To Boldly Go......

Captain’s  log January 2017………

Ok so I have to admit that I am a bit of a Trekkie. My favourite film is Star Trek lV, which I have seen dozens and dozens of times and it never gets old. That particular  story, however, has nothing to do with this post. No, I am referring to the next step of my journey as a would be writer and author.

I’ve not been shy on here about sharing some of my trials and tribulations as I ventured into the world of publishing. I have been disappointed with the printing of my second book….let’s just say that things had not turned out as I had hoped, and so after some lengthy consideration, I have decided to cancel the contract I have with my publishing company. This was delayed by the fact that I was having trouble scanning the documents I had to sign, until in a flash of genius, I discovered a free app that lets you scan from your IPad. Hey Presto, documents signed, contract cancelled. Somehow this makes my books rather more valuable as they are now out of print/less easy to locate….not entirely sure how that works but a lengthy email from the support team explained this…….it tickles me to think of them as collectors items…..but let’s not get carried away……..

So what are my next steps, I hear you ask in a chorus of curiosity. Well I’ll tell you…..

1 I have to remove all images I have had from the company from my publicity and marketing, and replace them with my own. This is in progress.

2 The Key is being redrafted. I have removed all the errors and made a few, very minor changes. I am also rewriting it in the third person to see if this works and will then decide which version I prefer. It will then also be thoroughly edited!

3 I have amended The Secrets by removing the prologue and epilogue. The  first chapter,which directly ties it to the first  book has gone and everything bumped up to make 30 neat chapters. It is much more succinct as a piece of work that will  a) stand alone or b) read comfortably as either a first book, or a prequel/second book after the first. (Well that made sense in my head…..)

4 I have written a cover letter and synopsis for The Secrets, have  selected chapters and now will double check submission formatting ready to go again.

5 I will resubmit to a  publisher who had accepted my work before  (sadly took such a long time getting back that in my haste, due to Dad’s ill health, I had already gone in another direction)

6 I will increase  my search for suitable traditional publishers and begin the round of submissions once more. Whilst I work on upgrading  The Key, I will submit The Secrets. All will need to know that I had already previously published so we shall see what response that brings.

And then there is the third instalment…

So we are kind of back to the drawing board, as it were.

I am feeling quite bold to have made the decision to jump ship and move forward on my own. Not quite Captain Kirk bold, but feeling a bit brave nonetheless. I have distanced myself from the Klingons, positioned myself in the Captain’s chair and I’m all set for the next adventure. Warp speed would be nice, but hold on tight anyway. We’ve come a long way….but there’s even further to explore!