Genesis of a Novel – Part XVI – Last Round of Edits and Cover Art

This is the next installment of a series of posts I’ve been writing, following the process of writing a novel from conception through publication and beyond.

.

Now that the first round of edits were submitted and read through, I got a second round – mostly minor items and questions, more grammatical and stylistic than story questions. I sent those back in good order (plus a couple more refinements I had thought of since my last submission).

.
The bare truth is that a writer never finishes editing a book. They simply stop being able to make those edits into the final copy. “Art is never finished, only abandoned.” — da Vinci

.

Now that the second round of edits are back to my editor, she could send a third round if needed. However, she didn’t – so she sent it on to my publisher. My publisher then sends the manuscript to a proofreader for any final grammatical or punctuation issues. Once that is done, the publisher formats the final form, including title page, dedications, forewords, appendices, back matter, copyright page, etc.

.

Also during this time is the cover art creation. My publisher works with a fantastic cover artist who has been kind enough to work on most of my book covers. Cora Graphics does amazing work! But I don’t work directly with her – all correspondences go through my publisher. It keeps the diva authors from pissing off the artist, totally understandable. Also, the publisher gets the final say, even though mine is great at getting my input and suggestions.

.

Once the editing, formatting, and cover art is done, the publisher will send me my Author’s Kit. This will include several sizes of my book cover, a twitter banner, ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) of my novel to send to reviewers in .ePub, .mobi and .PDF form.

.

Then the madness begins! Stay tuned for the next installment when that happens.

*****

 

More parts!

Part I – The Beginning

Part II – Research

Part III – Place

Part IV – Scenes

Part V – Opening Lines

Part VI – Characters going Awry

Part VII – Scene by Scene

Part VIII – The Boggy Middle

Part IX – Procrastination and NaNoWriMo

Part X – More Procrastination and First Draft Done!

Part XI – Beta Readers

Part XII – Beta Edits

Part XIII – Submission!

Part XIV – Acceptance!

Part XV – First Round of Edits

Part XVI – Last Round of Edits and Cover Art

*****

I write historical fantasy novels, mostly set in Ireland, and a contemporary romance based on my parents’ 30-year search for true love. Don’t miss information on Celtic myth and history, as well as practical travel planning tips, and hidden places, in my travel books.

• Call of the Morrigú – Historical fantasy set in 1797 Ireland.
• The Enchanted Swans– Historical fantasy set in 500 BCE Ireland, based on The Children of Lir, an Irish Fairy Tale.
• Better To Have Loved– Contemporary romance based on the true story of my parents’ 30-year search for love
• Legacy of Hunger– Historical fantasy set in 1846 Ireland. Druid’s Brooch #1 (Now available in PRINT!)
• Legacy of Truth– Historical fantasy set around 1800 Ireland. Druid’s Brooch #2
• Legacy of Luck – Historical fantasy set in 1745 Ireland and Scotland. Druid’s Brooch #3
• Misfortune of Vision – Historical fantasy set in 12th century Ireland. Druid’s Brooch #4 (release date January 10, 2018)
• Misfortune of Song – Historical fantasy set in 12th century Ireland. Druid’s Brooch #5 (projected release date April 2018)
• Misfortune of Time – Historical fantasy set in 11th century Ireland. Druid’s Brooch #6 (first draft done – in editing)
• Turlough’s Tale – Short Story in The Druid’s Brooch series, set ten years before Legacy of Luck.
• Stunning, Strange and Secret: A Guide to Hidden Scotland
• Mythical, Magical, Mystical: A Guide to Hidden Ireland

More info at Green Dragon Artist :: Home ,

Christy Jackson Nicholas, Author , and

Tirgearr Publishing – Christy Nicholas

Green Dragon Artist Blog