Where have all the Copy Editors gone?

      If you are a published author, you already know what a line or copy editor is. They work in the third phase of getting a book published. By the time a book reaches this vital person, it has been gone over with the proverbial fine tooth comb by the editor and the author to create the cleanest, most cohesive copy possible. The line editor then goes over it one more time to flush out any remaining grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors that remain. They might also check for accuracy and consistency. Every word must be read and considered. While I pride myself on submitting clean manuscripts, I have been saved a time or two by a sharp line editor, one who caught my misspelling of a pin worn on clothes as a broach when it should have been brooch.

      Usually, these people work without making comments, but once I received a remark through my regular editor that the copy editor said she'd never had a manuscript with fewer errors. Quite the compliment. However, I recently got a suggestion for a person whom I think aspired to be a regular editor suggesting a change in plot.  Nope, not at this point in the publishing process. The next step is sending a galley or final proof of the book for the author to approve. I usually still find a few errors, but things a reader would most likely miss. In general, I don't notice any subtle changes a line editor might have made which is as it should be.

     I have no idea if copy editors enjoy reading books on the cusp of being published. They would certainly have a first look at a variety of genres. No idea either if they get to choose the types they want to read, but I doubt they do. This job could be fun for a person who loves to read and pick over grammar and spelling errors. Now, I imagine big New York publishing houses have a whole slew of copy editors tolling away for a decent salary with benefits. Not so in small press e-publishing. I only recently learned when I got a little testy about a line editor holding up my book for six weeks (which delays publication) that these folks are not paid. They get a tiny percentage of the sale price of the books sold. I receive a thirty to thirty-five percent royalty, and believe me, that can be way less than a dollar per book depending on its price. Also, the copy editors, like the authors, are paid only quarterly. Surprise! You earned very little for your hard work. Most might do this in their spare time for a little extra cash. With so many books being written during the Covid seclusion, a big backlog exists in every point of publishing, but we cannot move forward without the vital work of the copy editor.

    If not totally discouraged by now, I know Wings ePress is looking for copy editors. Contact Jeanne Howard (executive-editor@wingsepress.com). A Google search would reveal plenty of these jobs is my guess. I did contact a friend who delights in correcting people's grammar (former English teacher), but she gave me a firm no. She only likes to do it orally. I can only say if you find any errors in this blog, I did not have a copy editor to go over it.

Is the e-publishing Bubble Bursting?

     How did it get to be one day past the Ides of March so quickly? I admit I fudged on February since I posted twice in January, and it is a short month anyhow. But to get down to the topic at hand.
     I admit I was stunned by the announcement that Samhain, one of the older and better e-presses was closing down. Kudos to the publisher for not simply declaring bankruptcy and trying to straighten out their financial problems first while still paying their authors royalties, a soft closing you might say. About the worst thing that can happen to a book is to be declared an asset in a bankruptcy case. Often that title is tied up for years along with the rights to sell it elsewhere. I understand rights will gradually be returned to the authors who can then move on. Samhain had quite a few big e-authors and a large stable, maybe too large.
     I am now grateful that they rejected two of my romances for not being hot enough. I won't be orphaned again as I was with my beloved  L & L Dreamspell where rights were returned immediately and help given to the authors to find new placement. Wild Rose Press picked up nearly all of my titles, I think ten at the time, but it was a ton of work getting them all back in print again. Each book receives a new cover and is re-edited to suit its new publisher.  Took nearly two years to restore all of them for publication and newer projects had to be put aside for a while. My sympathies go out to all Samhain authors. They have a rocky road ahead. Several of my fellow Dreamspell authors turned to self-publishing and had the skills to do that. Sure, it is faster, and if the book has already been edited your product is fairly good, but getting the word out is difficult when you are an indie. It still carries a stigma of not good enough to find a publisher, though this shouldn't be the case, but sometimes is.
      E-books and indies have flooded the market, often being sold for ninety-nine cents. Sales are down for e-books, and no wonder with authors practically giving their work away and readers coming to expect nearly free--and then complaining that the book wasn't the quality expected.  Well, no. You got your ninety-nine cents worth.  Because we are so many, reviews are difficult to come by, and reviews sell books. New York publishers still guarantee a certain standard of publishing, and they get the reviews, the hype, and the placement they pay for. The new boom seems to be supplying non-traditional authors with reviews for a fee-not paid reviews, but guaranteeing they will send your book out to hundreds of reviewers and hope a few will take the bait. One friend tried this and was not pleased, saying mostly they sent his book to obscure blogs no one reads. I have to say my small one title investment in NetGalley pleased me with twelve reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, but I could never afford their entire fee. Thanks to Wild Rose for making this possible for their authors.
     The old boom of small e-presses and subsidy presses that printed your beloved book for say a hundred dollars and up and/or required you to buy x-number of copies (which is where they made their profit) seems to be fading.  I had two books with eWings, once a subsidy publisher, now a regular e-publisher under the new management of B.J. Haynes, the well-known creator of Whiskey Creek Press, a very successful subsidy press recently sold to Start, I believe. With a loss of leadership, eWings had become moribund, and many of us considered getting our rights back. I had no quarrel with the editing or the cover art, both very professional, or even having to buy thirty copies. I always buy at least that many to sell at signings.  But, absolutely no publicity was done to help sell books other than listing the title on their web site. Might as well have been in indie. I can certify that those two books, A Taste of Bayou Water and its sequel, Blessings and Curses, are as good as any books I've published, but they've never gotten much traction. However, I am taking a chance on the new eWings which is putting out The Courville Rose, an unusual ghost story,probably this summer, since edits are complete.  Watch for it, and we will both see how it goes.
     Meanwhile, yes, I still write for Wild Rose.  A Will of her Own is being released April 15th and is up for pre-sale now. It is women's fiction with a happy ending and the first of my books not to take place in Louisiana. I'd love your opinion on this departure and if you will, write a review.  An Ashy Affair which takes place in my Chapelle, LA universe is contracted to them also.  Wild Rose is well run as a business, and I am praying they are immune to recent pitfalls in e-publishing. Little e-presses go under regularly. I think most who start them have no idea how complicated the business can be and soon bow out, but when a giant like Samhain falls, we all shake.

Things to be Thankful for--or Not

A new year begins. Time to reflect back on the old one. I can only say my writing career had jagged peaks and one very low valley when all but one of my books went out of print when my publisher closed down. The part to be thankful for is the rights for all of the other five books were quickly reverted to me allowing me to seek a another publisher. The Or Not-none have been reprinted though I do have contracts for all the Sinners books. I've done my part of getting them re-issued but still have no idea when they will reappear.
 
I am thankful my first publisher, The Wild Rose Press, took me back and by September had printed A Trashy Affair. They brought out Love Letter for a Sinner in November and The Convent Rose on December 26th. This is fairly quick work for any publisher. A Taste of Bayou Water, another new title, came out in November from Wings e-Press. So, now I have plenty of new books out. The Or Not-Trashy Affair was offered free on the Kindle and downloaded 9,900 some times. I am glad I might gain many new readers, but I worked three months on that book and so far have gotten $100 in royalties. I do understand the concept that this might translate into other sales, but please spare me the reviews that say, "I downloaded this book for free, but I don't like this kind of book, so I give it two stars." Then why did you download it in the first place? In the category of impossible dreams, I could have taken that trip to Italy if I'd earned $9,900. On the other hand, I doubt if anywhere near 9,000 people would have actually paid for the book.

I am starting the New Year as I did last year with knee surgery on January sixth. Six weeks of pain loom ahead. I elected to do this and must remind myself of that constantly during the ordeal of physical therapy.  I am not likely to be in any way productive during that time. I am grateful painful knee joints can be replaced. The Or Not-will try not to scream when a two-hundred pound PT guy is bending my knee against back to get maximum results. Prayers, best wishes, and good vibrations all accepted to get me though this.

One last thing to be thankful for: over three-thousand people have read this blog. Why I am not sure as I don't find myself that engaging, but I do appreciate it. For you, I will reveal early that Love Letter for a Sinner will be offered free duirng the week of January 28th. The Or Not-please don't download it if you don't like romances with hunky football players in them.

Taking Big Chances

     I am gratified and a bit amazed by the popularity of my Sinners sports romances.  Royalties from those books paid for my recent jaunt to Alaska.  Most likely,they won't make me rich, but I will settle for being well-traveled.  While trying to pitch my Regency series to an agent, she just waved her hand and said, "You should stick to the football stories if they sell."  In other words, don't try anything new.  Of course I did anyhow.  I think all writers like to spread their wings a little.  Certainly, an author risks losing fans when starting a new venture.  Hence, taking the Big Chance.
    So, this month my new Mardi Gras series will make its appearance.  The stories vary in time and place, but each one contains a pivotal, life-changing event that happens during Mardi Gras.  The first, an historical titled Queen of the Mardi Gras Ball, takes  place in New Orleans during the late 1920's.  Flapper Rosamond St. Rochelle desperately wishes to defy her family by having a career rather than serving as queen of the ball, chosing the best suitor, and taking up her place as a society matron.  Rosamond's struggles to find herself make for a compelling book that culminates with the Great Flood of 1927.  Yes, a love story is also part of her tale though this is not a traditional romance.
     Mardi Gras Madness has a mystery that intrigues Laura Dickinson, the new librarian in a very small Louisiana town.  Trying to escape her own past, she finds herself embroiled in the history of the Robert LeBlanc family and greatly intrigued by the owner of Chateau Camille though she tries not to admit that.  This one has an old-fashioned Gothic flavor, not a lot of gore but a complex unfolding of events.  The third title in the series, Courir de Mardi Gras, is another mystery, this one unraveling during a country Mardi Gras.  Expect to see it during summer, 2013.
      I have I given up writing Sinners books?  Nope, but the newest one already with the publisher takes a chance, too.  It departs from the Cajun Country I know so well and takes off for American Samoa as Sinners cornerback, Adam Malala, returns to the islands taking with him the serious and rather unadventurous, Winnie Green, the Rev's newly divorced sister-in-law.  Looking for a fling to get over her bad marriage, Winnie is in way over her head in more ways than one.  Paradise for a Sinner should be out by March, 2013.
     When taking big chances like these, an author can only hope her readers will go along on the new ride and enjoy a different kind of adventure.

What You Want

I love writing, creating the story, even polishing it to a fine shine. Begging agents and editors to look at my work, not so much. With both Goals for a Sinner and Wish for a Sinner being football romances, they were often sent back as unread with the note "We do not do football stories" by many agencies that publish or represent romance. Eventually, I found two small presses that looked beyond the occupation of the hero to the good story being told and got those contracts.

I'd heard before signing that producing a book is hard work and have learned this is true. Over Labor Day weekend, I spent sixteen hours doing third edits on Wish. We were well beyond making any changes to the story and into looking for the tiniest mistakes to make this book the best we could. Some glitch caused the quotation marks to be turned in the wrong direction in about a third of the book. Page after page, I noted this correction. At last, they disappeared and the tedious third edit proceeded more normally with a missed "a" here and dropped period there. I sent off the corrections and was rewarded with the most wonderful compliment by my publisher. She replied she'd repaired the quotation marks, but at times got so caught up in the story she had to go back and make sure she'd gotten them all. Somehow, that made the sciatica flare up I suffered from spending so much time hunched over a computer on a holiday worthwhile.

So, I've learned the truth of be careful what you wish for-it's harder than you think to prepare a book for publication, but so very worth it.