Completing a Novel: Behind the Scenes
I never cease to marvel at the complexity of the publication process, at how many talented people it takes to bring a written work to completion and make it available to readers. As On the Sickle’s Edge inches ever closer to publication, I find myself immersed in a constant flurry of activity.
The manuscript has been thoroughly vetted by more than a dozen early readers, and edited by my wonderful developmental editor, Alan Rinzler. It’s been taken through the washer and the spin cycle by skilled copy editor Robyn Kasler. My wife Marlene has read and re-read (and re-read) it, making improvements I couldn’t have made alone, until she knows the characters and the sentence structure as well as I do. Now I’m going through it one more time, trying to put myself in the role of reader. Not easy, but I keep finding things that can be improved. (See my post about taking away the crayons… it’s about to happen.)
And the manuscript is just the beginning.
One might ask: without readers, does a story have meaning? Publishing a book entails so much more than just writing. Reaching an audience of readers requires the skills of all those who make it accessible to the marketplace. I’d like to raise the curtain and give you a glimpse of the talented crew that has been working backstage:
- Graphic design and preliminary cover proposals by Carter Wentworth, who also designed the cover for my previous book, Bloodlines.
- Website design by Ed Velandria, with all the accompanying content: description of the book, updated author bio, research bibliography, photos and graphics.
- Savvy social media advice from Kathryn DeHoyos, who patiently coached me in the intricacies of the social media world. Three years after publishing Bloodlines, inspired by my childhood in South Africa, it has been a revelation to discover that I can connect with whole new communities in South Africa and beyond via Facebook.
- Marketing and promotional assistance from committed and talented publicists Louise Crawford and Marian Brown, and strategic communications counsel from Jessica Nusbaum, who has helped me puzzle out what it means to have a “brand” as an author.
- Video now posted on this website about the writing and history of the novel by Moltamedia. Laura Molta and her team of photographers and videographers consistently make her subjects look good. (Well, I suppose I can’t speak for others, but she always makes me look better and sound more articulate than I really am. See her videos about Bloodlines and On the Sickle’s Edge in the Novels section of this website.)