Case of the disappearing clothing

Today's blog has nothing to do with self publishing or anything I've written. It's just one of those cranky "You kids, get off my lawn!" rants that I have to get off my chest sometimes.

Why is it that women often wear significantly less clothing than men? It especially doesn't make sense since women are more likely to complain about being cold. Shouldn't they be wearing more clothes than the guys? For example, I was watching a DVR'd episode of The Voice the other day. The 4 judges were performing a song at the beginning of the show. The 3 men (Cee Lo Green, Blake Shelton, and Adam Levine) were all fully clothed. They wore shirts on top and pants that went all the way to the floor. Cee Lo wore a track suit and looked extremely comfy. The one woman (Christina Aguilara) wore a bathing suit. Or something that concealed about as much. With all of her hit songs, can't she afford a warm, comfy track suit, too?

A particularly heinous example: So You Think You Can Dance. The men (usually) get pants. The women are lucky to get underwear. And what about business suits? Men's suits have pants that cover their legs to help keep them warm in the cold weather and conceal hairly legs all year long. At least half of women's suits have uncomfortable, impractical little skirts, and when women like Hillary Clinton wear pants instead, people make fun of her. Men get to wear baggy swim trunks that go to their knees, while women squeeze themselves into thin strips of Spandex.

The list goes on. Why is this? Don't women want to be comfortable or warm or do a high kick without giving the world a free show? I resent the suggestion that this is simply about me wanting an excuse to wear a track suit everywhere I go. Even though there's probably a lot of truth to that. And as long as I'm at it, "You kids, get off my lawn!" and don't get me started on the government.

Editing - Again!

Stones of Abraxas was first published in 2006, and before I even queried my publisher about it, I'd edited it a zillion times. Then there were the two rounds of edits with the professional editor. Then there was me hunched over the finished, published book scanning for typos. So when I decided to self-publish it now that it's out of print, I figured that just one quick, final go-through would be fine. But no. The obsessive writer/editor/red pen owner in me can't let it go.

After a week, I'm only half-way through with this round of edits. I've started to think of this upcoming version of Abraxas as the literary equivalent of a "Director's Cut." Nothing serious is being changed, but I can always think of better ways to phrase things. That's probably good. It probably means I'm a better writer now than I was six years ago when I completed this manuscript the first time.

I'm going back to my editing now. And when I eventually finish, I'll be doing the same thing with Heroes of Abraxas. Remember when I thought that this self-publishing thing would be easy and quick. I was so young and naive - about two weeks ago.

ISBNs and Cover Size

I've learned that size is important when it comes to book covers. Also ISBNs are vital and I need one for each version of each of my books (print, ebook, etc.). And they cost over $100 each. But I can get free ISBNs from some publishers, but they're only good for books I sell through those publishers. Yes, I'm learning a lot about the self-publishing world, but my head is also spinning. Fool that I am, I had mistakenly thought that this whole adventure would take a week or two. Now I'm staring down the barrel of a full summer project. But it's pretty cool that at the end of it my Abraxas books will be back out in the world.

So right now I'm going through both manuscripts with a fine-tooth comb for the last time to make sure they're in perfect shape. Stones of Abraxas has already been published once, but as with practically any book, there were some typos and things that I wanted to edit, and Heroes of Abraxas has never been published or edited by a professional editor. Then it's onto the formatting phase where I've got to format both manuscripts for print and ebook versions. Depending on who you listen to, this process can be quick or it can be a hellish nightmare.

So progress is being made. If anyone has any suggestions to make this process easier, please let me know. As you can tell, I can use all the help I can get.

Next time: Which is easier? Formatting a manuscript or removing your own appendix?

Cover Art

During the years that I've been messing around trying to get Abraxas back in print, I've toyed with the idea of self-publishing it more than once. There were a couple things that stopped me, though. First was cover art. I'm not a visual artist. I can barely draw a smiley face. I teach political science for a living and sometimes have to draw a picture of the state of Illinois where I live. Too often it looks like a penis. So, no, I'm not drawing cover art, and I don't own the rights to the cover art that was published on the first print edition of Stones of Abraxas. What to do?

Well, it turns out there are artists out there who are willing to produce cover art for you for a reasonable price. (Define reasonable as something even I can afford.) I found an artist who's also an author in her own right who's been through this self-publishing dance a few times herself. She has generously offered to produce covers for the first 2 Abraxas books. At that point I foolishly thought that all I had to do was offer suggestions for what would look cool on the cover. BTW: After a conversation with my teenage son, we decided a dragon on SOA was just right. He said that a dragon always attracts his attention.

I told Marianne, cover artist extraordinaire, about our love for dragons, and she asked me how big the cover should be. Apparently that's something I'm supposed to know and it's based on the publisher I'm using and the thickness of the book and other complicated formulas. I didn't know there was going to be math. So now my job is to figure out which publisher I'm going to use for the print version. From what I can tell, the ebook version is easier in terms of cover dimensions because you don't need room for a spine or back cover.

In the next couple of days I'll be back with details about my print publisher selection and cover dimensions. Wish me luck!

Kim

Let me explain...

In 2006, my first book was published. It's a YA fantasy called STONES OF ABRAXAS. I ran around like crazy setting up book signings at stores, libraries, conferences, and anywhere else they'd have me. I hosted a book release party at my house. Never mind that it was 100 degrees in the shade with 300% humidity, it was a great party. Sadly, 3 days before the book was released, my publisher announced the end of its YA line. In other words, my book was an orphan even before it was formally born.

Since the book was already printed, it was released, and I promoted the heck out of it. In the meantime I searched for a new publisher that would publish the rest of the Abraxas books. (It's a series of 5 called The Abraxas Pentagram.) I did find a new publisher after about a year and a half, but they ended up going out of business in 2008 before they released any of the books. This is sad for me, but it's also sad for the people who read STONES OF ABRAXAS and want to see what happens in Book #2 HEROES OF ABRAXAS. What to do?

Fortunately, technology has been catching up with what I need. I keep hearing about other authors who decided to self-publish their books in both e-book format and print format. Some are first-time authors who couldn't find publishers. Others are well-known authors who wanted more control over their work. And some are like me whose books have gone out of print and they want them back where readers can find them.

So I'm taking the plunge. And that's what this blog is all about. I'm keeping a record of how I'm publishing and promoting my Abraxas series all by myself. No, I don't know what I'm doing. No, I have no technical skill. And, no, obviously I'm not particularly bright. But I'm going go get Abraxas back out there. I hope you come along for the ride!

Kim