Finishing Up, Feelings and Final Changes

It's always bittersweet wrapping a project up. I am working through a non-mainstream release at the moment, one of my spicier romance novels published under another name, but the feelings are still the same.

I am done my text-to-speech pass, and this was a big one, some 42,000 words. It is nearly as long as my YA book, and this one is a series release, part two of three of four. My average series release is around 15,000 words so this is a big one - with nearly three times the page count.

Every writer settles into the books they like to write, for me, these are novellas and full novels. I love the short story, and I love the freshness and immediacy like a garden salad. I love serial writing as well, since it keeps each installment fresh, and lets me pause between major plot arcs for perspective.

I am doing a Kindle Paperwhite read through now, and taking my time at this last read through of the book. I do a minimum of three passes, once reading, once text, and the final reading on a device other than my computer screen. Before that it gets read constantly, but it is also being written in constantly, so development time does not count.

The cover is done. The front and back matter is done. But I still have yet to write my store page text. This always takes a long time for me, as I want to provide a good experience to customers, and I don't want to spoil too much for the reader either. I also want to be careful of painting the wrong picture, or over hyping the book, so I find myself editing the store page text over and over again.

That will come in due time, for now, I am doing that last walk before this gets sent away, the final read through.

I get to look at the book again through new eyes, and the e-reader gives me a sometimes unforgiving but wonderful new perspective on the book. I always like to read something as if the customer were reading it, and seeing the book in black and white on e-ink makes the words pop to me, and gives them a fresh and unfamiliar look. This is critical for word choice, dialog, and sound. I have noticed things in my e-ink read-throughs that I correct frequently, and these are really great times to do those final spot checks and get the book ready to go.

But there is that feeling I can't shake of just adding a little bit more. I am very happy now, but a book unreleased is a book waiting to be worked on. I want to be done, and I feel I am so very close.

And then the feeling comes. Just release it. It's bittersweet, and it is both and ending and a beginning. It is a good feeling, but sad in another way. The book is done, and I've told my story. It is ready for the world. I am ready to listen to people's reactions. I am ready to move on. I shall plant the seeds for the next book, should there be one in this series, and give those time to grow.

And I may work on something else for a while if the mood strikes me. Good books cannot be forced, they will come to you. I have some other projects that need to be worked on as well, maybe I will revisit those. Maybe those books on my desk will come back and call to me. Maybe it shall be their turn next. Or maybe it shall be something new.

For now, I am reading again, and my Paperwhite is happily clicking along, page after page. My Scrivener document is open, and ready for small changes. And page after page goes by, and we count down towards the end.

And the book shall go in the store after the final file is built, and of course, tested one last time.

But for now, I read.