Editing Woes

I finally received my proof for “Second Chances” (a proof is an actual copy of your book, the way it will appear when published, for the author to review carefully and then either approve or deny for publication).  I was as excited as a child on Christmas morning when I heard the UPS truck pull up in front of the house.  I ran out to collect my package, waving my thanks to the driver, and then ripped right into it.

When the book fell into my eager hands, I was thrilled!  Abra’s cover looked gorgeous in person – as I knew it would!  It was glossy and simple, just the way I wanted it.  I hated even putting my own fingerprints on it!  Finally, I opened it and was filled with a deep pride at seeing my words in print.  It looked fantastic!

Yet I knew what I had to do:  I had to read carefully to look for any errors that my friend Beth or I had missed when we edited it the first time.  And boy, were there tons!  How did we miss so many?

I spent the next two days reading and making notations of all of the changes that needed to be made.  There was even an error on the cover, so I had to bother Abra again to fix that as well.  It was disheartening to know that I would have to go through the whole process again:  edit, convert to PDF, upload, order a proof and wait for it to arrive.

But I also know that this is what it will take to produce my best possible work in order to make my book available to the world, so I am going to stop my whining and just get it done.

Nonetheless, I still look at my book  – mistakes and all – and get chills when I think that it is mine!  I did this!  The extra work is worth that single thought.

Happy reading!

Christina