"Who Moved My Mouse?" Coming Soon To A Bookstore Near You...
Sorry to be blog-silent for so long. I got back from Ohio and had an e-mail waiting from my editor at Ten Speed Press. We're on round two of revisions. Round one was the editor going through the book and making suggestions/comments. I was surprised (and quite happy) at how few revisions there were. I'd heard stories of books coming back with all but five words crossed out, asking for rewrites. I had tissues and Tylenol standing by but, thankfully, they weren't needed.
This round is all about the copy editing. And this copy editor is GOOD. Straightening up my prose right and left. Plus, she's a cat person, and had some helpful comments/suggestions on some of the text outside copy editing.
It's hard to believe I'll have to wait until October for the finished product. The book seems to be just winging along. I've got sample pages for how the book will be laid out and I've been approving illustrations for over a month. The book is already listed on Amazon and on Random House's author page.
This is it though. This week is my last chance to make any substantial revisions to the book, so I'm going through with a fine tooth comb. My writer friends have been there in spades for me, responding to my anxious e-mails about "which is the funnier cat litter joke" as though they had all the time in the world to spare.
I'm surprisingly calm about the whole thing. The only thing that makes me ancy is thinking about all the publicity I need to stir up. I've got a mile-long to-do list when it comes to marketing and promotion and I'm at the point where I need to start making things happen.
Got any great ideas for making a cat self-help book a bestseller? Send 'em my way!
Cheers,
Dena
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 12:45 PM | Dena Harris | 5 Comments | Email Article | Share via Digg | Print Article | tagged Random House, Self-help for cats, Ten Speed Press, Who Moved My Mouse?, cat humor, humor, pets, self-help in Cat Stuff, Writing, General
Reader Comments (5)
This sounds like SUCCESS!
Hooray for your latest galley, and for good copyeditors! For your next book (and there will be a next book), I HIGHLY recommend this local CE who is a very close friend of mine. ;) I'd hazard a guess that most of us CEs are cat people, and a great percentage of us are also bird watchers—like our cats.
Iris - I thought of you while reading all the CE changes. My main thought was, "My God, this is tedious work. God bless the people who are able to do this." =)
The copyediting gene is both a gift and a curse. I'm heartened that you thought what you did and not "My God, these people are picky!" But of course, we are picky. We're like the accountants of words: Writers do the creative part and we make sure it's all orderly, clear, and consistent at the end.
This is so great to hear. Regarding the publicity trial, know that your dad is so proud he is telling everyone that they can pre-order on Amazon and Randon house. We are spreading the word here Dena. Lots of love and much success!