Hello, Revision Letter
The revision letter for The Clockwork Crown (aka the sequel) has arrived. I’ll be kept quite busy through August, so expect me to be scarcer than usual on the interwebs.
I feel pretty good about things, though. I’m hanging in there.
Artwork!
I’ve been blessed with an amazing book cover, but I’m greedy. I want more art! More pretties! Therefore, I reached out to my friend Darryl Knickrehm. He was an editor at Waylines Magazine, where he also handled the artwork. I commissioned two works from him, which I’m delighted to share. They can also permanently be found over on the World of Clockwork Dagger page.
First of all, there’s the illustration of Octavia.
This is closely in line with my original concept of her medician attire, which is strongly influenced by the gear of a World War I nurse. Plus, it includes Octavia’s satchel! That satchel is of vital importance within the book, so it’s thrilling to see it there at her hip.
The other illustration features another central character of the book–Mrs. Stout!
Mrs. Stout is Octavia’s roommate on her airship journey, and quite a colorful character. Mrs. Stout is very much inspired by Mrs. Slocombe from the British comedy Are You Being Served?, down to the vivid hair and bombastic attitude.
I’m so happy with how everything turned out. If you need to commission artwork, go check out Darryl’s page. He’s awesome to work with, and as you can see, the results are amazing!
Read MoreTimeline to Publication
Last year, when I was still in the Cone of Silence regarding my book deal, my friend J. Kathleen Cheney posted a timeline of her books in the midst of the publication process. For a while now, I have wanted to do the same kind of thing for my books. I finally had that chance.
2013
February 22nd: verbal contract
not allowed to discuss the book deal in public at all; told very few people
July 3rd: received two-book contract to sign.
July 16th: deal announced in Publisher’s Marketplace. I then shouted it from rooftops.
September 6th: revision letter arrived. Deadline of October 31st.
the big edits; in my case, deleted 10k of 100,000 word book
October 15th: edits mailed in.
November 11th: editor accepted my edits.
December 10th: copyedits arrived, due 23rd.
these are nitpicky edits to clarify things, correct typos and inconsistencies
December 17th: turned in copyedits
Through December and January: back and forth regarding book cover details
2014
January 1-31st: wrote 83k book 2 rough draft
January 29th: page proofs arrived for book 1, due Feb 11th
page proofs are the book formatted for the actual book, but printed on standard computer paper. Only small changes allowed; mostly for typos and formatting, making sure italics are right, etc.
February 4th: mailed page proofs
February: edited book 2 draft, add another 10k
February 20th: found my back cover copy on Goodreads
February 21st: sent in dedication and acknowledgment for book 1
March 3rd: cover posted online
March-April: book 2 critiques, followed by more rounds of revision
April 14th: submitted book 2 to my editor (deadline was June 1st)
September 16th: The Clockwork Dagger to be released
September 2015: The Clockwork Crown to be released
