Book 1 rough draft complete.

[Starbuck_Jones]

So here are some old ass links for the history.
http://www.dual-boxing.com/showthread.php?t=27811
http://www.dual-boxing.com/showthread.php?t=25255

Anyway, after spending a few weeks doing chapter outlines back in March of 2010 I wrote a chapter and a half. It was about 2,000 words or so of the first book in my planned sci-fi/fantasy trilogy. Long story short, I got distracted with all my free time after getting let go from Dell after 8 years, Lich King came out, that ate up a good 6 months, then cata came out bla bla bla. I'm lazy.

November/December I get a call from an old friend asking if I wanted to get into the insurance business with him. Sure no problem, I get my licence etc and now I have my own office. Its easy once you get past all the lies people tell. Its not a demanding job, but it did get me out of the basement. Business is going good. Doesn't make a lot of money but enough to pay for itself so far.

So I dust off my little notebook of chapter outlines. It was work on that or watch netflix all day. Now that I had a real place to work. This is the result after 5 weeks. 74,500 words. 4 extra copies to hand out for editing.



Now comes the real work of edit, isbn, copyright, cover, edit, format, edit, page layout, edit, conversion bla bla bla.

[Vociferate]

Wow grats SBJ!

I have seen you make many posts about your book over the last several months.

+1 for completion!

[Kicksome]

Wow, congrats! Can't wait to check out the final version.

[MiRai]

Outstanding.

I expect personally autographed copies for everyone at d-b.com.

[Redbeard]

Weeee!

Mind sharing a bit about the book? Whats it about etc etc.

[Starbuck_Jones]

This is book one of three. I do not have the "what is your story about in one sentence" thing yet.

Basic plot is 25 years after a mage war, the aristocracy of old (mages) is basically gone, ruling class is now alchemy and inventor consortiums. Last leader of the mages makes his play for total dominance. Prophecy says all this is bad and the world will be cast in darkness. Enter the hero assisted by a time traveling guardian and a set of support characters from various points in history that have the task of saving the world.

Lot of steam punk elements like massive train systems, airships and derigibles. Still have places that are using horses to get around. large Victorian style cities like London was in the 1850's-1900's

When I did the outline a year ago it was intended to be made into movies, so there is a lot of action, time travel elements, airship battles in the sky, mages throwing spells around, and of course a budding romance.

[pinotnoir]

Grats! I am working on a screenplay right now. So far I only have about 20 pages done. I should write more but I get distracted easy. Even if nothing comes of it the screenplay would be fun to show my family and friends.

[lans83]

I'd like to give it a read also when you get it published and printed there starbuck.

[Svpernova09]

Have you submitted it to any publishing houses yet / Are you planning to? My info may be a bit dated but if you get your ISBN some/most publishers will consider that a first publication and may automatically decline your book since it had already been printed.

[Starbuck_Jones]

Supernova09 I have not purchased any ISBN numbers yet. Waiting till I get ready to do cover art, which is scheduled for the 14th. Things are expensive unless you buy 100 or more at a time. I have not looked at the information you posted in quite a while, some of the sites were confusing, but I have been researching quite a bit.

My plan is to focus on the digital download distribution via Barnes and Nobles and Amazon and use CreateSpace for a print on demand paperback. CreateSpace, Lulu and offer free ISBN numbers if you print through them, but it will list those companies as publisher of record even though they are not publishers, but manufacturers. If I use my own ISBN's then I am listed and it becomes basically a selling/transfer of rights if someone wants to spend $$ to mass market it.

I have not actually read of any instances where someone was turned down by a mass market publishing house because there was already an ISBN or a vanity style release of the book in circulation. I have read of the opposite. The boy who wrote the Eragon series was self published and sold the books out of supermarkets in his home town and area in Montana, when it was picked up by someone and they inked a deal to mass market it.

The friend who i'm partners with in my insurance business has written quite a bit, but never published. 9 novels and like 12 screenplays. However his experience is in my opinion very dated. Late 70's to 90's is when he tried and did not make it. He is encouraging me, but has a lot of 'you cant do this, you cant do that' stories about how the publishing world works that frankly I do not believe exists anymore.

Getting this book to print and for sale to the world is going to be easy. Marketing it so people will go look at it is going to be hard.

I would be grateful for any advice, or references where things have gone wrong, or right as I step into this world of publishing, marketing, and transitioning from an aspiring author to a real one.