My Book Has Arrived!

As part of the publication process for paperbacks with Lulu, I wanted to buy my own copy first before opening it up to the general public so that I could make sure that there weren't any errors. I ordered it off Lulu four days ago and today it arrived!As you can see on the right, the book comes in a nice rectangular box. Cute.Cue the images below to see what was inside.

The front cover in plastic

The title page

The start of a random chapter

The back cover

And finally the spine

After a short review, I must say I'm impressed. It looks great. It feels great. It looks and feels like a real book! I'll need to do a more thorough review before I make it available for the public. That said, WOW! This completely makes the thousands of hours that I poured into this project worth it. Now it's time to start another one.

...

Maybe tomorrow. :)

Progression of Evermore Cover Art

In order to help E:COTN set itself apart on digital bookstores, I've hired an illustrator to draw the cover art for the novel. Thankfully, Jordan Knoll, who did the cover design for Suicide is a Tax Write-Off, recommended Kevin Bae from Toronto. His highly expressionistic art-work seemed to be a pretty good fit for Evermore's imagined world.So after some preliminary discussions, he started working on short form bookmarks while we worked out the contract details. After a short period of time, he sent me his first two ideas.The first image on the left is Blue who, while not the protagonist, is nonetheless the most iconic character in the book. This first image is a simple profile shot of the character with shadow on the left slightly concealing her scar. My biggest concern with this image was that the scar was not nearly grotesque enough and a simple profile shot isn't enough to catch a prospective readers attention. We needed more.The second image on the right goes in a completely different direction. Highlighting three different areas of Evermore in the spheres and the three distinct parts of Blue's subconscious (id, ego, super-ego), the second image was interesting but we both found that it was too complicated and abstract. A reader looking at it would have no idea what the novel is about or its major themes.With my feedback and further discussions, Kevin came back with a third image.Kevin found the geometric dimensions of Market Square to be quite fascinating, so he devised its structure in more detail. At the bottom left of the image you will find his idea of what the cover page would look. Much simplified, the cover illustration sets out an interesting outline and draws the eye. However, it is still a little too abstract. At this point, the reader is not going to know anything about Evermore. Thus, he will be unable to discern that the geometric shapes are supposed to represent a meta-physical place inside the virtual world.Kevin went back to the drawing board and completed a fourth image that you can see on the left. The image is profile shot of Blue but her face is disintegrating into polygons. I found that I loved this idea as soon as it was suggested. It's simple, focuses on the most interesting features of a major character and it symbolizes powerful one of the major themes of the novel: the loss of self in a virtual world. Her face falling into polygons represented how Blue was slowing losing her mind inside the virtual world of Evermore. I loved the idea. It seemed to say so much while showing so little.However, this is where we also got off track. When Kevin asked if I loved the tessellations, I thought that he was referring to the polygons and said yes. In case you're wondering, polygons are single-side geometric shapes that are used to create three dimensional models, tessellations are images that mirror one another. They are completely different yet I didn't seem to notice until the next image, seen on the right, arrived.As you can see, the fifth image is getting more detailed. Blue is looking over her shoulder to something menacing approaching. The skin detail is extraordinary yet I didn't like the calligraphy blocking the rest of her body or the tessellations. Kevin stated that the calligraphy was a stand-in for her hair and duster jacket. That was fine but the tessellations were a sticking point.We arranged a phone meeting which gave us a chance to get on the same page about what we were looking for visually. It was probably something that we should have done earlier in that it made it far easier and quicker to get across my ideas. It also gave me a chance to give Kevin the short five-minute version of the story (as there's not enough time for him to read the manuscript) so he would have a better idea about what happens and the visual themes that he could take advantage. It was also here that I decided to expand our contract so that Kevin would create both the front and back page of the cover. I felt that since I had spent so much time and energy on this novel, I might as well get both front and back covers created just in case I decided to offer a print version sometime in the future. Kevin was excited as this would give me more space with which to work.Kevin's next image was much closer to what I was looking for. The image is startling. The use of colour and light is gloomy yet provocative. The main imagery is in place with only the details to work out. As you can see, the main image of the Blue disintegrates into pieces that continue on to the back cover. Great design. The only real problem that I had with it was that the facial expression. Blue looked like she was about to fall asleep where normally she would wear a continually expression of repressed rage.Kevin kept at it and produced the seventh image that you can see on the left. You can definitely see the physical features of Blue coming together. Her menace is there but not yet apparent as it is still an earlier image. The colour contrast is interesting and I love the beam of Blue light on the backside of the cover. The only problem that I had was that the polygons have become pyramids. This gave me an opportunity to touch base with Kevin to make sure that we were on the same page. I wanted single-side polygons because their synthetic nature highlights the virtual world that is tearing Blue apart.With that in mind, Kevin kept working and produced image number eight on the right. The minute I saw it, I know that he had nailed the facial expression of Blue. This is exactly how she would like if her mind was being pulled to pieces. She would be pissed, looking for somebody to hurt. We were definitely getting closer. For the last couple of images, Kevin had been working on having her mind disintegrate first into key objects from the virtual world of Evermore before they disintegrated further into simple polygons. You can see this idea beginning to come into fruition here. My only person is that polygons are a little flat. At the end, the polygons should look like they're spinning in empty space.Following my feedback, Kevin went and created the ninth image, which you can see on the left. While still early, you can definitely see the structure coming together. It has that great whoosh of light going off to the left, the facial expression is maintained and the polygons, while still flat, look appropriately synthetic. Kevin also added red lighting on the right to replace her anger and yellow lighting on the left. At this point, the basic structure of the is complete. Now Kevin will find-tune it with my feedback, make a connected design for the back cover, and start adding in the fine details.At this point, the cover art is well on its way and in very capable hands. I am really excited about how it's going and I hope you all really like it. As Kevin creates new versions, I'll upload them to the website so you can check them out. All in all, it's been a really cool process to go through with Kevin and I can wait to see how it turns out. For the serious self-publisher, I would highly recommend it. In a new world where anybody can publish, you have to look for every edge to stand apart. Cover art is a great place to start.     

It's a Wrap! Evermore: Call of the Nocturne is Finally Complete!

After eight years, more than eight drafts, thousands of hours of my life, and three computers later, I have finally finished the manuscript for Evermore: Call of the Nocturne. My god, that took far longer than I ever expected it to. When I started back in 2004 (and this is not considering pre-production planning), I thought that it might take me three or four years. When I finished the first draft by 2007 or 2008, I thought I was nearly done. When I started this blog in 2010, my goal was to publish it that year. Obviously, that was not to be.

That said, the time was not wasted. During that four-year period, I had two professional edits done on my text. A developmental edit by Erin Stropes and a line edit by Amelia Bennett. The suggestions made by those two led to immense improvements in the manuscript. I owe them both a debt of gratitude for their contributions. E:COTN is a much better novel now then it was before their help. Still, it was four years!

Having reached the end of the road, I admit that my feelings are a little bittersweet. On one hand, I feel relief for having finally completed it. One the other hand, I feel a little bit lost. Completing this novel has been one of the driving forces of my life and now that it's over, I feel like I've lost a little bit of the purpose of my life. I have been thinking about this novel constantly for the last eight years, thinking up new plot elements, developing characters, and filling holes and inconsistencies. Now that's it's done, I no longer have to obsess about it. I'm also somewhat overwhelmed but the length of time I've been working on it. I've been working on E:COTN for about a quarter of my life. With its completion, a significant chapter of my life has closed. It will be a time in my life that I will always miss.

In an ironic twist, I started to watch Martin Scorcese's The Aviator to relax after completing the novel. At the beginning, the protagonist Howard Hughes four years and almost every cent who had on a movie called "Hell's Angels". His level of obsession with the project was absurd. He bought or loaned every plan he could find, used no fewer than 26 cameras, and then reshot the film twice: once because he wanted to get clouds into the shots and a second time because he wanted to add sound! It was insane and yet, while I watched, I understood completely. When you commit so much of your life to a project, it can be really difficult to let go. You want to make it perfect, but perfect is impossible. At some point you have to let it go, warts and all.Howard Hughes couldn't let it go and I've difficulty letting go of Evermore. As I came closer and closer to the end, I became more reluctant to finish. I was always finding something that needed to be improved or worked on. But at some point, I came to the conclusion that the novel was about as good as I could ever make. It was time to let it go. I had fixed all the plot holes I could find, I addressed every concern raised by my editors, it was done.There's still more work to do, of course. I still have to get the cover art drawn and arranged, I have to register the copyright and buy an ISBN. I'll need to prepare the epub file, test it and upload it to iBookstore and the Kindle store. I'll probably give the manuscript one more read to be sure but the bulk of the work is done.I'll also have more time to write on my blog. I've been so busy trying to finish E:COTN that I've neglected my blog at a very exciting time for self-publishing. We have new services arising, more direct access to iBookstore and an exciting new tool called iBooks Author that I'm dying to play with. I'll keep all of you posted on all of these developments and keep you appraised of E:COTN's release date as we approach.Thank you again for your patience. I hope that when it is finally published, you will enjoy reading Evermore: Call of the Nocturne as I did writing it. 

Late Night Thoughts

And so I am up at 2 AM in the morning typing a blog post on my iPad. For some reason, I can't sleep tonight. I'm not exactly sure why. But it does give me an opportunity to apologize for my readers my lack of posts over the last few weeks. However, that has been due to some great progress on my novel. For those of you who might remember, I hired Erin Stropes in Montreal to edit my novel. She did a great job and got it back to me in June.Since then, I have been diligently working away at it. First, I have been doing a development edit. This will be followed by a line edit based on the comments that Erin gave me. To wit, the development edit has been hugely successful. I have probably rewritten about 25 percent of the novel, but the changes have made the story much quicker with far less confusion than before. I have probably learned more about writing over these past few months then I had over the previous ten years.I should finish the developmental edit this Sunday. I will probably take the rest of the week off, make sure that I don't have more major changes that I would like to make and then start on the line edit. The reason that I have to push myself so quickly is that I have to get the next version of the manuscript to Erin by early December so she can do the second and final edit over the Christmas break. I have been spending about 2-3 hours a day on this manuscript so it will be nice to get something of a break. I wish I had the time to go into more detail over the changes at have been made but it's hard to explain what exactly is going on without having the manuscript in front of you. Once I submit the manuscript to my editor, I will have more time to post.There have been some topics that I would like to go into further detail over the Christmas Break. I would love to write a shot-by-shot analysis of the zero-g fight scene in Inception and explain why it works so well (hint: it's the carpet) and how it forced me to change a key fight scene in the middle of my novel. another idea that I would like to try once I publish the book would be author commentaries. Recorded and distributed for free through iTunes (so you could listen while you read), author commentaries would be a neat idea that could work on a digital platform like the iPad. Another project that I would like to work on would be a wiki for the world of evermore. It would contain character biographies, object descriptions and plot synopses from the novel. I will hold off on that until the text is finalized for production.So I hope that this post gives you a better idea of what I'm up to and how the novel is progressing. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to leave me a comment.

The Line Edit is Done

Those of you who have been following my blog will remember that I had hired Erin Stropes from kallista.ca to do a line edit of my novel Evermore: Call of the Nocturne.  I am happy to announce that she has finished and returned my annotated manuscript to me.  Or, I was happy until I found all the (valid) criticisms levelled at my baby.  But not to worry, I did what any self-respecting writer would do.  I went into the corner and cried.After a couple of hours and a couple of hundred tissues, I pulled myself from my misery and began to focus on what I needed to change.  After some thought, I identified three major issues with the plot:

1. The ending was too difficult to understand.
2. The timelock used during the story fizzles out as it approaches the deadline.
3. One of the major characters disappears without reason for half the novel.

The first problem I was able to solve last night with some clever tinkering but the other two will take weeks of work as I read through the manuscript yet again.  This will be followed by a second swing through the novel as I address the thousands of small (and yet valid) points that Erin raised.  Following these two drafts, I will have to submit it again to Erin for a final line-edit review.So while Erin's editing has levelled a blow to my self-esteem and delayed the novel's release for months, I still find that it was worth the time and the money (about $1200) to have the line edit done.  Despite all the aggravation and extra work, the end result will be a manuscript that will be far more fun to read.  Thus for those of you that are considering publishing your novel digitally on your own, I would fully recommend hiring an editor.  They truly do pick up so many things that you missed.  In fact, I would recommend three rules:

1. Hire an editor.
2. Your editor is always right.
3. Your editor is ALWAYS right (it needs to be said twice)

Follow these rules (don't forget to pay her) and you will be able to produce a manuscript that you won't be ashamed of.

Apple Offers iPad Self-Publishing

On Wednesday, Apple announced that they would be offering support for individuals seeking to self-publish to the iBook Store.  MacLife has the details at http://www.maclife.com/article/news/apple_reveals_new_service_authors_sell_their_books_directly_ibookstoreIn short, Apple will allow you to publish directly to the iBook Store if you meet the following criteria:

• The eBook must have a valid and unique ISBN number;
• The eBook must use the ePub format;
• You must have a US Tax ID;
• You must have a valid iTunes Store account with a credit card on file; and
• You must have an Intel-based Mac running OS X 10.5 or later.

All in all, this sounds pretty simple.  None of these requirements are at all difficult to get.  You can buy an ISBN through a number of services, you can Storyist (like I will) to convert your manuscript into .ePub, almost everyone has an iTunes account with their credit card ready to go, and Macs are pretty much a necessity for the serious writer anyway.Obviously, there are numerous advantages in publishing directly through Apple.  They take a smaller cut than Amazon or Smashwords, you don't have to go through an aggregator to upload your content, and the interface (like Amazon's Digital Text Platform) will be simple and elegant.  Does that mean that i'm going to change my business plan once again, avoid Smashwords and Lulu, and go straight through Apple?No.There are two reasons for this.  The first is that I don't have a US Tax ID.  This isn't really a problem as I'm certain that within the next year, Apple will expand to service to multiple countries including Canada.  That's what happened with Amazon's Digital Text Platform.  But I would prefer to publish my novel this year.  I would rather not wait if I don't have to.No, the second and bigger reason is a financial requirement that is being underreported in the press.  Under financial requirement from the iTunes Connect page (https://itunesconnect.apple.com/WebObjects/iTunesConnect.woa/wo/0.0.0.5.7.7.1), reads the following:

Apple does not pay partners until they meet payment requirements and earning thresholds in each territory. You should consider this before applying to work directly with Apple as you may receive payments faster by working with an Apple-approved aggregator.

So in other words, you have to sell a significant number of books in order to get paid.  Now in my case, I don't expect to sell more than a couple of hundred copies if I'm lucky.  Of course, this makes sense for Apple.  It would be extremely difficult if their account department had to handle hundreds of thousands of business partners, most of whom would be doing business in the single digits.  However, considering that Amazon offers a similar service without any problems, it is a little disappointing.Apple helpfully provides a link to a list of Apple-approved aggregators which you can find here.  These include the following:

• BiblioCore
• Book Baby
• Constellation
• INgrooves
• Ingram
• LibreDigital
• Lulu
• Smashwords

Now I admit, I have only heard of Lulu and Smashwords, the rest are completely new to me.  I will have to do some research into these options in order to see which service would serve me best when I launch my novel this fall.  If any of you have any thoughts or reviews about these sites, please don't hesitate to comment.So while Apple's announcement is a step in the right direction, it will only serve established authors at this point.  For us little folks, we will have to go through a third party.  Here's hoping that Apple follows Amazon's path and makes it available to everyone.

The Internet Post That Got Me Started

While there was many influences that got me started then this road, there was one post on the Internet in particular that inspired me to attempt to publish my novel directly to the iPhone.  At the time, I was engaging in my standard hobby of surfing the Internet and wasting time.  To help me waste my free time, I often read an excellent blog "Thompson on Hollywood" by entertainment journalist Anne Thompson.  Thompson is endlessly fascinating when she focuses on the business side of the American film industry, addressing the major challenges that it faces while looking into interesting alternatives.  Well, one day my eyes fell upon this post entitled "Who is Zoe Keating and Why Should Indie Filmmakers Care?".  It is essentially a repost from another blogger by the name of Chris Dorr.  I have blockquoted it below.

Several years ago, I left the movie business and entered the world of the internet and mobile. Since then, independent filmmakers have often asked me about what they should do in this “new media” digital world. As digital innovation has increased in its speed and scope over the past two years, as the iPhone has come out, as social networks have exploded, these questions have grown exponentially as well.Recently I have been telling everyone the same thing. If you want to get into the digital world, if you want to build an audience for your work, if you want to make some money, learn from Zoe Keating.Here are a few relevant facts about Zoe.She is a cellist who writes and records her original compositions. Some call her music pop, some say it is classical, and others insist it is avant garde. Zoe performs by herself with an Apple computer by her side, which allows her to sample her music and create loops that give a density and expansiveness to her sound.Though she has recorded several CDs, she does not have a record deal with any record label, nor does she want one. Her CDs are available on Amazon, CDBaby and her website as well at her live performances.Her recordings are also available on iTunes. On more than one occasion she has occupied the top sales spot in the Classical category on iTunes. As she said in a recent interview, her iTunes revenue exceeds her monthly mortgage payments. (When you spend $.99 on one of her tracks, she gets 70% after Apple gets their 30% distribution fee. Remember—no record company. So real sales equal real money for the creator.)You can find Zoe throughout the internet, on MySpace, on YouTube, on Facebook. And check out this statistic—Zoe has over 1.1 million followers on Twitter. If you do not believe me, go there yourself and find her at @zoecello.As she writes on her blog;“What is great about Twitter is that…it allows me to be myself to as many people as possible….I’ve always had this stubborn, egotistical belief that if I just had a chance to get the real me across…people would be interested. The belief that what I’m doing is worthwhile, even if no one hears it, has sustained me through a lot of rejections and hard times.I doubt my current career would be possible without the internet. Thanks to social networks I can have what feels like a direct relationship with an increasingly vast audience. There is no middleman.”In addition to selling her recordings, Zoe makes money through paid gigs, licensing her music to commercials and writing music for films. In other words, she has created a 360 degree music career that pays her well. It is her sole occupation. She has no side job to keep the music career going. Instead, the money she makes from the music keeps the music career going.None of this is easy. Zoe estimates that she spends 50% of her time on the music and 50% managing all the business and audience development that is required to keep her enterprise going.What has Zoe really done?First, through her work she has created a singular vision, an authentic voice that is uniquely hers. In the language of corporate marketing, she has created her own “personal brand”.Second, she has placed her work on digital platforms that generate awareness and sell her wares.Third, she has used the digital tools that are freely available to reach her audience directly. By doing so, she has created an ongoing conversation with her audience. She has allowed them to become part of her world so they can make her part of their world.These three elements have created an income stream for her, one that flows directly to her and no one else.If you want to do what Zoe Keating has done, you cannot execute one or two of the elements in her digital strategy. For any chance of success you must execute on all three. To use an old analogy, all three legs hold up the stool.Independent filmmakers typically make a film and turn it over to some one else who takes over the responsibility of marketing and distributing it. In today’s world if you want to succeed you have to take a different path.Today filmmakers must engage and build their audiences themselves. The digital tools now exist that allow anyone to engage directly with a vast audience. These tools are FREE. There is no excuse not to use them. And guess what, they get better every day.Don’t believe me? Like I tell every filmmaker I meet—learn from Zoe. So get going and google Zoe Keating. You know how to google don’t you?

Upon reading this quote, I actually did Google Zoe Keating and found her website.  I looked her up on iTunes and bought one of her albums.  In fact, I'm listening to it now.  Her music is definitely off the beaten path, but it is beautiful, and most importantly unique.  Her musical style is such that it would never get a record deal under the traditional path.  But in the age of the Internet, the niche has become the normal.  Zoe Keating has been able to make a living at what she loves the most, playing music.  Even ten years ago, this would have been possible.Thus after listening to her music and checking out her website, I thought to myself, "Why can't I do this?"  I write unique and bizarre fiction that nobody will publish.  To be self-sustaining, I wouldn't need many readers, just enough to build an audience that I could stay in touch with.  To wit, Zoe Keating showed that interesting possibilities lie upon digital publishing - if I was only brave enough to step forward.And so here I am.  For those who find themselves in a similar situation to mine, listen to Chris Dorr and follow the example of Zoe Keating.Zoe Keating can be found online at www.zoekeating.com.  You can follow Chris Dorr @chrisdorr.