing to fix the problems and that they are including my own error is very much appreciated.

So, yesterday after finishing my editing work for the week and writing an article, I went through the pictures. I was told to send the files using wetransfer.com and I uploaded the photos and hit send. It took over an hour for the 50 pictures to transfer. I also sent an email detailing the changes I wanted. Now it’s back to the waiting game, but I am excited. This will work!

The e-book version will not change and is still available at amazon.com. 

"Too Cold for Alligators" Update

Busyness caught me again and Gail visited for a couple of days.” I sent another e-mail this morning to AuthorHouse to address other issues besides the pictures in my book Too Cold for Alligators. For a so-called good name company, I am highly disappointed.

Here is the response to my emails last week:

Good day.

I apologize for the wait.  The photos have been checked by the printer’s technicians.  Below is the response:

“This is a B&W interior book printed at 106 line screen and in spec.  If the author needs clearer, less grainy images, you may opt to upgrade to premium color instead.  This is the way it will print on B&W.”

I forwarded your concern to our resubmission team.  An assigned specialist will get in touch with you and walk you through the resubmission process.  Should you wish not to push through with the change, please let him/her know. 

Are you kidding? Needless to say, I responded saying again how disappointed I am and asked them if this is what they do to make authors spend more money to get an acceptable product. I also said that if this is the work they do, they will not get any more business from me.

Maybe I cannot blame them 100 percent. There was my own lack of experience with this type of thing. I should have known that I needed to lighten and add more contrast to the photographs. (That doesn’t excuse the lifeless, dull, grainy grayscaling.) It’s hard to change what looks good on the computer monitor to something that doesn’t look as good and trust that it will print well. Also, it was my fault that I forgot to put an insert photo notice for the last picture.

However, the first pages and first chapter can be previewed on amazon.com which includes the first picture and that doesn’t look grainy, dull and lifeless. Then again, the e-book is in color. Perhaps the problem is just with the printed copy. Still, I am very disappointed! As I don’t do e-books, the printed version is more important to me.

It’s looking to me like this might be a company that throws around big names then keeps milking the authors for more and more money.

Too Cold for Alligators is available as an e-book through amazon.com.

Image Processing of Publishing

Finding My Way through the Image Processing of Publishing

Another busy morning and I took time to photograph the book cover. When I edited the photo by adding brightness and contrast, I noticed that there were alligators in the background of the cover which I hadn’t noticed before as the cover color is dark. What a nice surprise… but only nice if customers can see it. I posted the picture to Facebook.

I decided to go through the photos in the file and grayscale them. I looked more closely at the photos in the book. Yes, they are still dull and lifeless, but I noticed, too, they are grainy and there are vertical lines like when the printer is running out of ink or the print head is dirty. I also noticed that the maps, while better than the photos, also have that running out of ink look.

I heard back from someone who bought the e-book. She said that the photos are okay, though a little dark. The e-book has the color photos. I do tend to be a little dark with my editing. I don’t know if it’s because of my eyesight or the computer screen doesn’t show the pictures as dark as they will be printed. I have to work on how I “see” the pictures in the editing program and add more brightness and contrast if needed. When I think the picture looks perfect, it tends to print dark.

I tried to take that into consideration when editing the photos for the book. Still, it’s hard to know how they will print in a book. The types of printers, inks, and the book pages play a part in how the images will look. The colors on my program are RGB and the ones at AuthorHouse uses a “CMKY color space,” whatever that means.

I often find when grayscaling my photos, I have to add quite a bit more contrast than from the color photo. So did AuthorHouse just hit a grayscale button without tweaking the photos?

So, I struggle through a Sunday wanting answers or to at least talk with a consultant to be able to resolve these issues.