Some of you may know that I have written a novel which I fruitlessly have been trying to get published. Because my granddaughter was with us for a year and a half, I let the manuscript lie untouched during this time.

Now for the past two months I have been tackling my book again. It is really interesting to reread something you've finished writing two years ago. I am discovering so many mistakes, poor formulation, bad grammar…you name it.

The book is 40 chapters long, so I am working on it chapter by chapter. By mistake, I redid a chapter…that I had already 'supposedly' corrected and found further mistakes. - Oh nooo.

Honestly I bow loooow to every author on this earth. My passion is writing; but that sure doesn't suffice to write well, I guess.

What I would like to know from the published authors here is; how often did you reread your book, edit it, let it lie…do it over again…before you took that crucial step in self publishing or finding an agent? And have any of you, after publishing the book, thought..- yikes…how did I miss that mistake? Why didn't I word that differently…?
Geez. Seems like editing never stops.

But the good side about this…is…..I had a dream last night. Eagle Heart, are you reading this? I dreamt about you. I dreamt you read my manuscript. I was sitting in the adjacent room while you were reading. I couldn't stand it any longer, and went to you, and asked how you like it. You looked at me, beamed, and said, "I love it…I'm already on page 130!" And that was after about 5 minutes reading! Lol. I guess that's what you call wishful dreaming.

No not wishful thinking..but achievable..dreams are powerful.
One thing I notice re reading poems or essays is how we are a work in progress. essays sometimes surprise me..they are really good and I am lazier now.
also I have observed that we have the right time and place as a catalyst for reading..then we are in the Zone.
brings me to think that my favourites are such that they keep me in that Zone.

so the book will flourish if Eagle read so many pages..believe so

One of the things that most writers never do is get a good editor. Why, is beyond me. The most important thing you can do for your work is have it read over by a professional editor who will give you concrete inputs and criticisms. Professionals do not want you to fail; quite the opposite. But hear me out when I say, "YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!"

I had my own book read by many. One, by a trusted friend who didn't blow smoke up my skirt. She was very good but did not have professional training for grammar and other things. But nonetheless, she was available at the time and helped me tremendously get the editing off to a good start. Then another trusted friend...two more...then it was done by a professional editor and unfortunately, it STILL had mistakes.

Why? Because I chose an editor I thought would be good, yet I could afford at the time. I knew he wasn't exactly in the same field...but what the heck, right? Wrong!

While he was a good editor, his expertise was in technical writing, not fiction or humor. So BIG lesson learned there. While he was good with grammar, he wasn't good with ALL grammar...and many other things.

You will never catch all of your own mistakes because you read what you think it says, not what it says. You know subconsciously what you wrote, so regardless of how long you've "walked away from it," you'll never catch them all.

My advice? I couldn't emphasize this enough. Get an editor that has a proven track record and has been doing it for eons. Get an editor who is IN the business of editing whatever genre you are in, not selling camels on the side, they are in the biz of EDITING. Get an editor who will graciously give you past clients to talk to in order to gain valuable insight into their skills. Get one you can't afford NOT to get. DO NOT GET MAMMA OR A FRIEND AND THINK THAT WORKS. IT DOESN'T.

I've known authors who pay anywhere from 1200-3000 to have their manuscripts edited...and I've known authors who paid 2 or 3 hundred. The editor does NOT have to cost you a month's rent to be efficient. Do they have the right credentials? What is their degree in? Camel Sales? How long have they been in the biz? What do their clients say about them? Are the books they've edited along the same line as your own? DO NOT TAKE THEIR WORD FOR IT. CHECK THEM OUT!

The difference in the editors YOU hire should be their SKILL LEVELS and BACKGROUND. And don't check with two or three of their clients. CHECK WITH ALL OF THEM.

Do you think I'm shouting? Good then. Because I am. This is one of the most important steps you'll take in this process. Make it count. I wish someone would have taken me by the ear and pulled me aside before I began this journey. Now all I can say is....lesson learned. I'll never forget it.

Edelweiss, who am I are to argue with an expert?!! I'm delighted that I could help, if only to bring a sunbeam of assurance into your dream.

As for rereading and editing - ad nauseum - and yes, now I cringe at some parts of my book because I'm older and so much wiser now and would deal with some subject matters quite differently.

One of my tricks was to break the book up into sections and only read a few chapters at a time, then put it away for a few days, then come back and read the next section, always overlapping from the last chapter of the last section I had read previously - i.e., if I had read chapters 1-5, amending and making it all cohesive, then the next time I would read chapters 5-10, and the next time 10-15, etc.

My biggest problem, and it's even worse now, is my memory. If I read a chapter today, I cannot remember having read it tomorrow. So I can't remember if I've repeated something, or kept the cohesiveness. This has been a terrible problem for me for many years, to the point where it's one of the reasons I can't work anymore, I simply cannot remember instructions or anything unless I either write it down (and remember to read what I wrote) or know the process/requirements so well that I don't have to remember.

It's also why I can't play piano anymore. I've been playing since I was nine years old, have played in concerts, church choirs, etc, etc all my life. But now I can play through a piece of music that I've played all my life, and suddenly forget how to play, not just the piece, but the notes themselves. I sit at the piano and cannot remember how to find the note - this is actually the first time I've ever told anyone about that memory loss. I have to really concentrate on remembering - write lists, notes, post things on the fridge, tell hubby so he'll remember. Nobody but me knows how serious it actually is.

Okay, so that was a long-winded sidestep from topic! Sorry. I began to go there to explain why I have to overlap the chapters in order to watch for continuity and cohesiveness.

I'll come back and share more as I think of it. I'm touched that you had a dream of me...

PS to add to JJ's comments; I did edit it myself to a point, but then knew that it was essential to hire an editor, and graphic art expert too, as we got closer to publishing. I was very fortunate to find an excellent editor at a reasonable rate. She didn't know me, but would phone me and ask me if this particular section was supposed to be that way (ie, was this 'my voice', or a mistake). She gave excellent advice, most of which I took and incorporated into the book, some of which we both decided against because it would have changed my voice too much. Hiring her was the best gift I gave myself, and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

Same with the graphic artist, who was the one responsible for putting all of that edited-and-perfected work into an eye-pleasing format...we actually had to go back and reword many paragraphs all over again, once we saw it in its final format, because of orphaned words and/or sentences. He's also the guy who designed my cover. He read my book so many times, and called me to discuss parts of it, not so much for editing purposes, but to get to know ME...when he came up with the design cover, I was awed by how well he "got" me and the essence of my book.

The two together (editor and graphic artist) cost me a lot of money, most of which I'll never recoup because I printed more books than I could sell - that's another story if you're interested - I only wanted to print 1000, but was sort of strong-armed into printing 1500 - I've sold/given away close to 1000, but will probably never get rid of the other 500. Another example of the consequentces of not listening to my own instincts.

In the end, you do have to follow your instincts, but you can end up also paying a price for not following the advice of the professionals. For me, insisting that the book be my story in my own voice rather than following the formula that mainstream publishers demand meant the difference between being accepted by a recognized publisher and having to self-publish. But if I had chosen the other route (which at the time I equated to selling my soul), it would not have been my book or story anyway by the time everyone else had it changed to suit their tastes, so what would I have gained?

JJ, I think that is exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you for your excellent advice. I will be following it. Especially your words; "You will never catch all of your own mistakes because you read what you think it says, not what it says."…Oh yes, that hit home.

Eagle, after reading your post, I had to leave my computer and think about what you had to say. It threw me through a loop to read of your problems. And frankly, it is so very hard for me to believe. You are one of the most eloquent writers here. Your posts are well thought through. I never detected any errors, (not that I was looking), - but I know that I usually have (ahem) lots of typing mishaps myself. Your poems were beautiful and intelligently written. How are you able to be so creative, and still have such problems as you described?

You said, "this is actually the first time I've ever told anyone about that memory loss."

… And you have had this problem for years? Well, dear Eagle Heart, it is good that you are now sharing, and not keeping this to yourself. You know we are all here for you to help you in any way we can. You must have consulted a doctor about your memory loss. Isn't there anything he can do? I know there are medications that can help, even slow down memory loss. Do you take any of those?

Can you still read music? I was never good at memorizing piano pieces. You know, another thing that I have noticed is that talk show hosts, news reporters, and many radio hosts stumble over words all the time. They think nothing of it, and correct it immediately. But when we do that, we think,…oh oh…am I losing it? We are so bombarded with all kinds of illnesses that can come with age that it's no wonder we get paranoiac about it. I'm not belittling your problem,…not at all,…I'm just saying that maybe we read into normal aging things,…more then what they are.

In any case, dear Eagle Heart, I am glad you shared your problem with us. I'm sure it wasn't easy for you to put this down into words. I'm sure.

Please dear friend don't give up. Don't give in…and sharing is the first step.

Edelweiss, another suggestion, if you have time, is to join a critique group where the level of writing is generally high (you'll figure that on your first day.) My group has been invaluable to me because not only do I get different viewpoints, but members have different areas of expertise. For instance, the last crit one person referred to me as the group's grammar expert, and someone else said "if Meredith says you're too wordy, you're too wordy" -- but I rarely have comments about plot development or characters, unless something is glaring. However, other writers there can nitpick plots like I never could. Even if you only go to a few meetings, you'll get an idea about how much needs to be done.

I want to add, about genre: certain genres have specific protocols about what the book is "supposed" to contain (or not), and agents who represent these genres may look for those formulas. That's another reason to find an editor who knows your genre (if you have a genre). However, a critique group is good precisely because everyone writes in different genres, which will tell you how your book plays to the larger public.

EW, before i read the others' answers, I'd like to tell you that it took me many re-writes, revisions, 2 editors, and I still find typos. They are small, such as "gong" when the word should have been "going." I had 190,000 words on my first draft. I found an editor with great credentials: he'd been a ghost writer for Gloria Steinam, amongst other high power authors. I interviewed him in person, because I wanted to be sure he could handle the content of my book, ie. child abuse. I also have spiritual concepts in my story, so I was hoping for an editor who would give those concepts careful treatment (vs a pagan heretic atheist who might X those spiritual principles) It turned out that he went to the same church I went to at the time, only we never bumped into each other because we went to different times. He charged an appropriate fee, and I got way more than I bargained for, like an entire course in proper English, ie. the difference between "lay down" and "Lie down." I liked all of his suggestions... and ended up with a more readable 93,000 words. When I went back to him to hire for a second edit, he couldn't take me on again because he was backed up with projects for a year. I didn't know if I had a year to wait, as by then I learned I was stage II cancer. So I found yet another editor, not equal to him, but fair enough. She said that my copy was "virtually grammatically error free." And she made more suggestions, which I followed. Then it was a do or die thing: I had to get this book done if it was the last thing I did because the chemo was enough to kill me, not exaggerating. So I researched print on demand publishers, and the rest is history. However, to this day I find typos and other bothersome things that I would change if I re-published.** There is a story about an art museum in Europe. A funny looking old man was staring at Picasso paintings as they hung in some huge famous gallery. The staring was so intense it made the security guard take note. Then, the funny looking man started to take the painting off the wall. The security guard came a running. It turns out that it was Pablo Picasso himself. He saw what he perceived as a flaw, and he wanted to dismantle the painting to make the correction. ***Now I'll see what the others have to say....

EH, first of all, I am sorry for the memory loss you are experiencing. I bet it is quite frustrating. Second of all, I reiterate what you say about publishing. I had the attention of a traditional publisher. She said she'd pitch the story to the committee, if I would make the end the beginning and the beginning the end. "Start with who you are now, and then go back to the suicide attempt." I tried and I tried, yet I could not do as she said. The book begins with the end of my life, and ends with the new beginning. That was my voice, that is what happened, and I stuck to my decision. I also had the attention of another publisher who wanted a first run of 5,000 copies. Something did not sit right. Where was my audience for those copies? Another example of trusting my instincts. He was a snot to deal with. I don't regret those decisions, but then again, I don't care about my rank on Amazon, I only care about the readers who email me with their voice, finally spoken. Sometimes we have to know that the rewards are not the growth of a bank account, but personal growth, yours as well as others. Meredith has a list of resources on her poetry site. I'm sure others here do too.

Yes, to add to Meredith's advice, which I would take in a heartbeat considering that she is eloquent as well, I will add that you can find on-line writing critique circles. Sure, face time is nice, but not always feasible. I think there was once a critique group here. I facilitated a writer's group in my home. Only I forbid the word "critique" and we called it "evaluations."
Also EW read the type of book you are writing. What is your genre? If it's memoir, read memoir, if it's fantasy, read fantasy. Come to the states and go to the Vermont College Writer's Conference with me!

I'm so glad I asked this question. I knew my Boomer friends are a fountain of knowledge.

Meredith, I would drive over two hours to get to a writers critique group; but so far I haven't found an English speaking one. And since my book is in English…. I've even considered starting one…but what if I'm the only one there?!

Lynn, I would just LOVE to go with you to the Vermont writing class. I have been thinking of joining a writer's camp. I keep getting ads from one in Colorado. Has anyone ever participated in something like that? They aren't cheap. I wonder if it's worth it. Oh, and what IS the difference between lay down and lie down? Wow, I was impressed that you could trim your book like that. That must have been like cutting off an arm.

It is hard to find a genre for my book. It has a little of everything; love, crime, suspense, and I hope it is even funny in some parts. So I've been calling it a contemporary novel. ..? Would that be right?

I found it comforting to read that you all have reread your books many times, had them edited, and still find mistakes. I thought…maybe I'm just not talented enough…cause this ain't easy.

I love the story about Picasso, Lynn. Yes, I think every author and artist can relate to that.

EW, my pleasure to contribute to your creative juices. You might browse through amazon to find other books like yours. Your first category is fiction. You mention "love" is it romance, you mention crime, is it true crime? you mention suspense, is it a thriller? And what makes it contemporary? Do you have dialogue? What is the plot and theme? That might help determine sub categories of genre. I revise my "might browse" wording: you really have to browse amazon or some sort of book seller. As for writer's conferences, I went to this: Vermont College Post graduate Writer's Conference, summer 2005. It was worth every penny. It was 10 days of reading, writing, learning, and being with others who love to write. My faculty leader was Sue William Silverman in the "creative non-fiction" group. Sue wanted to recommend me for the MFA, and I said I could not afford it. Then, I spent all my money investing in the real estate business. What conference is in Colorado? I don't even know.

EW it sounds like your book might fit into the mainstream novel category. They are a little bit of everything.

I understand about finding errors when you think you are finished. I just read through the proof of my book and found two misspellings, and three grammer errors. This manuscript has been gone over with a fine tooth comb and still there were errors. So don't worry about it overly much.

Everyone has had great suggestions for you. I'm glad you asked the question here. Luck to you!

EW, don't forget Meredith's suggestion for an ONLINE critique group. I'll give one word of caution about joining an online group. Sometimes these groups have "power struggles" going on within and you'll have the alpha dog thing when you first enter. Stay away from groups such as this. If you get a sense that the members are more concerned with "who's right" or who can critique the LOUDEST, than in showing true interest in helping one another, then run, run, run!

So just because you find ONE group on the net to join, doesn't mean it will be a fit. You'll know when the right one comes along.

JJ, I never thought of looking into online critique groups. Soooo after reading your suggestion I spent several hours checking them out. OMG, there are hundreds of them!

After reading a dozen random posts, I've come to the conclusion that many posters are frustrated. They don't even get a response to their posts, never mind a critique.

Since I spend too much time online anyway, I think I will just continue to comb over my book with a fine comb…and then invest my time once more in seeking an agent.

But still, thanks for your excellent suggestion.

I encourage you to look a different way for your dream to mature. Consider self-publishing or e-publishing - Steven King did it!
I've done a lot of research and writing on self-pub, for my own benefit. Here are some resources to get you up to speed.
Dan Poynter Self Publishing --not the definitive tome but some very good information.
E publishing for writers
Do writers make money self publishing?
If you have time, have a look at these articles - they might give you a leg up into this coming trend.

Good conversation here.
mkp
Chicago Home Technology Examiner

mkp, yes, I am def. considering self publishing. Is the publishing company yours? Lots of valuable information there. Thanks for posting the links.

Have you self published? Is so, are you happy with the results?
Is that how you started your own company?
Do I ask alot of questions?
Yes?

Well I am representing the book I just ghostwrote for a woman and if main stream publishers do not jump at the chance to publish it, I will turn to self publishing as a way to get the job done. It is a viable choice to any writer. Check the company out first, some are terribly corrupt. Check out Editors and Preditors, or talk to other writers about who they used and if they were happy.

Thanks Chatty. I will be comparing a lot. Maybe some ladies who have published and are satisfied with their publisher could recommend them to me.

Hi, I just joined NABBW and this is my first look at the forum and my first time to post. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom. I'm currently scrutinizing my memoir, "Grandma's Letters from Africa: Quaint I Ain't." I'm almost obsessed with catching errors, making revisions, and polishing. The on-line critique groups I belonged to were a huge disappointment (new, inexperienced writers). However, a former professional copy editor has critiqued it, along with several professionals in journalism, and now an English teacher. I found that each brings his/her own perspectives, which is very helpful to me. Nevertheless I long for a good "professional" edit. One I looked into would charge me $2600. Does that seem reasonable for a 300+ (double spaced) page book? We are recently retired and that seems like a lot for our budget. I plan to work with iUniverse (self-publish) because I know others who have worked with them and they have a good product. Also, I have heard that if I have a targeted audience with good marketing options, going the self-published route is a fine option. (Two huge organizations have already agreed to publicize the book, with probably speaking engagements with them). iUniverse offers an editorial "evaluation" (I think that's the word they used). A professional editor will go over the manuscript and make recommendations for revisions and corrections. My big concern is to have this edited well. Should I trust the iUniverse editorial evauation? If not, could anyone recommend an affordable professional editor? Many thanks

Linda Thomas, Wayfaring Wordsmith
"Grandma's Letters from Africa: Quaint I Ain't"

The agent I worked with has a professional editor who is also a ghost writer. The agent sells to some of the major publishing houses so I'm certain this editor is one of the finest.

Feel free to email me and I can get that information for you. It's worth getting another estimate.

I believe that each of us can be a writer, that we all have something unique and special to communicate. Getting our work published is another matter entirely. I suggest doing research on the publishers who are interested in your type of book so you can submit to an appropriate publisher. You might also query agents. Check Writer's Market and Writer's Handbook in the reference department of your local library.

Jacqueline Seewald
author of THE DROWNING POOL, Five Star/Gale 2009
THE INFERNO COLLECTION, Five Star hardcover, Wheeler large print 2008

Linda, remember the old addage, you get what you pay for. While the 2600 does seem a tad high, if you go to the bargain basement, that's what you'll get.

To me, it isn't the dollar sign, its their (the editor's) track record, their former clients feedback, and anything else you can find out about them BEFORE you sign with ANYYYYYYYBODY.

NOT getting the editing done professionally is the SINGLE BIGGEST MISTAKE that first-time authors make.

It sounds like you have a great start on the editing already, but please DO follow through with getting someone who has a clean, LONG history of editing. And don't take their word for it either...or one or two clients. CHECK THEM OUT THOROUGHLY!

Okay, I've used enough caps on this post to make my point. LOL!

I have actually given up finding a publisher...but after reading your post...something twitched in side of me. Maybe I should keep trying...thank you for your good advice.

THere's a good teleseminar in the NABBW archive about deciding which publishing route is best for you. I recommend it to anyone who is considering being published.

JJ is so right! Never publish before having at least one editor go over your work with a fine tooth comb - and then take her advice. In this competitive world, people expect perfection: that is what will make you rise above the rest :-)

LTWW;
Disclaimer: The following comments and opinions are those of One person, who has had published One work of fiction. Having said that, this mystery novel took 4 yrs to write/rewrite, 2 yrs to shop it around, and another 2 yrs to refine/finalize, once a pub house was acquired. So, I have had a bit of experience...

Since your previous professions and background indicate a heavy skill-set with writing, written and spoken English language skills, etc., it seems you already possess the ability to QC your own work, that is, to make sure it is grammatically correct, punctuated correctly, etc. However, the type of editing that is the removal of superfluous words, redundancy, reduction/elimination of adjectives, condensation/consolidation/cuts, etc., is usually something a new author doesn't have experience with. (Ha! previous sentence is improperly constructed :), but then, I'm a fiction writer, so it just doesn't matter!) So, I guess it depends on what kind of editing you're looking to have done to your work. I know that my one humble little fiction book was worked and reworked and reworked, by me, quite successfully (Rev F was the final). As it happens, I'm a technical writer by profession, so I'm pretty good with QC editing, and over the course of numerous revisions, was able to develop a cold-blooded-ness about slashing words. By the time the manuscript got to a real editor at a real publisher, the only type of editing it needed was the aforementioned "cut and consolidate" type. Otherwise, I don't think they'd have been interested. That type of editing (cut/consolidate) was done very well by the Editor at the publication house and was part of what they did for me. So, perhaps you'd be OK with letting the iUniverse person cover that aspect (while you handle the QC aspect), saving yourself a lot of $$.

However, if you aren't quite confident enough in your own QCing skills, and the money you pay out isn't a big issue for you, and you do choose to go the route of finding a professional editor, the key is to research that branch of the biz, and check out Writer Beware and other writer alert-type websites to weed out the predators and bad apples (lots of them out there). An Editor that is going to charge big bucks would surely have several high level references, other clients, etc., to help ease your mind. Otherwise, I'd say you could easily be getting ripped off. Jeff Herman puts out an excellent Writer's Market type book. He lays it on the line about the scam artists, sharks and bloodsuckers out there. Might be worth the $30 or so, to get his book, and read up on his 'bewares' and other insights. I know I learned ALOT about the business, from that particular Writer's Market book.

In case of any interest, (I Had to get in a plug, after all...) my book is CHANCEY DOUBLE-BACK, a work of inspirational fiction (murder mystery/family saga type). You can read sample chapters on my website, (hyperlink in my signature), or go to Amazon.com, Christian Book Distributors.com, B&N.com, etc. It contains no profanity, or sex, and has only 2 scenes of very mild violence.

Good luck with your project. I hope at least a couple of my comments may have given you food for thought. I'll be interested to hear what you do, and what happens.

Jeff Herman's books are also in the public library!

Here's a great site with lots of info about a variety of writing and publishing categories.

http://anotherealm.com/prededitors/

Thanks to everyone for those good words of advice. I'm so pleased to hear from you. Well, here's my update: I decided to take my chances. I did everything I knew to do -- write tight, watch punctuation and sentence length, check for clarity, on and on and on. Then I submitted my manuscript, with prayers, to iUniverse for their editorial evaluation by a pro. This was not an edit, but an editorial evaluation. I was shocked at his/her reply--glowing remarks. They recommended that I work on a couple of places that I hadn't inserted a comma, and I had to re-work my use of ellipses (I just went back and deleted some, above!)and they recommended I change a couple of my chapter titles. The biggest surprise was that the manuscript could be designated "Editor's Choice" if I made the changes satisfactorily. "Editor's Choice" indicates that a manuscript has "the essential qualities of a professionally published book and meets higher quality standards than other self-published titles in the marketplace." There are other advantages,too, but I won't go into that. Anyway, they offered to make the changes for me for over $2,000, but once again (being on a strict budget) I decided to make the changes myself. I paid for a second professional editorial evaluation (at $249) but that would be my last opportunity to qualify for "Editor's Choice." I was pretty nervous about it when I hit the "send" button, and I prayed a lot during the 10 days or so that I waited for the answer. The consultant assigned to me had told me that she'd never had any of her "clients" qualify by himself/herself, so I wasn't sure what to expect. However, a couple of days ago I received their notice that I have indeed qualified for "Editor's Choice," and I'm pleased. "Grandma's Letters from Africa: Quaint I Ain't" will be released in January. Now I'm aiming at their next rung on the ladder, "Rising Star." That has to do with an energetic marketing plan. Again, ladies, many thanks for your help and advice. I look forward to chatting with you more in the future.

Congrats LTWW! And way to go! It must be so satisfying to have 'dared' as you did, and it worked out. No matter what else, ie, sales, reviews, and etc. on your book, you've been successful and all your hard work, research, emotional energy, etc. has combined to culminate in something significant - a published work.

All the best to you, as you embark on this path.

Thanks, Ol' Gray Mare! (What an adorable name!) I'm going to check out your web site. Have a great day!

Linda

Congratulations on all your successes thus far. You sound very conscientious so I'm sure your marketing plan will be glowing.

Congrats Linda! Best of luck with your book.

Edelweiss, I sent you an email about Mythica Publishing, a publisher thats is in Europe and first class. I know Brian Porter personally and he is the real deal. A first class author himself as well...

Yes, Chatty, I wrote to him right away. but never received an answer. That's okey. Times are tough.

Wishing you all the luck Linda! Some of us do make the breakthrough. Rooting for you!

Try again Edelweiss, he is sooooo busy winning awards and speaking.

I just re-read all these posts and have to reply. Again, ladies, thanks for all the good advice and encouragement! I did get "Rising Star" designation! (Take a deep breath.) For the past couple of weeks I've been getting established on Facebook, setting up a FB Page for the book, and starting a blog. Whew! What a wild ride!

It is indeed a wild ride, LT! There's so much out there in the way of social media and other types of promotion, which is wonderful, but very time consuming. Congrats to you for going the distance!

Thank you, Erica!

My pleasure ;-)