HTML, Here I Come

I'm constantly amazed by how much not-writing this writing gig requires. On the one hand, it's kinda frustrating. I want to write! I already feel like i have dozens of stories all clawing their way through my brain, demanding to be released. As it stands, my work is a slow valve-release of pressure, a constant hum of brain-steam that ends up (through copious refinement) as a finished story. But in order to do that, I have to do all this other stuff (website creation, crafting my Patreon, learning how to self-publish, and so on) such that I can actually spend the time I need to transfer brain-steam to paper.

But, by the same token, I really do love to write. So if I have to jump through a few more hoops to let me be better at it, to let a wider audience become familiar with my work, then so be it. I dabbled in HTML back in the early '00s, so what the hey. Apparently it's the key to making sure my ebooks look as professional as possible, and that's really the goal at this stage.

We'll get there, dear readers (and future readers!). We'll get there.

In other news: I'm working on a neat little short story called "Black Box" (for now). It's a story about a small bridge crew on a crippled starship in complete and total darkness. I like how it's coming long thus far (about half done the first draft). Hope to get that finished up tomorrow, and then start the painful process of refinement and polish before sending 'er off to Asimov's.

Self Publish 101 - The Learning Curve

So I've taken the first steps towards self-publishing my first novel. "Tintian and the King's Claw" has so far gathered the requisite number of rejections from agents and big publishers (around 30), and while I got some incredible feedback and three requests for the full manuscript, no takers yet.

That's okay. I love the story, and I think it deserves to be released onto the world... so time to do that myself. The trouble is of course, that I have no idea how to do that! Thankfully I have a lot of friends in publishing and editing, and they've been an enormous help.

The first step was to nail down a cover. There are a tonne of good cover artists, but I found one I like* and you can see some of the results of his work already on my "Books" page. He also did a full set of 5 "Episode" covers for the serialization of the work, which was awesome, and the banner I used for Patreon!

Next step was to hire a professional editor. I've already done this and sent the book off to her. The incredible Anna Albo** has my novel in her hands already, and I feel a huge weight lifted as a result.

In the meantime, I've been researching the publishing process itself. I really want to get this as "right" as I can for my first effort. Which means a tonne of research, but (as a scientist) I'm used to that.

Anyway, thanks for reading! I'll keep everyone appraised of the process as it continues. I suspect next will be writing the "Last time on Tintian..." and "Next time you can expect..." at the start and end of each serialized portion. Self-publishing isn't easy, but it is pretty damn interesting!

*My cover artist's website is http://www.goonwrite.com/
**Anna Albo can be reached on Twitter (@AnnamariaAlbo), or through her website (http://www.annaalbo.com/)

Chatter Spot!

So are you following me on Twitter? Have you subscribed to my Patreon? Are you doing all these things, listening and reading all the stuff I post... and want YET MORE?

That's why this place exists. I will post thoughts! I will post progress of the novels I am working on. I may rant occasionally, but I will try to keep the rants to a minimum. Because life is depressing enough without us being mean to each other.

So check back here frequently for a glimpse into my process, my work, and my mind (dun dun dun!).