Everyone say hello to Amazon-

Hello, Amazon!

Starting with this post, my blog will be getting pumped into my corner of Amazon.com, as well as the home of this blog, 'blogger', and facebook notes.

So, Amazon finally got me. After years of irritation by their hand when I was with my old print/disto outfit, my new source is far more Amazon-compatible. I'll spare you my cynical theories.

As well, shipping cost when a person buys my books through Amazon are way better than form anywhere else. I actually get a teeny bit less profit, but this is offset easily by the number of people who didn't want to pay a cost for shipping equal to the cost of the book. How does Amazon do it? Dark arts, my friends, dark arts. Wait, I said I was going to spare the cynicisms. At any rate, Amazon will be the focus for the selling of my softcover versions of my books. Hardcovers will still be through ole' lulu, and subject to horrific, unholy shipping costs, especially to Canada.

That's alright though, I'm not pushing the hardcovers, I'm just making them available for a handful of collector-y types. I have little doubt that most of my hardcover sales will be done personally, as I order in batches and dilute the horrible shipping cost.

In Yute news,

The last of 4 volunteer editors delivered the book back to me today, and right on schedule, I've begun the final pass through the book before it gets thrown at the presses... or at least for the proof copy, THEN, the big batch.

It's interesting how 4 different people find different kinds of things. Of course most of the basic errors were found by all, (I'm sure a few remain) but everyone found different sentences tat struck them funny, or uses of various words that different people had different opinions on.

Each of the four, Adam Zilliax, Gilles Picard, Delores Picard, and Meggin Dueckman, provided very useful perspectives. I'm a third through Meggin's suggestions, and hope to be half way through by lights out tonight. Onward!

Editing 1/2 done-ish.

That is, my first editing pass through is about half way done. This pass is looking MAINLY at the 'big picture'. Are events lined up right, does it feel right, etc? Of course, I'm catching typos too but it isn't my main focus at this stage.

after this pass:

-CTRL-F, to find things like FROM where it should have been FORM... the common typos that software doesn't catch. Make sure all the 'Sir's as capitalized, try to make sure all the hourable spellings of certain colourful words are right, etc. I'[ll also search for the word 'edit', which marks spots I wanted to adjust later.

-lay down chapter headers, make sure shaps start on the right pages. NAME the chapters... right now they're all "Chapter edit ::: edit" and some of the broader layout things.

-then a slow, scrutinized pass, trying to find typos, word by word. This is always tricky, as I'm quite prone to getting into the story, and skipping along merrily. Maybe I should read it backwards. I tried that a big with Lifehack, but couldn't do it.

After that, it gets a single print, to be handed around to my editing volunteers., givign me time ot finalize a cover, etc.

Whew.. it might even happen.. it might be ready for October's Sci Fi convention... but let's not rush it...!!

Lifehack edit copy is here!

The one and only copy of the Lifehack 2nd edition 'edit copy' is in my hands. This means it's not time for me to rally a volunteer edit/proofread team! The book will be passed from editor to editor, each one highlighting any mistakes or other ****-ups they see. Eventually, the mutilated book will return to my hands, for me to go through and make corrections to the master manuscript before the official release.
Whoops! Just now my mother (who was on the volunteer editing crew for the first edition) has got her hands on it- she's pretty fast tho...

Anyone else who wants a crack at the edit-copy of the book, let me know, I'm forming a list. When all is said and done, there's a 'at cost' copy of the finished tradepaperback or hardcover in it for ya, as well as a mention in the forward.

(I'd say a FREE copy, but that's just not in the budget for a huge, world renown publisher like myself....)