Remaking: My Book, My Career

Yesterday I wrote about the advantages of being able to update my books anytime I want and the distraction that drive toward perfection can bring. Today I am only focusing on the updates and my book Never Give Up which I released almost four years ago. I was then and am still immensely proud of the story and my ability to finally make something happen in my writing world. It was my debut novel, and let me tell you, that much is obvious.

The editing was sloppy to say the least. The formatting is a joke. The cover is an image I adore but it was created by someone who obviously had no idea how to use the program, I think given time to play around with it I could have done just as well when I have no graphic design experience at all. In short, I allowed my book, what I poured my heart and soul into, to become the thing self-published authors hate. It looks like a complete amateur because it was a collaboration of amateurs putting it together. I have now learned so much it is time to see how I can improve.

The story, for the most part, will remain the same. I will be changing the formatting entirely, while also editing and perhaps working on rewriting for grammar and flow. It is also shorter than I think it needs to be with some flapping loose ends to tie up. I am thrilled to get the chance to fix these problems. I will not be changing the characters, their motivations or the overall storyline however. The book will be what I intended it to be. I will also be remaking the cover. I fell in love with the image on the front so I am hoping to find it again but the rest will be changed, right down to the font on my name.

This will be the first major overhaul I have done on any of my work which makes it slightly more daunting. I am hoping to have to ready to release either by the charity book signing event I help organize in February or at the latest, in April as a way of erasing the previous release and remaking the day into my own celebration. It is the first item on a long to do list I have planned for the upcoming year. I am ready to make things happen.