A few weeks ago, I decided to move my books to IngramSpark. IngramSpark is an online self-publishing platform that connects authors with potential audiences around the world, in markets from bookstores to libraries. Much like Amazon’s KindleDirect Publishing, IngramSpark is both a print and ebook design and distribution company. Unlike Amazon, though, IngramSpark is not owned by a billionaire oligarch.
I consider Jeff Bezos to be scum. That’s the main reason I shifted my attentions away from Amazon and toward IngramSpark.
You still won’t find my book in bookstores, though.
This is because I still do print on demand, and bookstores don’t like print on demand. They’d much prefer to buy 10 copies and then be able to return those 10 copies if they don’t sell. For a very small author like me, the potential price of returns isn’t worth it. But it does feel good to be getting away from Amazon.
Now, Amazon remains the big go-to for many authors, and I understand why. Its global presence seems unbeatable; everywhere, there is Amazon. Amazon can also afford to do things cheaply, like free shipping. But Amazon’s anti-union and slave labor practices don’t align with my personal values. Of course, I’m in a position where I can afford to be selective. Not everyone is in that boat. I don’t blame anyone for sticking with Amazon or using Amazon or KindleDirect Publishing.
In order to give people a reason to buy my book (maybe someday it will be books) from IngramSpark rather than Amazon, I’m making the IngramSpark version $1 cheaper. That cuts a bit into my profit, of course, but to me, it’s worth it to get people to shift even a little bit away from Amazon.
I also plan to offer signed or personalized copies of my book through this website and my Ko-Fi. I’ll be ordering those books from IngramSpark, for sure.
There is the temptation to flounder, to panic. But I have a plan.
I’m going to edit this story.
I enjoy the intoxicating freedom of free writing, but there’s a part of me that enjoys editing even more. It’s easier, in some ways, to fix ideas that are already on the page. The story exists in at least a basic form. So, while it can take a lot of concentrated work to adjust plots, dialogue, event progression, even characters, I’m not starting from scratch. I’m just making it better.
I have fond memories of editing my last original story, Number Seven and the Life Left Behind. I printed up the manuscript, walked over to our University library, and settled into one of the quiet study spaces over several lunch breaks, just me, my pages, and my correcting pen. I’m looking forward to doing the same with this story, which is still working under the tentative title House of Ghosts and Strays.
Before I go into full editing mode, though, I’m going to take a break. It’s important for me to take a break from a story every now and then. It’s especially important for me to break between finishing a draft and diving into editing.
Writing requires a specific set of skills related to forming ideas and putting them down on the page. Plot threads and characters can run wild. It’s fun! Editing requires a different skill set, though. It demands focus and critical thinking.
Now, don’t let anyone discourage you: A first draft can be good. It can even be great. But even the greatest first draft will benefit from review and revision.
The more distance you can put between yourself and the feelings of protection you have for your first draft baby, the better off you’ll be when it comes to editing. You’ll be able to see things more clearly, understand when and where some parts need to change. You’ll also be able to better understand when things don’t need to change. That’s equally important because – and trust me on this – after you’ve been in the edit phase for a while, there is a part of you that will despise your story. And that’s totally normal.
For now, though, I’m still deeply in love with this story and its characters and their world. I hope that others will fall in love with them someday, too. After the story’s been edited, of course.
After 253 days, over 96,000 words, and 32 chapters, the first draft is done.
I had to write that twice because I can’t quite believe it.
I know that there are scary and infuriating things happening in the world and in my country in particular. And I am frightened and furious over many of them. But I also think it’s important to celebrate our wins when they happen. For me, finishing a draft is always something to celebrate.
Writing brings me a very particular kind of joy. The forming of ideas and committing them to paper, especially in the form of a story, is a feeling for which there is no equal, for me. It’s especially significant that I’ve finished this original story on the day that was my aunt’s birthday.
My aunt passed away in 2022. She was an artist not exactly like me, but she was someone I could talk to about my art and creative process. I can’t do that with many people in my life. She was one person who was content to just listen to me, though. She liked hearing about how I came up with characters, the way I thought through plots, my interest in research and the significance of names. There are many days when I wish she were still here, but this day – her birthday and the day I finished this story – is a hard one to be without her. I like to think that she’s glad I stuck to my guns and saw this one through.
My ending word count as of 11:17 am ET: 96,568.
This is only the first leg of this story’s journey. From here, I need to move into the edit process. I’m not afraid of it, though. I know that there are chunks of this story that I need to fix, but I want to bask in this feeling of accomplishment for a little while, at least. I think I’ve earned it.
There are lots of people I need to thank for their support on my journey thus far. My partner, my writer friends, my story coach, my artist. Everyone who’s followed along with this blog experiment and dropped me a note, shared my progress, or even just clicked a heart.
If you’d like to follow my editing process, drop me a line here or on any of my other media so I’ll know to share how things are going. In the meantime, as the Muppets once sang, keep believing, keep pretending. Do what you set out to do.
I’ve spent the last 6 months or so over on Substack, keeping a log of my Writing Accountability Project for my current work in progress (WIP), the murder mystery/thriller/adventure novel that I’ve been banging around since last year.
When I started writing the draft in earnest in June of this past year, I had a goal of finishing the story by December 31. As it is now December 31, and I have not finished the story draft, I obviously have not completed that goal. But I am close! I started out with 0 words, and I put together nearly 75,000 in these past 6 months. In reality, I wrote about twice that, but I’ve struck roughly 67,000 words as being not good enough for the first draft. Those deleted phrases, sentences, paragraphs, and scenes go into my “Scrap” file, which I sometimes return to over the course of revision, or when I move on to a new story but like a previously-used turn of phrase, description, or dialogue.
Substack doesn’t get me much, so I’ve considered exporting those posts and just putting everything here on my own website. Of course, this place doesn’t get much traffic, either, but it is the repository I want for all of my stuff eventually, and it is a site I can control, unlike anywhere else on the World Wide Web. So, I’ll be putting some effort into some sort of organization for this place and the up-and-coming stories I’ve got in mind.
2024 was a solid step toward me reaching the writing goal of finishing this original story. I hope that 2025 will see it move closer to publication.
I made some other strides in 2024, too! I finally finished “Without Wings” and got it to paperback status, including a gorgeous commissioned cover. There was also the set of character illustrations I had done, from another artist, for my mystery story. In all, a good year for creativity and sharing the joy of storytelling.
My goal for 2025? Write well, write often, write fearlessly. Because every story matters.
I recently pushed to paperback printing my third novel-length DC fan fiction project, Without Wings. This particular story went through three separate revisions over the course of three years. If you’re curious about the plot, visit the page linked to above.
One thing I did differently for Without Wings was to commission an artist for the paperback’s cover:
I was introduced to the unique style of Ness, Bats in the Belfry Art, through a poster she did for the Cybertronic Spree’s “Ravage” album. From that, I gushed over the other work on her website, and picked up a few of her zines and smaller prints. But there was something special about her line art and color work that stayed with me.
I did the covers for all my other printed works, either by hand or from using stock images. They’re okay – serviceable – though I dare say that the cover for Baby, You’re Making Me Crazy is the most fun, as it gets the closest to a comic drawing. For months, I tried to come up with a similar idea for my Golden Eagle story. I knew it had to feature Eagle in some fashion, but I also wanted it to showcase the two main supporting characters, Veranyi and M’Rayeh. When I remembered Ness’s art, I decided to reach out to see if she was interested.
To my utter delight, Ness accepted the job! She sent me three thumbnail ideas: one of Eagle in his armor, one with his wings and axe, and one with his helmet, with Veranyi and M’Rayeh in reflection. I liked all of the thumbnails, but the helmet one really grabbed me. I told Ness to pursue the helmet one, and in less than two weeks, it was real. And beautiful, I should add, far beyond what I could have hoped for! It’s such a gorgeous painting, I decided not to put any title text on it, just left it be in all its colorful glory.
Ness created something wonderful, a collaboration between my words and her artistic skill. That’s a synchronicity that you can only achieve with a real artist. I knew that any generative AI image wouldn’t be able to capture the feeling I wanted this cover image to convey, let alone give it any personality. If you’re considering creating a cover or any supplemental art for your next story or writing project, I urge you to go to a real artist. Find one who can bring your vision to life with their unique style. They are out there.
I couldn’t be happier with this cover to Without Wings. And I’ve got a real, human artist to thank for that.
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