Save the date

I've finally settled on a publication date! However, it is liable to change, depending on the evolution of the global situation. 

I'm soon going to do a cover release, so watch this space!

It's published!

The Would-be Novelist is now live on Amazon! To buy it, you can follow this link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1702470016?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860

"How I feel when I enter my book into a competition..."

Now that my novel is published, a whole new journey has begun. Now it has to make its way into the world, and to help it, I intend to enter it into compétitions. I'll let you know later on how all that is going! 

"Launching my book into the world"

I already posted this cartoon a few months ago, but it felt appropriate to share it again on the week of the publication of my debut novel... 

The people who made it happen...

And As Winter Came and Went will be published tomorrow!!!

Though I decided to self-publish, it does not mean that I did everything alone. Far from it: I would never have been able to go this far without the help of many wonderful people. And I would like to thank them all: you are the ones who made it happen.

First of all, I want to thank my family, and especially my parents, who supported and encouraged me every step of the way, who shared my hopes and did their best to allay my doubts. Special thanks to my father who proof-read the novel (so if there are any typos left, it's not my fault)!

Then I would like to thank all the friends who agreed to read the first versions of the manuscript, and who not only gave invaluable feedback and advice but were patient enough to point out the (too many) mistakes and inconsistencies.

My thanks also go to the friends who did not read the novel, but followed my journey to publication and encouraged me all the way.

My decision to self-publish led me to connect through social media with a number of fellow-writers, some of whom also gave me great advice. My thanks go to them too: I did not expect the online writing community to be welcoming and helpful, but it is, and I'm grateful for that.

So thank you again to all of you. This book is yours as well: it would not have existed without you!

"Before publication..."

In spite of bursts of optimism when I feel like the first image, I have a suspicion that reality will take the shape of the second... And yes, you can take it as a hint! You would not want me to make that sad face... Then you know what to do... 

One week to publication

In 8 days, As Winter Came and Went will be published!

 

At this stage, there is nothing left for me to do anymore, except wait. I couple of weeks ago, I ordered a proof-copy of the paperback. Once I'd received it, I was able to check all the formatting, and to do some additional proof-reading, which allowed me to find a few real (and embarrassing mistakes) and some commas that I was not wholly satisfied with. Once that was done, I made the corrections on the digital files (paperback and ebook) and uploaded them once again on Kindle Direct Publishing.

 

So now, they are ready for publication. The ebook, which is already available for preorder, will be automatically published on the 4th of December. I will have to publish the paperback manually, however (in the sense that I'll have to go on the website and press the button "submit for publication"). Because it has to be approved and such, and because the process can take up to three days, the paperback might not be available on the 4th, but on the 5th, or even the 6th (if you were desperate to order it on the 4th, you might have to wait a bit longer...).

 

At the last moment, I decided to add an extra illustration at the end of the novel. The book now has a total of 15, one for the prologue, one for each chapter, one for the title page and one for the last page.

 

I have to say, it feels a bit strange to just wait, like that, after all the work that went into the book, the editing and revising and formatting and such. And I'm still worried that there might be some typos left. I mean, it's certain that there'll be typos left, since you can find some even in traditionnally published books that went through professional editing and proofreading. So a self-published book...

 

Anyway, the wait is almost over and soon I will be able to call myself a published author!

"Two months before publication..."

I know it's not two days before publication yet, but this is so typical of me whenever I have a deadline... Right now I'm thinking that I've done everything that I should, that the book is ready to be published, and so on, but I'm sure I'll soon realise that there's actually things I forgot to do, or overlooked, or didn't know I was meant to do...

Prologue or not prologue?

 

I have an issue with the first chapter of my novel As Winter Came and Went. Or rather readers, seem to have an issue with the first chapter of my novel. Too difficult, too strange, odd style, etc. Which is how it was meant to be (my excuse being that I write literary fiction - aka fiction in which the English language is tortured and mutilated). But though I intended to write something literary, I also wanted to write something that would actually be read. Not something that the reader would want to close and throw away after a few pages, making me feel very misunderstood and mistreated.

The trouble is that this first chapter is especially important to the novel (you can find several extracts of it on this blog). It announces the style. It presents the main character. It raises several issues that will haunt the said character throughout the rest of the novel. And, I'll admit it, I'm fond (proud) of this chapter. So there was no question of deleting it from the book. Was there, however, a way of making it more attractive to the reader, without sacrifising the style or the intent? 

Since the style was what bothered readers, I realised that there was not much I could do... So I decided to ask for advice, in the real and the virtual world. The virtual world? Yes, on social media. 

For the 21st century writer is a connected writer. I discovered that when I was beginning to look into ways of marketing my book. Being present on social media was one of the pieces of advice Google gave me. So I created on Instagram and Facebook accounts dedicated to my writing. And I “met”, on both media, lovely writing communities where both would-be writers and established authors are able to discuss and share their difficulties, their progress, their journey to publication, whether they are traditionally or self-published.

So I asked all those people for advice by posting my question on a Facebook group dedicated to writing. Some said I should be ruthless and delete my chapter (*gasp!*), some said I should ignore my readers, and some said I should add a prologue that would, hopefully, make readers want to go on reading, because they would be desperate to know what happened.

The third option seemed like a good compromise. The problem was that…I actually really, really dislike prologues. Maybe because I always fall for it: I open a book, I read the prologue, the suspense is too much and I cannot rest until I know what happened, what lead to the situation described in the prologue and so on. I find prologues annoying. I think that prologues are nothing more than a trick to lure the reader into the book. But…they tend to work, don’t they? 

So should I add a prologue? The structure of my novel had been the subject of much thought. A prologue would unbalance it. My novel is not a thriller, or crime story, or commercial fiction. It’s literary. It’s already very long. Why make it longer? 

I also had arguments in favour of a prologue. One was that I want my book to be read, and if a prologue could give it one chance to convince one more reader to stick with it….well, I should add a prologue. The other was that when I first started to think about the story that would become As Winter Came and Went (too many years ago…), it didn’t start where it does now. Now, the first chapter shows the main character on a ship bound for England where he goes back after two years spent in Africa. But the initial story (before the first draft was written) was meant to start in Africa, a few weeks before this first chapter.

I pondered on this as I was trying to decide whether or not to include that prologue. And this last argument swayed me in favour of it. I would add a short scene, in Africa, where the story was at first meant to start. Because it would, hopefully, make what follows more understandable. And make the readers ask themselves questions the answers to which they would seek in the rest of the novel. And, because the style is a bit easier than in the chapter that follows, with a bit of luck, it will draw the readers in. At least, that’s what I hope!

One month to publication

One month until the publication of As Winter Came and Went!

 

I find it hard to believe, at times, that what started as me, writing as a hobby, a story that, at first, I did not imagine anyone but me reading led to this. Me. Publishing. A. Book.

 

It feels like the beginning of a new adventure and I'm both excited and not a little nervous. I've been a bit behind schedule these last few weeks, but the manuscript is now uploaded on Amazon, I've ordered a proof copy. And... the Kindle edition is available for preorder!!!!!!!

 

You can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Winter-Came-Went-May-Bermont-ebook/dp/B07K618J3M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1541408214&sr=8-1&keywords=as+winter+came+and+went (or, if you do not live in the US, you can type "As Winter Came and Went" on www.amazon.uk or www.amazone.fr or wherever your local marketplace is, and it should be the first book to appear).

 

The publishing process is far from being finished, though. I will still have to check the proof copy for formatting issues and lingering typos (will it never end?). And I now have to gather reviews (hint, hint...) and market my book, like my life depends on it. Because it's all very well to publish a book. The point is getting people to read that book. And because I'm self-published, I have to do all the marketing myself...

 

I also have to finish setting up my website (I'm still behind schedule for this...). And I've still got to put an author bio on Amazon. And there's still this and that... Anyway, with As Winter... available for preorder now, it feels like the publication has already begun. And there is no going back. Which is what's both exciting and stressful!  

"The scene I had in mind..."

This is, alas, a true story... That particular scene was meant to be intense and romantic... And it was ruined by a single typo...

What surprises me is that only one beta reader actually noticed it (thank you so much for having pointed it out, by the way!). I hope that the others did not see it because they were entranced by the plot and the emotions and such, not because they were so fed up that they just skipped this scene!

Still, I'm still feeling quite ashamed of myself, especially since I sent out ARC copies to reviewers containing this typo (*gasp*)! I noticed it yesterday, so it was just in time for Halloween (and I was duly horrified)...

"Proofreading..."

 

This also applies to formatting...

"Creating a bookcover"

Another cartoon in the series about the making of book-covers... Again, inspired by real events!

Creating the cover of "As Winter Came and Went"

I had begun to think about the cover of As Winter Came and Went even before deciding to self-publish. Which author hasn’t? Daydreamed about a wonderful cover, about the way the book would look in a shop and so on. And I had even wondered, what would I put on the cover if I was able to do it myself? But at this point, I hadn’t even realised it would one day come to that: me creating the cover for my novel. 

What cover did I have in mind then? Actually, there were many covers. One was lush, colourful, rather abstract with floral motifs (think William Morris – and yes, I am aware it’s not the right time period for my story, but everything’s possible in daydreams, right?) and lots of gold-leaf. And (of course) the book would have been a hardback and that design would have featured on the dust-jacket. Another would have featured a horserace (think Stubbs – yes, yes, still not the right time period). Another, quite an elaborate design with a mixture of sketches and floral motifs (why floral motifs? Because they look pretty and quite timeless, that’s why). So, my imagination knew no limits and I dreamt on.

It was another matter when I was confronted by reality: I had decided to self-publish and I had no money to spend on a professional cover design, so I would have to make it myself. 

I downloaded Gimp, a free photo-editing software, because a writing magazine I was reading recommended it and, hey, it’s free! And I opened it. And I had no clue how to use it. And I google “how to make a bookcover with Gimp” and found several helpful videos on YouTube and useful articles on a number of blogs. And I started making “pretend” covers. I never actually thought, here I am, making the cover that’ll have to sell my book. I thought, here I am, learning to use that software and pretending I’m making a bookcover. 

I don’t really know why I was thinking that, but I’m glad I did: it made the whole process quite fun and stress-free. Except that the covers I came up with were very bad: basically, photos, with writing on it. You see, I may be a daydreamer, but I’m not naïve. I knew I had to forget the covers I dreamed about: I did not (and still do not) have enough skill to create them. And I did not even try. And I also thought that many novels, especially literary ones, have very simple covers. And that some novels have photos (landscapes, seascapes, slightly misty as to have an abstract look) on their covers. I’m an amateur photographer. I’ve got lots of photos. So it seemed like an easy solution to have a simple cover, that would not scream at the reader: “handmade by an indie-author who doesn’t know how to use Gimp properly.”

Except those covers (yes, there were more than one), seemed to say instead: “handmade by an indie-author who doesn’t know how to use Gimp properly so put a random photo of a seascape and wrote the title in a fancy font.” I was not satisfied. Those covers were not attractive. And yes, they were random: they could have been put in front of any book. They were not original. They told nothing about the content of the book.

So I thought I had to find another solution. And I thought, maybe I could take several pictures and make a montage, as to combine different elements that would give a clue as to the contents of the novel. As if I had the skills to do such a thing! Anyway, I started looking online for pictures of horse-racing painting dating from 1820 that would be copyright-free and available for commercial use (on a side-note, if you’re making your cover yourself, and not using your own photos, please be very careful about copyrights and check the rules in your country and in the countries where you want to sell your book!). Because, I did have this idea at the back of my mind that I wanted to include something about horseracing. Because it is quite a central element to the plot of As Winter Came and Went, and because I think that horse-paintings of the 18th and early 19th century are very quaint.

And I found a painting from 1828 by Horace Vernet, “A saddled racehorse tied to a fence” which you can see it here:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Horace_Vernet_-_A_Saddled_Race_Horse_Tied_to_a_Fence_-_WGA24752.jpg And I thought, great, it’s approximately the right time period, that horse looks nice, there are no people around it. But I began to wonder, how am I going to include it in the cover? As I’ve said before, I do not have the skills to do so. Let’s be honest, I cannot create a nice cover design on a computer.

But there’s one thing I can do better: paint. And I had an illumination. I thought, I know, I’m going to recreate a painting featuring a racehorse. And I wondered why I had not had this idea before. For not only would it allow me to have an original cover, but it would be linked to the novel for two reasons. The first, obvious one, would be the racehorse. The second, not so obvious one is that: one, very important character (no, you do not “know” her yet, for I have not posted any extracts concerning her) is an aspiring painter. And she paints horses. And she paints Summerhaye, the horse featuring on the cover (yes, that’s the talking horse in last week’s extract). So the painting on the cover could be a representation of one of the fictional paintings in the book.

I loved that idea. And I started to paint. The format of the actual painting is A3, taken vertically. I was inspired by the posture and attitude of Horace Vernet’s horse, but I changed the colour from chestnut to black with white legs and a white blaze, to fit the description of Summer. I replaced the buildings by a misty sort of landscape and cloudy sky. And, another change, I did not make my horse have a docked tail (a tail where the last vertebras have been cut), because, though it would have been representative of the time, I think it’s barbarous and I assumed that the first of Summerhaye’s many owners would not have done it (for cultural reasons, but I will say no more), and that later on, the horse would have become too difficult to let someone touch, let alone cut his tail, without trying to retaliate.   

Anyway, I completed the painting, digitalised it by taking and editing a high resolution photo of it, and then used it to create the cover. Not without some difficulty: I had to put it in the right format, crop it to the right size, find an appropriate font. But the most difficult was finding the right colour for the title. How I struggled! It was either too green, too blue, too light, too dark… But in the end I made my choice. And now that I’ve revealed it, well, I’m not going to be able to change it anymore (at least, that’s what I tell myself)!

What's up?

Too many things! As Winter Came and Went's release date is drawing nearer, and nearer and I'm still finding it hard to believe that yes, I'm actually going to publish a book! And it's really stressful, for there are so many things still to be done!

 

There is one particular scene I want to edit. I'm not sure yet how, or how much, but I know it could be better, and since it's quite a central scene... I'm not going to tell you what it's about, but it's meant to be a sort of climax, and I'm afraid I haven't succeeded yet in attaining the right tone and rhythm and so on with it. So I will have to look at it, again, and see what I can do, if there is anything that I can do.

 

Then I will have to proofread the novel. Thanks to a number of very helpful beta readers (and if any of them are reading this: I cannot thank you enough for your help!), many typos and inconsistencies have already been tracked down and corrected. However, there must be several mistakes lingering still in the manuscript. So I'm probably going to read through it all again, backwards maybe, and try to polish it as much as I can.

 

When all this is done, I'll have to format it. There will be actually two manuscripts, formatted in different ways. One for the paperback and one for the ebook (both of which will be published through Kindle Direct Publishing). The formatting will have to be done at the beginning of November and the two manuscripts uploaded on KDP to make the ebook available for preorder. What will make the formatting difficult is the fact that I've included illustrations. There will be twelve of them, one for each chapter. I've done nine at the moment, and will have to complete the last three as soon as possible. When that is done, I'll be able to create an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) uncorrected version of the novel, which will be sent to reviewers, if I manage to find reviewers willing to read it...

 

At the same time, my author website will go live. I've started to build it but I've got to polish it, and buy a domain name, and so on... I admit that it's not the most important part of the process, but author websites are a must-have today, especially when you're an indie-writer.

 

Another thing I need to get done is my book cover. It is sort of done already, but there are still a few things to tweak... And, on the 2nd of October, I will have a cover reveal! And probably, I will reveal the blurb as well, which means I have to write it, and I'm finding it even harder than the novel itself...

 

And I'm still working on the first draft of the sequel to As Winter Came and Went. I'm half way through, which is good: there's going to be 13 chapters (it might be a bit longer than the first one, except if I cut a lot of scenes, which I might, but there's also going to be a lot more action in the second half of the book) and I'm more than half way through chapter 7. I've also started another manuscript, whose temporary title is Cinnamon, and which will be in the contemporary/literary fiction genre. But I've just written a few pages.

 

So as you see, I've got a lot of writing-related things to do, all at the same time. So it's going to be a hectic couple of months!

Rules, rules, rules!

When I decided to self-publish my novel, one of my first moves was to join writer’s groups on the internet, in order to learn more about the tricks of the trade, to discuss, to exchange and to connect with people who were going through the same process as I was. However, the discussions on those groups did not only revolve on what happens after a book has been written: the majority concerns the actual act of writing fiction. And I was surprised to see that this act of writing is subject to an immense number of rules.

Show don’t tell. Write about what you know. Thrillers have to follow this formula. Romances have to follow that formula. If you do otherwise, then your book isn’t in the right genre. You must limit yourself to one type of point of view (aka POV). You must not have too many POV characters. If a scene is not useful to the plot, delete it. You must not change POV in the middle of a chapter. Do not use too many adverbs. Do not use too many adjectives. Do this, do that…

All right, maybe I exaggerate. Just a little. The fact is that there seems to be a great number of rules that should, ultimately, allow you to write a good novel. Good according to the criteria they have set. A recipe is given to would-be novelists (like me), and if you don’t follow it… Well, editors, agents and Co won’t follow you either, because what you write will not be what they expect to read. Or what the market expects to read.

 There seems to be a general tendency, according to which people, and what they write, are put into little boxes. Well-defined little boxes. Little boxes defined by a specific set of rules. And I’m both appalled and frustrated by that

Not that I refuse to admit that rules are important, and even useful. When you’re a beginner, they give you guidelines. They can help you to sort of tame your imagination while spurring on your inspiration. They pave a road for you that, ultimately, could lead to publication. They help you to write better. But the road they allow you to follow is lined with huge walls over which you cannot see. Which block out any view, narrowing your horizon, and your fiction as well.

Rules should be followed and used carefully. They should be guidelines, not obligation, when it comes to fiction, at least. For fiction, in a way, is the celebration of imagination. Fiction should be rich and luscious, at times innovative, at times a little unruly. Fiction should break away from rules. Fiction is creation, and as such it must constantly recreate itself, lest it should become stale.

Rules are comfortable, and safe. Rules give an illusion of control. If you do not follow rules, you are judged. But look at literature, look at past writers. Look at which one we remember today, which ones are studied at school and universities. They often are the ones who broke the rules, who reinvented fiction, who breathed a new life into it. 

So every rule should come with this label: “use with care.” And if it has to be broken, why not? Who cares if what you write isn’t what agents and publishers want to read? Self-publishing options make it much easier to become published and get your book out into the world. And also to make your own choices and decisions. 

So all of you, would-be novelists, if you want to break the rules, do so. If your book does not fit into any given genre, invent another one. If you make mistakes, if your book doesn’t work, it doesn’t matter. We are here to learn and experiment. We are here to keep literature alive. We are here to create. We are here to write what we want to write, not what people expect us to write. 

"D.I.Y. cover design"

 

 

Cover design sounds easy. Cover design looks easy. Why, I just need to use a photo and stick a title and my name on it. Done. Except that... I don't want my cover to actually look "homemade". I don't want my novel to scream at potential reader "Hey, I'm a self-published novel and the author didn't want to spend money on the cover so she did...this!"

 

I've got a cover for my novel which I hope doesn't look to amateurish. I'm still playing around with fonts and colours. It's not my dream cover (which would have been a very ambitious, luxurious, lavish work of art, mostly abstract, with hints to the historical period my novel is set in and subtle reminders of the plot...) but I think it's ok (sort of). At times I think it's ok, at others I'm more like...this is terrible (*sob*)! But I've shown it to some people, who told me it was ok (were they being kind?). And anyway, my family and friends seem to actually expect me to make the cover myself ("of course, you'll be drawing the cover, won't you?"). So, I don't have a choice, do I?

 

There'll be a big cover release, probably in October, on this blog, Facebook (www.facebook.com/maybermont) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/may_bermont). My official author website will go live at the same time. 

"Running after sleep, leisure, free time"

 

It can be difficult to have too many projects going at the same time, and this can be one of the reasons why. Hopefully, I'll catch up with them. Eventually. 

And the publication date will be...

 

Yes, I have finally decided that As Winter Came and Went will be published on the 4th of December 2018. So that leaves me a little under 6 months to make the last edits and corrections (and by the way, I want to thank all the people who have read or are currently reading the manuscript and giving me feedback, as well as correcting my many typos!), to proofread, to finish the cover, to write the blurb, and so on...

 

6 months seem like a long time now but I'm pretty sure I'll be rushed nonetheless and do most things at the last minutes... Acually, I have less than 6 months: the book should be ready for pre-order and for the cover-reaveal at the beginning of November. And that also means that I must have my website up and ready by that time.

 

So there's a lot of work left to do, and it's both exciting and scary to have this precise deadline. Writing As Winter Came and Went was an adventure. Publishing it is another one and I'm determined to enjoy every part of it!

 

Why the 4th of December? Well, it's a Tuesday, and it seems that books are traditionally published on Tuesdays. Then you may have noticed that the title of my novel refers to a certain season... So I thought it would be a good idea to link this to the time of publication. And, since I finished the first draft in December 2016, there's something symbolical and satisfactory in publishing it close to the birthday of its completion.

Publishing and the marriage market

I’m currently writing the first draft of the sequel to As Winter Came and Went, and working on the motivations and life-goals of the main characters. The heroine, a young woman living in 1820s England, whose social background is what we’d call today upper-middle class has many interrogations about marriage: she longs to be independent and be able to do her own things, make her own decisions but, because of her background, of her family, of society, she is in a situation where if she marries, she will be dependent on her husband, and if she does not, being a woman, she will not have more freedom and be dependent on her parents.

Thankfully, things have changed today, in some countries at least. For a woman to make a success of her life is not synonymous with making a good marriage. Though there are still way too many inequalities, women can have brilliant careers, women can decide whether or not they want to bear/raise/devote their time to children, women can vote and make political decisions, etc. The road towards total equality is still long, in some parts of the world more than in others, but there has, in a couple of centuries, being major advances than can only give hope for the future, for women, but also for all the different minorities whose voices, for one reason or another, are not heard as they should be. 

Anyhow, this post is not so much to talk about the condition of women as to share a comparison, maybe (probably) a very silly one, that came to my mind as I was writing my heroine thoughts. Aren’t writers in today’s world a bit in the same situation as women in the patriarchal society of 19th century Europe? Isn’t the publishing world like some sort of marriage market?

A publishing contract is a match between a writer and a publisher, just like marriage is a contract between two people. The writer brings a dowry, his/her book. In exchange, the publisher offers his protection and his name. Just like, in the 19th century, a man’s name and protection could help a woman to navigate her way in society, in the 21st century, the name of a publisher/publishing company, can give “respectability” (and credibility) to an aspiring author. There are even professional matchmakers, in the guise of agents. And writers depend on all these people, if they want to succeed, if they want their books to reach a wide audience.

Silly as it may sound, this comparison helped me pinpoint something that bothered me from the start when I started to interest myself at the publishing industry. We, authors, have the ideas, write the books, do all the hard work of editing and revising, and then what? And then we have to beg, we have to sell our charms, we have to smile and be ingratiating and seduce so that an agent will deign take an interest in us and propose a match to a publisher. And what do we get in exchange? A name, “respectability” and… pocket money (for we must be realistic: most authors do not become millionaires and cannot live solely from their writing). 

So yes, I do think there is something of the patriarchal society in the publishing industry. And I’m not saying that to revile any publisher or agent, but, as a writer, I’m not sure our position is that enviable or that we have much freedom. Do we even have the power to decide what becomes of our book? 

And this is why I believe self-publishing is such a wonderful opportunity and that it will become the future of publication. For self-publication, though it is a difficult route to choose, though it does not always give good results, though it does not have among the general public as good a reputation as traditional publishing, gives power to authors, and especially power over their own work and over their creativity. Yes, it is daunting to be the sole person responsible for the success of your book, but isn’t freedom and independence often daunting at first?

Some people rail at the fact that there are too many self-published books, whose quality is often mediocre. That the market is saturated by them. They’re right. But there’s another way to see this boom: self-publishing gives to people who would never have the opportunity to be published to get their work out there. And by doing that, it motivates more people to write and express themselves and find a voice through writing. 

In a few decades, we have gone from a world were only a social elite could write and be published to one that gives people from all backgrounds the opportunity to become an author. To have freedom and speech, express it and share it with others. I suppose, self-publishing is part of the same social and economic phenomenon as the growth of the Internet. 

So I won’t navigate my way through the marriage market that is the publishing industry. I’d rather take the destiny of my novel in my own hands, make my own creative decisions. And if it’s a complete failure? Well, I’ll only have myself to blame. And I won’t have any regrets.