I made the decision to independently publish my book. The process should begin within a month, and it only takes a few weeks to have a book in hand.
I just finished another round of minor edits based on feedback I received from a published author and an acquisitions editor. Feedback from professionals is so important in this industry, and I want to focus on that a bit.
It’s important to understand that friends and family cannot provide the proper input needed to publish a book. Even if you have a friend that’s an English teacher at the local high school, that’s not good enough. It doesn’t even matter if you get feedback from an English professor at a major University. Book publishing is an entirely different animal than that found in academia.
But even professional reviews have to be taken with a grain of salt. Case in point, the feedback from the author was very different than the feedback from the editor – and neither was necessarily right or wrong.
The author was much more detailed in her feedback, and wasn’t happy with the way I portrayed a main character. The editor made a few minor suggestions, but basically said the story was well written and good to go. Which advice should I follow? Both!
I carefully examined the feedback from the author and made some of the changes she suggested. Other suggestions I decided did not apply to me. I’m now ready to go to press, and the chips will fall where they may. No book will ever be perfect. The best story will always have flaws in someone’s eyes. For better or worse there has to come a point when a book is declared complete.
And that is where things stand with my story. I’ve selected a publishing company and received a quote from them for the work I want done. Stay tuned as I detail this process. There’s a lot more involved than you might think.