“You mean it’s DONE done?”

Part 2

In February, I finally did what I should have done months earlier and forwarded the manuscript to a brilliant and trusted colleague and friend (who was also the editor of my 1st novel, and is therefore familiar with my writing style) for a thorough copy and content edit. The process was an eye-opener: at times humbling, at times very gratifying. I could go on at length, but my main takeaway was this. The whole idea of hiring an editor (and especially a content editor) is that you’re paying for someone’s experience in identifying potentially problematic areas in your manuscript. It’s what they do. Remember: the editor benefits from a distance that the author cannot possibly enjoy, made all the more significant if they are familiar with your writing style. If you’re just getting started on your own book, it’s a critical and essential step. Don’t fool yourself into believing you catch everything yourself.

And so, by mid-May, after a final round of refinements (which included the addition of a new prologue), Day of Epiphany was at last truly ready, a full 16 months after my initial claim. Lesson learned.

I once again entrusted my very Canadian work to a very Canadian self-publishing company, this time FriesenPress. Ultimately, the choice to go the self-publishing route was an obvious one. Sure there are downsides: upfront costs, limited  promotional and marketing support, to say nothing of the stigma that persists within the industry. But there are upsides as well, and two in particular made this an easy decision. First, for a control freak like myself, creative freedom is everything. This was always going to be my book, start to finish. Day of Epiphany is an uncompromising novel—that’s the whole point of it— and I’m not about to softened it up or dumb it down to make it more palatable for general consumption. Second, getting the book out as soon as possible was critical for personal reasons. Day of Epiphany is dedicated to my parents, both of whom are 96 years old at the time of this writing, and I would like very much if they were both around to see it when it comes out. Sure, I could have gone off chasing after a traditional publisher but it could have many months or even years, to say nothing of how long it might have taken to get the book out once I found one. 

So, to make a short story long, here we are! The manuscript has been finalized, the cover design approved, and the book is in the production queue with a release set for this winter. It’s done, folks: the countdown has begun and Day of Epiphany is on its way! Of course, there are still a number of steps, but most of the remaining work is now on someone else’s desk. Meanwhile, I’ll be revisiting this space (I know: you’ve heard that one before) to provide some depth about the book, the process, the characters, the setting, much like what I did with The Perpetual Now. Stay tuned.

Oh, and while I’m here, I might also add that work has begun on my as-yet untitled third novel. The general storyline has been largely mapped out (for now) and it’s shaping up to be a more ambitious tale than anything I’ve attempted to date. While it’s not exactly a sequel, the story once again resides in the same universe as The Perpetual Now, and a few of its characters will be making an appearance. 

The fun never ends, folks!