Done!
Yes, The Gathering of the Lost copyedit is actually done and completed, with all 3 stages of the marked up manuscript now on their way back to New York—and everything going well should be on my editor’s desk by Friday 12, US time.
So you may recall that on August 20—when I had just rustled up a hardcopy ms to work off, despite that week’s big snow, which meant that the courier packet from NY didn’t actually arrive until Monday 22, a week after it was sent—I said that the publisher had indicated that Gathering should be back by 31 August (ie back in the production department in New York, not just off my desk here in NZ.) And I had said that I thought 12 September was a more realistic date—and so it has proven to be (or will be, assuming the courier makes it to NY within their promised delivery timeframe!)
3-4 weeks of very hard, attention-to-detail work—but worth it both to get the book as right as I can make it. And to have the opportunity to read the story through again and think: yes, that’s definitely a book!
The next and final stage for me, prior to actual publication, is the “first pass proof”, which will be that last going over to make sure that everything from the copyedit is A-OK. And although there’s still six months to go until then, I hope to have a “cover reveal” sometime before then. A little bit of fun stuff to leaven out the hard work!
But for now … Well, to be honest, a fair bit of catch-up around house and garden as well as doing earthquake related stuff, which is just an ongoing these days. But also, onward to Daughter of Blood, The Wall of Night Book Three!
Book Three, though––how cool is that?!
How cool is that?
Very, Very Cool
Congrats!!
Congrats! And Woot! And all that stuff 🙂
Awesome! How exciting to be on to the new one as well. Woot!
Thanks everyone–I must admit it feels great to be done and have a much needed day off! And I am looking forward to writing “The Wall of Night Book Three.”
Well done!
Yay! Looking forward to that cover reveal, and the book of course .
Sharon, I both believe and hope that you will love the cover and the story within it!
Veyr veyr cool as they say. 🙂
Well, I think so … But then, I would! An outpass, at least for a week or so. 😮
Well done. Exhausting work, I’m sure, especially as you’re still coping with all the earthquake stuff. Impressive that you’re managing to carry on working so hard on your manuscripts.
I was pleased to read elsewhere on your blog that you’re into glossaries and that ‘The Gathering’ has also got an elaborate glossary. Very useful.
I do find the copyedit exhausting work, mainly because of the combination of attention to detail required, but also the tight timeline.
The ongoing earthquake situation has certainly made for an “interesting” past year and sometimes it has been difficult to keep going with the book, but at other times having something like the writing deadline to focus on and shut out everything else almost feels like a good thing.
I think it’s something about epic fantasy—the map and the glossary! I love them in other books so had to have them in mine as well—but I think it helps readers, too, with so many different names and cultures and creatures to keep track off. And who knows, maybe we’ll get to do the Swarm Bestiary itself one day … 😉