How I got here, Part 8: To the Present Day

Well, I figured I better at least post an official closure to my play-by-play telling of how I got published and where I am today. I hope I haven't bored anyone to tears. Unless you're a jerk, in which case I hope you got so bored you died. (wow, that was quite invigorating)

So I got my contract, turned in the book, breathed a sigh of relief when everyone said they liked the finished draft. Like I said before, I kinda skipped here all the wonderful people who looked over my book BEFORE I turned it in, but that would really be boring except to those who did me the favor. You'll get your slap on the back when you see the eagerly-anticipated Acknowledgements section (in which Peter Jackson and chickens are also mentioned).

And so began the editing process with my talented, brilliant, lovely, stupendous, invigorating (is that enough, Lisa?) editor, Lisa Mangum. Imagine my surprise when she gave me 7 single-spaced pages of notes for suggested changes. At first I wanted to throw up but then felt much better when I realized none of it was TOO major. My plot and characters as a whole were safe.

That was Round One. I rewrote. Then came Round Two. More changes. I rewrote. Then came Round Three. Rewrote. [UPDATE: be sure and read the comments so you can catch a glimpse of Lisa and what I have to deal with]

Then Chris (Product Director) read it, Round Four. Rewrote. Then the kid focus group, Round Five. Rewrote. Then "The Board", whoever the heck that is, Round Six. Rewrote. Somewhere in there, I think Lisa gave me some more ideas, because I seem to remember seven rounds.

But all in all, it was fun. They (collectively, but most kudos to Lisa) improved the book dramatically. What I had considered a pretty decent story had become a really publishable, ready-to-be-devoured novel. This is the hope, in any case.

Somewhere in all this, the name of the main character (Mason McGee) was changed to Atticus Higginbottom. Atticus was actually the name of my character in a book I wrote called THE WORLD SIFTER, which is sitting on my computer, waiting for its day in the sun. Chris wanted a more unusual, catchy name, so I cannabilized my own story.

It really took awhile to reconcile that in my mind. Mason had become a part of me, and suddenly he was Atticus. It was doubly confusing because Atticus was a completely different character in my mind as well. But it was a good change and my brain finally accepted it.

Also, originally the story was called THE NINETEENTH REALITY. When Chris gave his pitch to "The Committee", whoever the heck that is, he accidentally called it THE THIRTEENTH REALITY, and everyone liked it so much it stuck. That made for a little adjusting in my plans, but not much. It's only a number. Somewhere later, the number was used instead of the word, and now it is offically THE 13TH REALITY.

I think I've brought you up to speed. I'm now working on the sequel, which is tentatively called THE PLAGUE OF DARK INFINITY. Shadow Mountain had me map out the series as five books, so that's where it stands now. But each book will stand alone much more than my Jimmy Fincher series, which was really one big book sliced and diced into four. But, of course, there is a huge arc that goes over the whole series of THE 13TH REALITY.

Whew. Breathe in, breathe out.

And so, here I am, anxiously awaiting the month of March. I have no idea what to expect. This is a brutal industry. An unpredictable industry. If there were a magical formula for bestsellers, then every book that came out would be one. But there isn't. Despite all the work, all the editing and rewriting, despite all the planned marketing, you just never know.

In the end, only one thing will matter. You, Reader, and your opinion.