Revision Update: It's DONE!!

[jpskewedthrone]

Not as exciting as the Indiana Jones story, but today . . . I "finished" the revisions to Cracked Throne. I put it in quotes because all of the major revisions are done. All I need to do now is go back and insert a sentence here or there, just to emphasize some things that I changed, but the changes were iffy early on. I started this process today actually and got through about half the book. So I should have everything, all major revisions, all little tweaks and adjustments, everything, done by Sunday.

This feels . . . so good. You have no idea. And I actually STILL LIKE THE BOOK. I think it's good. I didn't like the version I handed in my editor. Or rather, I didn't like the first half of the version I handed in. But my editor's suggestions prompted me to figure out WHAT I didn't like about the first half and fix it. And now I really like the whole book.

I'm hoping everyone else likes it as well.

In other incredibly great news, I've seen the cover art for the cover. Unfortunately it hasn't been "packaged" yet, meaning it doesn't have my name and the title on it, so I can't show it to anyone. But I think it's MUCH more powerful an image than for The Skewed Throne. That one was great as well, but this one is definitely more active. I think it will suck the viewer in, make him/her ask "What the hell is going on with that?" and then buy the book to find out. And there's absolutely NO HINT in Skewed Throne of the action seen on the cover of Cracked Throne, so everyone who's read that one will not be able to guess what's happening on the cover of Cracked Throne.

You'll just have to read the book. *grin*

Sorry to tempt you by saying the cover exists and then not being able to show it . . . but with the cover, and the revisions done, the book suddenly feels so much more REAL. I had to share.

Because I'm so freaking excited it's not funny.

Comments

[jimhines.livejournal.com]

Major Snoopy dances for you! Congrats on finishing the big revisions, and I can't wait to see the cover!

[jpsorrow.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Hopefully the packaged cover is shortly forthcoming, but who knows? The release is still 7 months away.

[jimhines.livejournal.com]

Man, now I want to call and talk to Sheila about my cover art :-)

Actually, I'm waiting for her to e-mail me back. I had a few questions about submitting the princess novel and starting on the third goblin book. I sent a note over three weeks ago, with a follow-up this week. Do you happen to know if maybe e-mail isn't the best way to chat with our wonderful editor?

[jpsorrow.livejournal.com]

It all depends on what the current disaster is and whether it involves you. I think I've been getting lots of attention simply because my book got moved up in the schedule so now they're under pressure to get it packaged and ready to go. I've emailed her before about things and not gotten a response back. I don't think it means anything except that your question wasn't a top priority at the moment.

Sheila's usually good about getting back to you eventually though. Just be patient.

The princess novel hasn't been sold to them yet, right? If not, do you have an agent? The best way to get that to their attention is to have your agent present it to them. Same for the third goblin book. If you don't have an agent, then I'd just keep following up with Sheila . . . or start looking for an agent. She's probably not answering because she wants to get the first goblin book out before talking further deals.

[jpsorrow.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I forgot to mention that Steve Stone, the artist doing my artwork, only had this one week in which to do the cover. I'm not sure who they'll have doing your cover, but it's probably not on that tight a schedule.

[jimhines.livejournal.com]

One week? Ouch. I hope they paid him well...

[jimhines.livejournal.com]

Thanks -- that's helpful to hear. I do have an agent, but he suggested I could submit it directly if I wanted, given the family approach DAW takes on these things.

I'll wait a bit, and if nothing happens, I'll probably just hand it off to the agent and let him worry about it.

"You must learn patience."
"Patience? Yeah, how long will that take?"

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Congrats! Good feeling, eh?

[jpsorrow.livejournal.com]

Definitely a good feeling. Hopefully it will last for the next 2 weeks. Then I have to get busy on book 3: Vacant Throne.

[aeriedraconia.livejournal.com]

Woohoo! All done!

I just finished 'The Skewed Throne' earlier and enjoyed it (I was interrupted THREE times as I reached the last 50 pages of the story and had to put it down, I complained loudly). I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next. :-)

[jpsorrow.livejournal.com]

Glad you enjoyed Skewed Throne. Hopefully you'll enjoy Cracked Throne as well.

If you post a review of Skewed Throne somewhere, let me know (good or bad). I've been putting reviews up on my webpage and if you wouldn't mind, I'd add it to that batch. I haven't updated it recently, but there's only been one or two reviews online recently, so . . .

[jeffpalmatier.livejournal.com]

Congratulations, Joshua!

I was curious--before you got your novel accepted for publication, did you publish any short fiction?

[jpsorrow.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

I did not publish any short fiction before the novel. That's how the publishing industry USED to work: before anyone would consider your novel, you would have to "prove" yourself by getting a bunch of short stories published. This would have killed me, since I can't seem to write good short stories. They either suck, or they blow up into novels.

Nowadays, you don't need that . . . at least for genre fiction. Short story publication are good, and if you have them, definitely tout them because editors will pay closer attention to you novel if you have short story credentials listed in your cover letter . . . but it isn't a requirement that you have short story creds at all.

[coolmajaka.livejournal.com]

Congrats! You ripped through those revisions in no time -- glad we'll be seeing more come Nov. Can't wait!

[jpsorrow.livejournal.com]

I would have had them done a week earlier but I got sick at the con in Seattle, so last weekend only worked on it one day. I napped and stuff the rest of the weekend. But I'm still done ahead of schedule, so the November release should still work. Or at least if it doesn't, it won't be because of me.

Still got copy edits/galleys to go through after this, but it's good to feel done.

[rugor.livejournal.com]

Many congrats.

Now you get that half-second breather before the next one, or at least next set of tasks.

[jpsorrow.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Two week breather actually, during which I finish off the current semester and give the finals. Then it's on to book 3: Vacant Throne.

[clarkesworld.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! Can't wait to read this one.

-Neil

[jennifer-dunne.livejournal.com]

In other incredibly great news, I've seen the cover art for the cover. Unfortunately it hasn't been "packaged" yet, meaning it doesn't have my name and the title on it, so I can't show it to anyone.

So what's that make us, chopped liver? :-)

And to tease everyone else...yes, the cover art really is that cool.