Well, I've done the first, just accomplished the second, and now it's on to the third.  So far things are going extremely well.  I got my free copies and then ordered a bunch more.  As of today I've directly sold about half of what I've received.  Primarily I've been selling at work.  A lot of the club members have followed my writing and publishing progress, while others are a bit surprised to find a now published author cleaning up after them.  It's also a bit of an advantage to be able to offer the book to them for about 20% off cover price, and yesterday I sold for 25% off.  (My Birthday!)  I'd originally thought of doing 25% anyway, but had to figure in the shipping costs of the second order.  I do want to make a little on this, you know.  I've also contacted a local magazine that does book reviews and will send them a copy.  Plus that, I'm contacting a couple of libraries that might be interested in copies, which I plan to donate, and we held a drawing at work for a free copy.

A friend and classmate who also happens to be on LiveJournal happened to order and receive a copy.  He's posted a bit about it here.  He read a very early draft of the book, so I hope he sees some improvement.  Even then, however, his response was positive and may have helped me pursue the idea of publication.  Thanks, and also for the kind remarks in your post.

Dave

Yeah, life is still great, and I'm enjoying every minute of being a published author!  It's also really neat to see the enthusiasm that so many family, friends, and co-workers put forth on my behalf.  It's exciting for them as well.

My free author copies arrived a couple of days ago.  At long last I had a chance to see the results of my time and effort, to hold the actual book in my hands, and experience what would be readers might as they browse the bookstore shelves.  The next day I took a few copies to work.  Came home without them.  I'll take a few more Monday, as a few folks have indicated an interest, but didn't have funds with them.  I've also set up a drawing for a free copy later this coming week.  Already the ticket jar has a lot of tickets in it.  I've also ordered additional books so that I can sell and sign for those who didn't win the free one, but who do want a copy.

So I'm still riding high on the excitement of being published, the overall quality of the physical book, and the enthusiasm and support of so many.  Nice to see that there is already a review on Amazon, and one of my LJ friends (and a school mate) posted a very nice piece about the book a couple of days ago.  If he will allow me, I will post a link to it the next time I'm here.

Now I look forward to the challenges of marketing and promoting.  While I have a goal in mind regarding sales, the real important factor is the next one.  Each sale is a victory and a step closer to the overall goal.  At the same time it's not just the money end of it.  I really hope I've written and published something that people will enjoy reading. 

Dave

In a way, that's what the past couple of days have been like.  It seems I've spent a lot more time answering e-mails than I usually do.  Of course I've been telling everyone about Beyond the Ocean's Edge now being a published book.  I know of a few folks who have ordered it.  Definitely not best seller numbers, but a start.
I might have mentioned it in a specific reply to my earlier post(s), but I think it easier for those outside the US to try and order through Outskirts Press.

With the whirling times of late, I've not bothered to post a representation of the cover.  So here it is.  Mind you, this is a fairly low reproduction, but should give an idea.  (Someplace I've seen something about it being the "Awsome Cover of the Week!"

By the way, started reading HMS Surprise by POB the other day.  Noticed today that he again mentions Orion blowing up.
Dave

As of today, Beyond the Ocean's Edge: A Stone Island Sea Story is officially published.  The e-mail notifying me to that effect was waiting in my "inbox" when I got home from work.  I've ordered the free copies that I get as a part of my publishing package and can't wait to see what it looks like.  Of course I'm inclined to be cheap, so they are coming via the slowest shipping option available.  It was free, so...

Anyway, my plan for the past few days was that I would also order several copies at my special "author price" to have on hand for impromptu sales, signings, and the like.  It was suggested that I should wait for the free ones to arrive before doing so, just in case there are any really bad errors.  Ordering additional copies now would imply approval and might make it more difficult to get them corrected.

That shouldn't stop anyone else from ordering, should they want to.  You can go to the Outskirts Press basic site at select "bookstore" and browse.  Being one of the most recently released books, it is right near the beginning of the bookstore pages.  To go more directly to it, use www.outskirtspress.com/bookstore/9781432780371.html .  There's also a web page for the book at www.outskirtspress.com/beyondtheoceansedge.  On the web page it looks like you can order via Amazon or Barnes and Noble, probably at the full cover price of $19.95.  It's also available as an e-book download at $5.00.  If you want a printed copy, it's cheaper to order via the Outskirts Press book store... 10% off, or $17.96.  50% off for ten or more.


Just a little bit excited today, so hopefully I won't forget to eat!

Dave 

A week or more now since I've approved both cover and interior proofs.  Still waiting for that magic e-mail stating that I've been published and that the book is available.  Of course, I don't know what the final once over they're doing involves, but at this point it seems to be taking a very long time.  I do have to realize that I'm one author waiting for a single book, my book, to be published.  Those working with and for the self-publishing company are dealing with hundreds of books, each with a writer anxious to see their particular effort make it into the public's eye.  Hopefully this coming work week will bring notice of publication.

Yesterday I downloaded an entry form to participate in the conference bookstore and autograph party at the Pacific Northwest Writers Association's Conference this summer.  The form has to be in by the fifteenth, and I'd like to send it a bit in advance, although I am a bit leery to send it before receiving word the book is out.  I will if I have to, however.  If the long anticipated e-mail doesn't arrive by this coming Friday, I'll send the entry form in anyway.

Time to get into a mindset for going back to work tomorrow morning, so I'll sign off for now.
Dave

A couple of days ago I did the final approval on the proofs, both for the cover and the interior text of Beyond the Ocean's Edge!  As I understand it, the company folks working on my book are now giving it a final once over before sending the files to the on demand printer.  When they do, I'll get an e-mail stating that my book has been published.  Naturally I'll pass the word on, with information on how anyone interested can order, etc.  With the publishing package I chose, I get ten free author copies, so I'll order those as a few more at my special author price.  Always nice to have a few on hand in case someone wants to buy one.  And with the discount authors get from the company, direct sales can be at a considerable reduction in price from the official cover price, and still allow the author to make a bit of a profit.

Yeah, with what I've put into this self-publishing process I would like to be able to recoup at least a little of it.  Great if I can break even.  I'm hoping to get Sailing Dangerous Waters: Another Stone Island Sea Story published in the same way during the same time frame next year.

I've also decided to once again attend the PNWA Conference over in Seattle in July.  Rather than going to try and find an agent and go the traditional route, I'll be going for the Conference Book Store and the Friday Night Autograph Party.  Hopefully I'll be able to sell a few copies.  And who knows, I might end up having one or more famous individuals purchasing my book.

Another near term marketing ploy I have in mind is to take a few copies to work and take an extended lunch break a few times this next month and hold some book signings/sales for club members and fellow employees.  I've had a lot of support from both over the years, and many have expressed an interest in having a copy.

Once the book is out and I have a few copies on hand, I'll probably also do a bit of a contest here on LJ and give a way a copy or two.  I'm also working with Anne Mini of the famous Author! Author! Blog to set up a contest through that forum.  Whether we do it in an Author! Author! contest, or I do so here, one thing I'd like to give as a prize is the original "Hotchkiss' Paradox" painting.

So, stand by!  First of all for word that the book has been published, and then for any contests that might be underway, both for copies of the book and for the painting.
Dave

PS:  Finished reading Post Captain by Patrick O'Brian earlier this week.  Now I'm into the second volume of an autobiography/memoir by a retire Gonzaga University Professor.  Rod Stackelberg is a member of SASP and also used to play tennis at the Spokane Club where I work.

Finished going through the interior proofs of Beyond the Ocean's Edge not long after I last posted.  Got side-tracked a bit and didn't get the corrections turned in until today.  I found it easier to go through the galleys and make notes of things I wanted to correct.  Then when I was ready to submit the changes, I was able to list them all at one time.  Came up with eighteen things to be changed.  Had a few hyphenated words with an extra space, a few extra words to be removed, and a couple of places where an extra word was needed.  Also had a couple of areas dealing with new paragraphs for new speakers, etc.  When going through the galleys, it looked like there was some spacing problems between sentences.  Some of that might be due to the font used, and that they do not double space after periods.  Certain letters, especially "T" and "Y" when they begin a new sentence look as if they are not even one space over from the preceeding period or other sentence ending punctuation.  I printed out a couple of those pages and it looks better on paper.  Also when I copied them into the correction form, the proper spacing was apparent.  False alarm on my part, I guess.

Anyway, I understand that I'll get the galleys back again so I can check that corrections were made to my satisfaction.  Also, I have a few more things to correct on the back cover text.  Looks like I'll be fixing more on it that in the entire interior text!

Yes, I'm getting anxious
Dave

I've nearly finished reading (for the second time) Patrick O' Brian's Post Captain.  Yesterday's session covered the dinner with the officer's of HMS Lively following Jack's taking temporary command.  Discussion involved the noise of battle, and Jack mentioned the explosion of Orion at the battle of the Nile.  To the best of my knowledge, Saumarez's 74 survived the set to.  It was the French Orient (L'Orient?) that blew up.  I imagine this was probably an editorial error.  I'd hate to think of Orion blowing up, as in Beyond the Ocean's Edge, Edward Pierce had earlier served as fifth lieutenant and had been present at the Nile.

Speaking of Beyond the Ocean's Edge, I am nearly all the way through the interior galley proofs.  Right now I have two chapters left which I will get too as soon as I post this.  Tomorrow I'll make the actual corrections and get them back to the publisher.
Dave

...to publication!
 A week or so after I last posted, I finished up the review of the edited manuscript.  I had accepted the vast majority of the editor's recommendations, but had purposely rejected a few.  I also found a few other goofs that I thought needed correcting.  In addition, I had given a fellow writer and SASP member the copy from which I had made my final edits prior to resuming the self-publishing process.  He was nice enough to point out four typos that he found in reading the manuscript.  I went back through the professionally edited version and discovered that neither I nor the editor had caught them.  So, I'm grateful to have another set of eyes glance over the work and find those errors.  Hopefully correction of those mistakes will keep Beyond the Ocean's Edge from being the typical self-published book, identifiable by the typos and mistakes contained in it.

This past Friday, I got the galleys back from the publishing company.  Cover looks nice, and it's a thrill to see what the book interior will look like.  Yesterday I worked on corrections/edits for the cover.  Nearly everything that I found to correct was in the back cover text... the "blurb" and the author bio.  Word wise, I didn't have much to change, but somehow in the process of uploading to the company, many of the quote marks, italics, and paragraph formating got lost.  It appeared as one big block, one big paragraph.

Once I finish here, I'll begin going through the interior galleys.  My plan is to finish by next weekend, although my "deadline is really the week after.  The company has suggested two weeks, but I hope to finish sooner.  Still looks like it will be done and "out there," at least by early May.

Still reading POB's Post Captain.  My opinion now is that the Aubrey/Maturin books are ones that should be read several times.  O'Brian weaves such a complex tale, or actually a series of interwoven tales, that one cannot possibly pick up and follow all the threads in one read through.

Well, time to end this and get to the galley proofs.  Want to get a bit done on them before a daily case of "computer burn-out" or other tasks prevent it.
Dave

For the past week I've mainly focused on accepting or rejecting the edits that I received back on Beyond the Ocean's Edge.  I had to break away from that effort for a couple of days and do a newsletter for SASP (www.spokaneauthors.com)  Our previous editor stepped down with the beginning of the year and the individual who had planned to take over wasn't able to.  That means that I'm doing the task on a temporary basis.  Anyway, that job got completed and I was able to get back to the important stuff... the edits.

I finished up going through the manuscript yesterday, and as a guess figure I accepted around 99% of the changes and corrections the editor recommended.  Most were small changes, commas, apostrophes, dashes, and hyphens.  I had also tended to capitalize words that I didn't need to and to use italics where it wasn't appropriate to do so.  I think a lot of what she caught and corrected (or suggested correcting) existed simply because it has been so long since I was in school and studying that sort of thing on a daily basis.

Now I'm doing one more read-through of the book, looking for any errors or things to change that may not have been caught, either by the editor or by me in previous run throughs.  Earlier today I made it to the end of chapter eight, which means (based on there being twenty-four chapters in the book) that I'm about 1/3 of the way through.  Hopefully I'll get this read through completed in the next few days and be able to send the entire thing back by next weekend.  If anyone is curious, I am finding the occasional thing to change or correct even as I go through it this time.

Currently fighting to stay awake while at the computer.  Probably means it's time to shut down for awhile.  Have a Mariner's "Cactus League" game on in a while, so I'll head out and make ready to watch that.  It feels wierd to see them play more spring training/exhibition games after they've already played the two regular season games in Japan.

As far as my regular at work reading goes, I'm nearly half way through POB's Post Captain.
Dave