Journal mcgrew's Journal: NOBOTS Chapter One 7
Rather than converting to dumb quotes, I'll just give you a link to the smart quotes version at my web site.
This one is little if any changed from the first draft. Few other chapters are.
Patty was home over the weekend. I'd gotten my copy of Nobots on Halloween, and realized that this was yet another weird coincidence since there's a chapter named "Ghouls" and another one about ghosts. I was reading my book (such a cool feeling!) when she knocked.
I opened the door and she saw the book. "Your book came! Why didn't you tell me?" she said.
"I emailed you."
"I didn't get it."
"Well, I sent it."
"Wow," she said. "My dad wrote a book! And it'd a real book!" she said, holding it out. She looked at the copyright/ISBN page for a few minutes, then the acknowledgements.
"There's a typo."
"Yeah, I saw that as soon as I opened it, too." I'd left the H out of "who" in the mention of her sister, and it had already been corrected. "I found a few more mistakes," I said," the fonts are wrong in a few places, it's Times New Roman instead of Gentium Book Basic. I fixed those, too."
"Fonts?" she said. "I saw some cartoon font when I was flipping through."
"That one is on purpose," I said. "Here, let me find it. Ok," I said, start reading here." "Here" was a few paragraphs above the Venusian nursery rhyme that's changed a LOT from the draft.
She laughed harder than, well, I meant it to be funny but I didn't think it was that funny.
"This is yours," I said. "It's unique, it will be worth money some day. But pick it up tomorrow, I want to finish reading it again."
I'd gotten Into Darkness from Amazon but hadn't watched it. I emailed her when it came and asked if she'd seen it and she said "NO! I'VE BEEN WAITING TO WATCH IT WITH YOU!"
We'd watched the first one at the theater. We watched the second before she went to visit friends; she doesn't get home much. New Star Trek is opposite old Star Trek. Old Star Trek the odd numbered ones sucked. But it didn't suck that bad, it was OK.
She came by the next day and said her goodbyes and left, hugging the book. I fought with Lulu, gave up, and started it as a new project with the corrected PDF.
I didn't get the cover right and there seems no way to correct it. Screw it, I let it go live, ordered a new copy since Patty has mine and fought with Bowker's obstinate website some more. Buying ISBNs is easy, managing them is a pain in the ass.
Today I looked to see if anyone but me had bought any copies, and by George one of you guys did! Whoever you are, thank you very much. You're the first person to ever pay me for writing, and I'm flattered and redundantly thank you again.
You should get your copy about the time I get mine, as they were ordered on the same day. It took more than two weeks for the first one, they'll email you that it shipped and then it's maybe 5 days (that's how it was for me).
Maybe I should just talk to Baen, maybe they'd like it. Self-publishing is a pain in the ass. I just want to write.
Good luck with your book (Score:2)
You've got the writer's pain in a good way I think. I like your work though it's a little visceral for my usual reading taste. I'm waiting for the hardcover before I read this one. The eBook isn't going to do it justice.
Editing is for people who edit. Editors aren't writers. Writers aren't usually editors. Artists are never happy with their work. Don't let the detail thing get you down.
I might want to send you my copy for signing, if you would. Will you do that for me?
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, I'll certainly sign it, and thank you! And you're right, I'm never satisfied.
Just ordered mine... (Score:2)
For anyone in the UK having trouble registering with the Lulu website it turns out your postcode needs a space in the middle or it won't be accepted as valid, i.e. "LP6 7GH" instead of "LP67GH".
Looking forward to it.
Re: (Score:2)
Thank you! Cool. Those publishing web sites are the pits, Bowker's is even worse and you need them (or someone else to go through them) for an ISBN. Hell, the copyright office's site is bad enough but it's nowhere as bad as Bowker or Lulu.
Why is it the more money spent on making a website, the worse the site is for the user?
Re: (Score:2)
PS - let me know when you get the book, I'm interested in seeing how long it will take to get to Britain. It took two or three weeks to get the copy I gave Patty.
So far there are four copies in existence, and three of them haven't even shipped.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Cool! Haven't got mine yet, tomorrow I guess. Do me a favor, after you read it submit a review to slashdot. Thanks for buying it, and thanks even more for reading it!