Monday, October 16, 2017

Getting Schooled: Ghost Star Update #2

I received my Kindle Press editor's notes on GHOST STAR a few days ago and started working on them today. Woo hoo!

How it works: The editor sends you, the KS-selected author, an edited manuscript (where the author can accept or reject the changes using the Track Changes feature). Working from the Chicago Manual of Style (CMoS) for grammar, punctuation, and style guidelines, and the Merriam-Webster Collegiate (M-W) for spellings and hyphenations, she found tons of, shall we say, "deviations" from those rules. The suggested changes are all of a minor nature (no "Chapter 13 sucks, chuck it!"), but there are lots of little things that need to be fixed. The cool thing is that my editor made a lot of the little changes (punctuation, sentence structure, naming continuity, etc.) herself, so all I have to do is accept or reject.

My editor's tone is supportive and upbeat. I really get the feeling she likes the book and is on my side. I can tell she only wants the book to be as good as it can be, but she leaves no doubt about the proper way to do things. For example, it was pointed out the names of the spacecraft should be italicized as in Ghost Star. Who knew? Not me, that's for sure.

Along with the edited manuscript came a Editorial Letter (Line Editing) where GHOST STAR gets what amounts to a critique on things like Structure/Plot Flow, Characterization, and Tone and Style. Again, tons of great info here including awesome suggestions about how to heighten the impact of key scenes with some well-placed foreshadowing.

My first pass through the notes will be for the basic Accept/Reject notes (punctuation corrections, etc.). Then I'll address my editor's comments in the manuscript. Finally, I'll go through the Editorial Letter and make the suggested changes. I'm about halfway through the first pass and loving every minute of it. It's exciting!

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Ghost Star Update

As promised, new details! Just received the following from my Kindle Press editorial team:

"We're pleased to let you know that editorial work on your Kindle Press manuscript Ghost Star has begun. An editor will review your manuscript using the Microsoft Word Track Changes feature and provide recommendations.

When the editor has completed work on your manuscript, we'll send you another e-mail letting you know your manuscript is ready for review, along with a link so you can download your manuscript, review all the editorial suggestions, and decide which changes you'd like to make before submitting your edited document to the Kindle Press team.

Your manuscript should be ready for you to review by October 20, 2017."

How cool is that? Needless to say, I'll jump on the recommendations right away. Not sure what the schedule is after I submit the revised manuscript, but I'll let y'all know as soon as I know. 

Saturday, September 30, 2017

Please Support My 2017 WALK TO END ALZHEIMER'S:

My Mom
WALK ALERT: Hey, everybody! I'm participating in this year's Walk to End Alzheimer's and asking for your support. My mom, Pat, and my father-in-law, Jerry, both suffer from this brutal disease. The Walk to End Alzheimer's is my small way of fighting back.

Thanks to your generous donations, I've blown past my original fundraising goal of $500.00. I'm just a little short of the $1000.00 mark and would love to beat that, too.

Our local walk is NEXT WEEKEND on October 7th, 2017. Follow THIS LINK to donate now. You'll be taken to my Donation Page.

Please donate what you can to support the efforts of the Alzheimer's Association. Any amount is a good amount. Thank you for joining the fight! 
 
Roger

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Guess Who's Getting Published by Kindle Press?!!!


Amazon just emailed me...Kindle Press is going to publish GHOST STAR!!! Details to come. Woo hoo! Thanks for your support, everyone!

Monday, September 25, 2017

Ghost Star Campaign Is Over

My (annoying?) GHOST STAR campaign is finally over. I'll find out if the book is selected sometime in the next 15 days. A heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported me. You folks are awesome! :) #fingerscrossed

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

2017 Walk to End Alzheimer's

My Mom
Hello, all! I'm participating in this year's Walk to End Alzheimer's and asking for your support.

My mom, Pat, and my father-in-law, Jerry, both suffer from this brutal disease. The Walk to End Alzheimer's is my small way of fighting back.

Our local walk is on October 7th, 2017.

CLICK HERE to donate now. You'll be taken to my Donation Page.

Please donate what you can to support the efforts of the Alzheimer's Association. Any amount will help.

Thank you for joining the fight!

Roger

Eater of the Dead: A Dragon Friend Excerpt

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