One step closer to officially being an 'author'.  Uploaded the approved edited copy of my mss to the publisher.  A matter of days now before it becomes a book for the reading public.  It been a long long road but very close to closure.  Now the fun begins.  marketing, distribution, promotion, launching. and perhaps reviews and royalties.

Moving on to the sequels.

Novel in the home stretch

Putting finishing touches on the novel,

"The Saints Lost Their Way."

Check the prelude posted earlier.

Fine tuning with editor  Hope to be available soon

Writing the book was a passion and a mission, and I am finding publishing, promoting and marketing same is a JOB.  But I am excited to see it through and to get some reviews.  One strategy is to launch with special bargain price on the e-book version.

More as the strategies take shape.

Publishing

Well, I've taken the plunge.  Considering my age, and the time it takes to get a response from agent querying activity or the response time from publishers for a first novel, I shopped around for a self-publishing opportunity.  Winnowing down all the options, I settled on Create Space which seemed to have all I needed and was able to negotiate to stay within my budget.  So far, we have worked well together.  I have selected cover art, and expect the line editing to be completed soon, and then go to print.  I am scheduling launch activities and looking at promotional strategies.

Still harboring lots of writing ideas, but have to focus on the 'business' of being an author for a while.

                                                THE TWELFTH OF JULY

A holiday in Ulster commemorating the victory of William of Orange at the River Boyne.  An interesting battle in Ireland between a Dutch-led army and an English-led army, fighting over sovereignty of Irish territory, and religious beliefs.  Really a continuation of the 'troubles' between Catholics and Protestants that started with the plantation of Protestants in Ireland in the 16th century and lasted into the 20th century.

So the Orangemen march today, even though the battle was really on July 1.  A change in the Gregorian version of the calendar made the difference.

Check out Sean Tyrrell's rendition of 'The Twelfth of July: the children's lament'. on YouTube which shows there is still hope. 

Publishing Decisions

Seriously immersed in searching for publishing opportunities.

I'm drowning in details!

So many options: 

I've invested time writing.
Now, how much time and money to invest in publishing?
Hardback, Paperback, e-book?
Traditional publisher?  Self Publish?
Agent?  No agent?
Genre?  sub genre?
Readership?
Pay editor?  Pay proofreader?
Self-edit ? Self Proofread?
Friend or family edit and/or proofread?
Getting format to comply with publisher submission requirements?
     font?  point size? headers?  footers?  margins? 
     page number placement?  line numbers?  
     word count limitations? book paper choices?
Pricing? Royalties?  Print runs?  Free copies? Discounts?
ISBN? LOC control #
Copyrights?  Ownership?
Marketing strategies?
Distribution?

The craft of writing is a passion.

The business of writing is a pain.

Writer's out there: What worked best for you???

FAR

I've been to these places and now feel comfortable writing about them

Millmount - Drogheda

Creevelea Abbey - Dromahair 

Parke's Castle - Leitrim

Credentials

A while back I posted a question on this blog, asking, 'Why Not Me?'


Well, since then, two important things have transpired.

 #1, my DNA suggests that I am 38% Irish.

#2, Marilyn and I spent a month in Ireland in 2016, and I validated many of the things in my novel by visiting places I wrote about.  Drogheda, Creevelea Abbey, Rivers Shannon, and Boyne and many others.  So the research dictated a few minor adjustments in my descriptions of the landscape.  Overall, I am satisfied that I have met my goal to minimize the misappropriation in the book.