It’s so close…I can almost taste it!
Anyway, the edits are complete…for the most part. Because I feel like I now have all the time in the world (but really, I really don’t), I was going through my old posts to compare the timelines between the first and second books. No two books are the same, which is true with regard to the editing, formatting, publishing and marketing, but it still doesn’t hurt to compare.
I wrote No Mother of Mine during a four-month period when I wasn’t working full time and had much more time on my hands at home. I then spent another six months working through the editing process but it didn’t take long for me to realize I wasn’t thrilled with the editing process. It was a learning experience for me because even though the manuscript had some outside professional help, there were still formatting and editing issues that were found later on in the publishing process. Not something a new author wants to deal with but it opened my eyes to just how much work the whole process can be.
The editing involved with Best Kept Secrets began in February, which means this book also took six months to edit. I hope that what I learned from the first will help alleviate editing issues with the second…I can’t expect perfection but I’d really love to come close.
Once No Mother of Mine was finalized, it took another two months to work on the cover and make changes to the eBook format before it was published as an eBook first and then in paperback a month later. The process may have taken longer than it should because it was my first time, or maybe that’s a normal timeframe. I’ll find out soon enough. If July hadn’t kept me away from serious writing for close to three weeks in a row, the second book would be much closer to a publication date.
While my initial belief was that no two books are alike, when it comes to No Mother of Mine and Best Kept Secrets, the timeline for both involving the writing, editing and publishing process is pretty similar. That’s good to know. It gives me something to work with and it also gives me something to improve on, should I figure out how to find more time to write (and edit).