Birth of a Book

If you wonder why I haven't been around for a bit, please keep reading and all will become clear.

The past months have been largely spent in my kitchen bent over a computer, in a research library and/or pouring over books, documents, websites and more. For about a year now I've been researching and writing my first ever book, and today I sent the work to the editor/publisher!

I've written all my life, including a long career as a journalist. But to complete a whole book is a completely new experience. It's like giving birth!

First there was the anticipation - would my book proposal / draft chapter be acceptable?

Then there was the confirmation - getting the greenlight and subsequently receiving and signing a big girl's book contract.

Then the gestation period - nearly a year actually of research which stepped up as time progressed and then, in the past four months, began to show some real  fruit.

Hope you're still with me....and are still getting the 'pregnancy/birth/parenthood' analogies!

Now, today, I've produced my first script (with bibliography/notes/etc attached) and I feel utterly relieved, exhilarated and ... relieved. I just didn't do it with gas and air. That would have been weird.

Yet, as with all young parents, there's now more to come....this is just the start of the journey.

An editor has taken my book and will work his magic. It is my first, so there's probably going to be lots of comments/notes/changes/additions. Unlike other 'first time moms' I'm under no illusion that my little offspring might not be absolutely perfect. I need no more sleepless nights, early morning risings and screaming tantrums (all mine by the way) to tell me that.

If you're wondering, the book will hopefully be on sale in Autumn / Fall 2013 and I'm sure I'll bore you rigid with that news as I proudly show to the world the fruits of my labour. Watch this space.

Meanwhile, I'm just going to have a little lie down now before it's time to start thinking about, and producing, the next book. Yes, like most enthusiastic parents once the agony is over ... I don't think I'm inclined to stop at one!

 

 

Comments

[Cathy Le Feuvre]

Thanks John! I'll keep you posted!

[John Little]

Hope you are successful with your book. Funny you should use the annology of giving birth, I have just published the latest version of the homes newsletter The Oaklands Oracle] and in the trivia section I wrote about the largest egg/bird ratio, the Little Spotted Kiwi. The egg is 26% of the birds weight. Apply this to a Human and it would be like giving birth to a 6 year old child !!!!!!!!. Hppe your book is less fraught than this