Creating My Book: A Timeline

This post is dedicated to aspiring writers, and to readers, interested in knowing how long it takes and steps taken in writing a book. Below is a status timeline for my forthcoming novel A MISTAKE INCOMPLETE, from concept to print.

Personally, I felt this book seemed to have gone a bit smoother and quicker than my first book THE LOVE FOOL, and for many reasons:

• THE LOVE FOOL was my first ever attempt into writing a book, and with that comes the typical hiccups of discovery and new experiences. This time around, I took what I’ve learned from writing my first book, and applied it to this second attempt. (I should make a separate post about this. TBD)

• Due to the impact of COVID-19 coronavirus, my day-job industry was put to a halt in mid-February/early-March 2020. So, like many others impacted, I was home a lot more than usual. I took this as a blessing and got to work on pushing forward with A MISTAKE INCOMPLETE. As a result, I am able to release the work sooner than I had anticipated.

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Timeline: A MISTAKE INCOMPLETE

Follow the writing process of a part-time writer, and a self-published book. There are some links to writing specific blog posts. Notice many extensive writing breaks that have been taken as a result of day job, writers block, or other daily life obstacles.

• (more updates coming soon)
• 19 Oct 2020 – Uploaded all files for print. Paperback pre-order links will be ready soon.
• 19 Oct 2020 – Finalized cover size and layout for print.
• 14 Oct 2020 – Finalized interior print layout. Ready for file upload.
• 2 Oct 2020 – Reviewing print layout. Making notes for small changes.
• 16 Sept 2020 – Submitted final manuscript for interior print layout.
• 11 Sept 2020 – Started reviewing editor’s notes and making necessary corrections.
• 10 Sept 2020 – Received edits back from proofreader/editor.
• 9 Sept 2020 – Submitted book-related article to publication.
• 25 Aug 2020 – completed designs for web banner and ads.
• 24 July 2020 – Book cover revealed!
• 20 July 2020 – Started research on marketing opportunities.
• 15 July 2020 – Selected book cover designer. Awaiting a design.
• 13 July 2020 – Sent to copy editor for proofreading.
• 6 July 2020 – Manuscript returned with editing notes. Editing, rewriting, rearranging.. again. 64K
• 22 April 2020 – Sent manuscript to beta-reader
• 12 March 2020 – Querying Manuscript. WC: 63K
• 11 March 2020 – Draft TWO complete. WC: 62K
• 4 March 2020 – Commencing Draft 2.
• 19 Feb 2020 – First Draft: Completed. WC: 60K
• 5 Feb 2020 – WC: 49K
• 27 Jan 2020 – Page Count: 165 pages
• 10 Sept 2019 – Word Count (WC): 27K
• 20 Nov 2018 – Notes & ideas

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