Goodness… I had a sense that publishing a book was an endeavour but… to be frank, it does seem a bit overwhelming! So, I am getting organized. Here’s the plan of attack and some aspects of the book publishing obstacle course.
Preliminaries
Sign Publishing Contract
This feels a bit like I’m signing away my first born… which in a way… I am. The publisher has already rejigged my title from “Shoot Straight, Tommies!” The Untold Story of Josef Jakobs, last person executed in the Tower of London… to… The Spy in the Tower. More marketable. The final title will likely be something different and, while I’m not attached to my title, I trust that we’ll agree on something that works for both parties. I personally like Shot in the Tower: The Untold Story of Josef Jakobs, last person executed in the Tower of London but… that Shot in the Tower was used in 1997 when Leonard Sellers wrote a book on the WWI… (oops… that is a formatting/style issue – see below)… First World War spies executed in the Tower. Mine would have a different subtitle and… there are other books that have the same primary title sooo… we’ll see.
Guidelines for Authors
Get clear on the format/style in which the publisher wants the manuscript. I’ve dealt with various “guidelines for authors” during my career, and each one is a bit different. But it’s critical that I have a good sense of how they want the manuscript and get it right. I’ve already had a trot through my manuscript altering date formats from the North American style to the European style, altering % to “percent”, changing any references to World War I or World War II to First World War and Second World War… and a variety of other easy, but tedious tidy-ups. Thank goodness for <ctrl-H> in Microsoft Word.
Manuscript
Lose Weight (the manuscript… not me… although, on second thought…)
My manuscript is a bit of a beast right now. We’re aiming for 110,000-130,000 words and I’m a bit over that. So I need to put on my editing hat and go at it with a vengeance. The total word count includes things like foreword, bibliography, end notes, etc. sooo… I need to get ruthless.
I know that there are some bloated sections, particularly where I go into the personal stories of some of the fringe characters. Those will be the easy cuts I think. I also need to tighten things up a bit. I read a book a few years back… On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Non-Fiction by William Zinsser. I have the 5th edition and I think it’s into its 30th edition right now. The book was brilliant and I could probably do with a quick refresher. Every word needs to carry its load and if it’s not… it gets the big “delete” button.
Get Feedback
While several people have read my manuscript and offered feedback, I received a bit of a jolt a few weeks back. A friend sent me a document written by Scott Pack, from the Unbound crowdfunding site. It made me laugh and wince at the same time.
Right then… I know that the publisher doesn’t really provide editorial feedback, short of spelling errors, etc. So I need to get some serious feedback and I have just the person in mind. The manuscript is currently being read by my former advisor who supervised my doctorate. I know that I’ll get some honest feedback (gulp) and that he won’t skimp with the red pen. Which is probably exactly what the manuscript needs right now. This will likely also help with the weight loss (manuscript… not me).
Make Revisions
This will be the big one. I’ve been stuck with the manuscript for a while as it contains some duplication and the aforementioned bloating. After getting an objective perspective courtesy of the feedback, I’ll be able to move forward and carve the thing into its final form. I’ll likely have to do several go-arounds to get to that point and am already clearing my calendar for the next few months.
In Canada, we talk about “hockey-widows” when the National Hockey League playoffs are on the television. Husbands disappear for the duration of the playoffs… at least mentally. Their bodies are there… in front of the television, but for all intents and purposes, they are gone. I’m thinking that something similar will happen for my partner during this phase…I’ll be squirrelled away in front of my computer, oblivious to everything else…
Images
Identify Images for Publication
The contract says I can have 10 to 20 images in the book. I’m aiming for 20. I have a bunch of family photos to include, as well as some documents. I’m figuring about 10 images that I can source locally. That leaves 10 images from elsewhere – either photographs or documents. Here’s the thing… I, as the author, need to get permission to use images from other sources and pay any royalty fees. Gotta think about this… which images are REALLY crucial. Because the National Archives at Kew charges a pretty penny for (a) producing a print of a photograph and (b) usage rights.
Source Images, Arrange Permission & Get Copies
Once I’ve figured out which images I want, I need to reach out and contact the various sources – private individuals, archives, etc. The publisher wants images in a very specific format which requires a bit of tech savvy – 400 dpi as TIFF and a few other scanning parameters.
Captions
After I’ve finalized my list and received or produced scanned copies of all the images, it’s time for creating captions with attributions. Short and sweet, without too much verbiage is my goal.
The Bread
Front & End Matter
This is the stuff that brackets the guts or meat of the book. Things like footnotes, endnotes, references, bibliography, appendices, foreword, acknowledgements, abbreviations, cast of characters – and all sorts of other things. The publisher wants end notes, not footnotes, and in a specific format as well, that does not use MS Word’s automatic foot/end note feature. I’m leaving that until after the big revision. Most of these need to be included with the manuscript when it is submitted.
Index
This is the not-fun part. I know that MS Word has an indexing feature but it is cumbersome and it won’t work for the manuscript. The index will be created after I get the final proof from the publisher as a pdf. Whole books are written on how to create an index. It would seem that I basically have two choices. I can pay a professional indexer to do the book ($$$) or… I can do it myself. A friend and fellow author has shared his method for generating an index. It involves, not surprisingly… index cards! It’ll take a couple of days… I think.
Promotion
Endorsements
After I’ve massaged the manuscript into something approaching its final form, I want to reach out to a few key contacts in the Second World War and/or historical espionage world and get some endorsements that we can use on the book cover and in other promotions. I have a few names on my list.
Foreword
Written by someone other than the author, but who knows the author and the history of the book. I’ve got a few people in mind…
Social Media & Blog
I seem to be ahead of the curve on this one, as I’ve been blogging about my grandfather for a few years. I also have a Facebook page and a website. Three thumbs up. All I need to do is keep up a posting schedule while doing all of the above. Hence this blog, which amalgamates the two!
The Future
I do know that there will also be a book launch in the UK at which I will be present, possible interviews with the media, etc.
Publishing a book is not for the faint of heart it would seem. And it’s a marathon… not a sprint… I just have to keep chipping away at things.