So... I haven't done much editing. Probably not the news that people who want to read KM4 are wanting to hear. The good news is that it's the weekend and there's potential for editing... maybe even during the Superbowl! :) I finished "Falling Kingdoms," which I posted about last time. I really enjoyed the book and I'm excited to read the next one in the series when it comes out. I'm now reading "City of Dark Magic" by a writing duo who go by the name Magnus Flyte. Ehh... whatever. The authors make it seem like this person mysteriously dropped off his manuscript and they're his representatives. Maybe it goes well with the novel... I'm only like 50 pages in so far. It feels a little gimmicky, but we'll see.
 |
| Me: as a small blond, white boy. |
|
So, funny story... or perhaps pathetic... overly optimistic? Creepy? Anyway... as I was reading "Falling Kingdoms" my brain wandered out of the story and I found myself kinda stroking the pages in a strange, awed daze. I went from happily reading, completely absorbed in magic and princesses and princes and scandalous feelings and waring kingdoms, to practically drooling over the soft pages and delicious smell of new print. It was a very strange moment. I don't often go gaga over books like that (unless you count my habit of buying books when I have over a 100 on my shelves that I need to read). So, after the "moment" passed and I realized that I looked like a crazy person (thankfully I was alone in my bedroom), I put the book down for a little while. I felt a mixture of "wow, you're a crazy lady" to "well, now I"m depressed." You see, my ultimate dream as a writer/author is to be published in the "traditional" way. I want to receive the "Tanya, I want to publish your book" call. I want to find an agent (I've been unsuccessful of late). I want the headache of dealing with publishers (as I assume it likely will be, unless I'm super lucky). I've wanted this since I was very little, nine-ish, maybe. Instead of an adorable white boy in the picture above, imagine a little biracial girl with her thick, unruly curls pulled back into three tight braids with bobbles at the end.
I want to be published. And although I am a published indie author--I'm doing it on my own and it's really hard. I know that each KM book needs more editing. I know the covers need a little more refining. I know I need to market more. It's hard to market myself. What do I do... go up to someone who might look like the like romantic comedies and tell them I have a self-published book with lingering typos that they might be interested in? That's awkward. I have a lot to learn about indie publishing and I'm feeling a little lazy at the moment, hoping that my name will get out there by word of mouth. That one day I'm just magically selling a 100 books a day. :) Pipe dreams!!! Well, no, not really... I know that I will be traditionally published one day soon. It'll happen. Did you hear that Universe?!?!?!?!?!
I thought of all this again today while browsing books at Target and saw that "50 Shades of Gray" is now in hardcover format.......................
I mean, can I catch that kind of break? First you have a e-book, then a paperback, and then a hardcover! The reverse process intrigues me. And it also makes me scratch my head in confusion. I mean, really? Was it
that good? How big was this hardcover print run? Do they expect those books to fly off the shelves too? I kinda skimmed the cover looking for a "newly edited" stamp. If I did the reverse publishing thing I would be editing at every step. Of course, at that point I probably would've relinquished all control. Perhaps that's what happened here. Maybe it's all about the money for this particular title. I'm still processing what I
really think about this.
And, all that being said--I didn't write all week. Dang... what am I doing with my life besides watching murder shows on Investigation Discovery. I just can't seem to stop watching TV. :c/
Normally... Valentine's Day is just a regular day for me. This year did not stray from the norm, and for some reason I'm feeling "blah" about that. I feel like I wanted something special to happen. Every few years this day sucks... I should have bought myself something (besides pancake mix--I'm making breakfast for dinner). My weekend just opened up a little, so I think I'm going to focus on more editing of KM4. I managed over fifty pages of KM4 last week. I think I can do that, or more if I can find a good groove. Unfortunately, I'm nearing a somewhat depressing section of the book so I might not work on that tonight based off my present mood. 
