Hello,
So it's almost here...Christmas! My lovely family and I are going to Las Vegas for Christmas this year and then it will be New Year and then it's 2013! Can you believe it? Anyway, with so much going on during the next few weeks, I thought I'd do a quick end of year blog. If you want to pop the kettle on or get a biscuit, now's the time. OK, ready? Here goes.
2012 has been an incredible year for me personally. I went from struggling self-published writer, working part-time in a job I loathed and doing a college course in Web Design because I figured I should start trying to get a 'proper job', to getting a publishing deal with one of the largest publishers in the UK. I quit my crap job, stopped the college course and now I'm a writer - that's it. Before when people asked what I did for a living, I would never say author because it sounded a bit shit considering I wasn't earning any money from it. But now if you ask me what I do for a living, I can say with pride, I'm an author. I write books for a living. In the words of one funny bastard (Alan Partridge)...back of the net!
This Thirtysomething Life is all wrapped up now. Hodder has the final copy and its in production. That will be their eBook from the end of January and a splendid paperback from April 25th! I saw the design layout today for the paperback and it's stunning. The designer at Hodder did an amazing job. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of the printed book! I've also been given a publicist who I'll start working with in January. I'm super excited to start talking about advertising campaigns and so on. Two months ago it was just me and now I have an editor and a publicist! Blimey!
Now Thirtysomething is done, I've started work on the edit for Happy Endings. I've had a few meetings with my editor and we've talked about it a lot and agreed on the direction we're going to take the book. It's incredible how much more scope she has given me. It feels like I was working with blinkers on and now working with my editor, I've been set free to really make this book amazing!
So what's happening in 2013? Well, I have two books coming out next year in eBook and paperback with Hodder. This is my dream come true. Actually I only dreamt about having one book published so to be having two in one year is something special. I'll be over in London during the last week of March, hopefully doing some promotional stuff for the book. I pitched an idea about doing book signings in pubs rather than book shops, but I think it's a non-starter due to me probably getting drunk too early in the day. Still, you never know!
2012 has been a wonderful year for me. I've realised a life-long dream, but I'm hoping that 2013 will be an even better year. I'm very excited about it and all it will bring.
Thanks to everyone who bought my book, gave me such lovely reviews, sent me wonderful emails and chatted with me on Twitter. I hope I can keep writing books and I hope you keep enjoying them.
All I have to say now is merry Christmas to you all and all the best for the new year.
Hugs,
Jon X
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
The publication journey...
Hello,
I thought I'd write a wee blog about the adventure of publication. Since November when I signed with Hodder and Stoughton, things have been moving and grooving behind the scenes and so here's what's been happening.
My first novel, This Thirtysomething Life, was sent off to one of Hodder's lovely proofreaders a few weeks ago and I got the copy edit back last week. Basically it's the proofreaders job to find every mistake in the book and blimey, did she find a few. I would feel bad about it but it's impossible to write 80,000 words or so and not make mistakes. Most mistakes were just silly ones and a few I wasn't even aware of, but it was a humbling but rewarding experience.
I made the required changes and that is now back with Hodder. Hopefully everything is now perfect with that and it's ready for publication - we'll see. Hodder is also working on a new cover for Thirtysomething which I'm due to see any day now. Thanks to my lovely editor, they're keeping the cover I designed but just making a few tweaks to make it even better. Hopefully once that is approved, I'll be able to share it on here!
Hodder is going to re-release the eBook of Thirtysomething in January, so if for some crazy reason you haven't already bought it you can! It will then be released as a paperback in all good bookshops across the UK on APRIL 25TH! Yes that is the official publication date. Unfortunately, I won't be in England for it so I expect dear friends that if you see it in a shop you take a photo and send it to me!
Next up I'm working on the re-write for Happy Endings. My editor has spent the last few weeks editing it completely and we had a lengthy chat on the phone about it yesterday. Let me tell you, as good as I think Happy Endings is (and I think it's pretty bloody good), my editor found absolutely tonnes of ways to improve it. It was eye-opening and again humbling, but one of the best experiences I've had as a writer because it was insightful and I know it's going to make the book a hundred times better. This is the advantage of having a huge publishers like Hodder behind me. They want the books to be as amazing as they can and want to put in the effort to make it work.
I'm expecting the edited version back today or tomorrow and so I'll spend the next month or so working like an eager beaver on making Happy Endings even better. Then it will go back to the editor who will no doubt have further changes. This is why it isn't being released until the second half of next year. It's a long process but it will make the book the best book it can possibly be. I am very excited!
That's it for now. Any questions, please let me know. You can keep up to date with what's happening if you follow me on Twitter @JRance75.
Until next time,
Hugs
Jon X
I thought I'd write a wee blog about the adventure of publication. Since November when I signed with Hodder and Stoughton, things have been moving and grooving behind the scenes and so here's what's been happening.
My first novel, This Thirtysomething Life, was sent off to one of Hodder's lovely proofreaders a few weeks ago and I got the copy edit back last week. Basically it's the proofreaders job to find every mistake in the book and blimey, did she find a few. I would feel bad about it but it's impossible to write 80,000 words or so and not make mistakes. Most mistakes were just silly ones and a few I wasn't even aware of, but it was a humbling but rewarding experience.
I made the required changes and that is now back with Hodder. Hopefully everything is now perfect with that and it's ready for publication - we'll see. Hodder is also working on a new cover for Thirtysomething which I'm due to see any day now. Thanks to my lovely editor, they're keeping the cover I designed but just making a few tweaks to make it even better. Hopefully once that is approved, I'll be able to share it on here!
Hodder is going to re-release the eBook of Thirtysomething in January, so if for some crazy reason you haven't already bought it you can! It will then be released as a paperback in all good bookshops across the UK on APRIL 25TH! Yes that is the official publication date. Unfortunately, I won't be in England for it so I expect dear friends that if you see it in a shop you take a photo and send it to me!
Next up I'm working on the re-write for Happy Endings. My editor has spent the last few weeks editing it completely and we had a lengthy chat on the phone about it yesterday. Let me tell you, as good as I think Happy Endings is (and I think it's pretty bloody good), my editor found absolutely tonnes of ways to improve it. It was eye-opening and again humbling, but one of the best experiences I've had as a writer because it was insightful and I know it's going to make the book a hundred times better. This is the advantage of having a huge publishers like Hodder behind me. They want the books to be as amazing as they can and want to put in the effort to make it work.
I'm expecting the edited version back today or tomorrow and so I'll spend the next month or so working like an eager beaver on making Happy Endings even better. Then it will go back to the editor who will no doubt have further changes. This is why it isn't being released until the second half of next year. It's a long process but it will make the book the best book it can possibly be. I am very excited!
That's it for now. Any questions, please let me know. You can keep up to date with what's happening if you follow me on Twitter @JRance75.
Until next time,
Hugs
Jon X
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