My Team!
One of the hardest things about self-publishing (other than marketing) is editing your book until it's perfect. With Volition I was still testing out the waters of self-publishing. It was my main goal to just get it out there. Being stationed in Germany has caused a bit of a hold-up; proof books take over a month to get here. I'm not a patient person, I'll be the first to admit it. Not wanting to spend a month between proofs (I ordered a few different proofs for Volition) I just edited a few more times myself and submitted it for publication.
Now I have a TEAM! An undefined team, but a team no less! For Severance I plan to send the proof to my mom instead, being that she's in the states it will get to her a lot quicker. She'll go through and edit, then send it to me. From there I'll fix everything and publish. A lot less waiting and I get editing other than my own. For The Wanderer which I am about 16,000+ words into my husband is reading through it, correcting grammar and most importantly military accurate information! I am only so much in the loop...he is helping me make sure that it all adds up. My mom is reading it as I write it as well correcting spelling and letting me know that it's good! My twin sister is reading it as I write it too and giving me advice and ideas of what to add and change.
The best part of having my family edit my book is that they're brutally honest....no really, sometimes I feel like curling up and crying! But that's what I need! Friends will only critique so much before they feel they've crossed a line. My friend Isha for example gave me suggestions for Severance as she read it for me. But she made sure to say that it was only her "ten cents." Of course I was inclined to say, "No, no, please tell me whatever you think!" Of course when there was something she always pointed it out, making sure to be super sweet about it! She was a great help with both Volition and Severance. In fact she changed the entire dynamic of Severance simply by asking a question! And it's all the better for it!
And of course I had a great amount of help for Volition as well, all mentioned in the acknowledgements! :)
Shawn Kirsten Maravel
Now I have a TEAM! An undefined team, but a team no less! For Severance I plan to send the proof to my mom instead, being that she's in the states it will get to her a lot quicker. She'll go through and edit, then send it to me. From there I'll fix everything and publish. A lot less waiting and I get editing other than my own. For The Wanderer which I am about 16,000+ words into my husband is reading through it, correcting grammar and most importantly military accurate information! I am only so much in the loop...he is helping me make sure that it all adds up. My mom is reading it as I write it as well correcting spelling and letting me know that it's good! My twin sister is reading it as I write it too and giving me advice and ideas of what to add and change.
The best part of having my family edit my book is that they're brutally honest....no really, sometimes I feel like curling up and crying! But that's what I need! Friends will only critique so much before they feel they've crossed a line. My friend Isha for example gave me suggestions for Severance as she read it for me. But she made sure to say that it was only her "ten cents." Of course I was inclined to say, "No, no, please tell me whatever you think!" Of course when there was something she always pointed it out, making sure to be super sweet about it! She was a great help with both Volition and Severance. In fact she changed the entire dynamic of Severance simply by asking a question! And it's all the better for it!
And of course I had a great amount of help for Volition as well, all mentioned in the acknowledgements! :)
Shawn Kirsten Maravel
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