Never done this before. Not sure I should be doing it now, to be honest. But, in a moment of madness, yesterday I went public with the cover for my next book (I know – it’s been a long time coming…).
The reason I have a doubt about whether to do it now is simply that I am currently waiting for the manuscript from my editor, and I don’t know for sure what he’s going to say about it.
I have had it beta-read, and got some very useful feedback – enough to warrant getting rid of around 15000 words. It was too slow in the beginning, apparently. Why readers don’t want to be patient is beyond me. They should take their time, allow the boredom to creep over them, then when it does – eventually – get moving, they’ll be more excited. It does work like that, doesn’t it?
Anyway, I’ve made changes that reflect the consensus and, hopefully, that’ll mean any more changes suggested by the editor will be minor. We’ll see, and I’ll keep you informed – whether you want to be or not.
My guess is that the final draft will be ready by spring, and we can go live with the eBook then, the paperback not far behind. In spite of the work (and many, many drafts) that has gone into it, I am excited that it’ll finally be out there for the world to see.
Right now, though, I’m excited about the cover. I have a brilliant designer, Torrie Cooney, who gets what I want every time. And then some…
Whaddya think?
Cool cover! 🙂
Thanks, Ruth. I hadn’t thought of it as cool, but I’m not going to complain about it. I’ve been very lucky with my cover designer.
Great cover. Enjoyed Ravens Gathering so will keep an eye out for this one 👍
Thanks, Paul. It’s been a long time coming, and it’s quite different to RG, but I hope you’ll enjoy it.
Beautiful and great cover!
Thanks for that. I was impressed when it came through. Didn’t have to ask for any changes!
Magic, when that happens!
Looks stunning!
Thanks, Ritu. Hope all is well with you
End of term finally!
I can relax!
That sounds like a plan. Have a great Christmas!
You too Graeme!
I’ll be finishing my tweaks on The manuscript, writing the blurb… And getting the interior ready!!!
It’s what Christmas is all about…
And maybe a bit of
Wow, impressive cover!
Thanks, Erika. Hope life is treating you well and you’re all settled into your new home.
Thank you, Graeme. All good, and I made some changes in order to have more time for the things I couldn’t get to because I was so occupied by my job. I still love my house. We painted a lot this year inside, new furniture in some rooms, the garden is about to receive a whole new face. I hope you are doing fine too!
All well here, Erika. And it sounds like life is treating you well at the moment. Have a great Christmas and I hope 2020 is a good year for you too.
Thank you, Graeme. Yes, I must not complain. I wish you and your family a merry Christmas and all the best for the coming year 😊
Looks great!! Looking forward to reading it! 👍
Thanks, Sam. Looking forward to finally getting it out there!
It’s gorgeous! I love it! 📚❤️ (Also, yay for getting rid of around 15000 words! No, I’m not patient. And, yes, I love cutting ALL OF THE WORDS. Okay, obviously not all of the words but you get what I mean.)
Thanks, Sarah. I did get your other message, but this one was awaiting moderation and I was asleep. You have heard of time zones, haven’t you?
As for the word count, it’s still a long book, but it should be a lot easier to get into now – we’ll see what the editor thinks very soon.
What’s a time zone? 😝
I’ll get some graph paper and crayons. How long have you got…?
Have a great Christmas, Sarah
Ooh! Coloring!
Thanks, Graeme. 🎄❤️ Happy Christmas and New Year to you!
A fabulous cover, Graeme! And a perfect complement to Ravens Gathering.
Thanks, Sue. That was the plan – even though they are quite different books in terms of tone, pace, setting, era… And yet, strangely, they are linked – though the beta readers who’d read RG didn’t spot the link, so it should be all right as a stand-alone!
That’s the best way for any series to go… however subtle the link.
It’s very atmospheric.
It worked then! Thank you, April. Hope all is well with you.
All’s well, thanks. I hope the same applies to you.
Can’t complain – though I often do! Have a good Christmas and hope 2020 is a great year for you.
Thank you.
Wow, Graeme – that’s quite stunning!
Thanks, Anne. I’m very fortunate with my cover designer. Hope all is well with you – and you’re mum’s okay
Dark, eerie, with the sense of something that is going to happen which you don’t really want to know about, but can’t resist in finding out.
Not sure if it’s only happening to me, but every time you publish a new blog post, I get two email notifications from you, Graeme. When that happens with WordPress.Com blogs, it usually means the post has not appeared on the WordPress Reader. Am I right in thinking that your blog is self-hosted?
That first sentence sounds like my idea of Christmas, Hugh… There might be a story in that!
My blog is self-hosted, Hugh. It’s part of my website, which just happens to use WordPress as its platform. So I’m sorry if you keep getting email from me – you can ignore them if you want to. (Just be grateful I don’t post every day!)
Oh no, I don’t mind getting email notifications from you, Graeme. I get email notifications from all the blogs I follow when a new post is published – apart from the bloggers who publish more than once a day. Those, I follow on the WordPress Reader. it’s just that I always get two for the same post from your blog (at the same time) and was wondering why? It never used to happen. I wonder if it happens with others who follow your blog? Maybe I signed up twice? Who knows?
Glad you liked the first sentence of my previous comment. It’s exactly what I thought when I saw the cover.
It may forever remain a mystery…
Loved your first sentence, Hugh. I can only hope others have a similarly evocative reaction when they see the cover
Congratulations, Graeme. My mom and I are waiting …
Thanks, Robbie. I’ll try not to keep you waiting too long.
Im slow getting here but it’s worth it for the most apt – aptest? Cover. . And 15000 words lost? Gosh thats brave! Fingers crossed your editor approves. Merry Christmas!
I’d need to consult an editor about whether aptest works. I’m sure there’s one around here somewhere…
And you know it needed to lose a lot of words – I just hope I picked the right ones!
Thanks for looking in and commenting. Merry Christmas to you too, Geoff!