Getting ready for publication

Russian Gold, the sequel to Russian Lullaby and the second book in my Russian series, has been drafted and is now in the hands of beta readers. I can still use more beta readers, if you'd like to volunteer.

Writing the book is the fun part of the publication process. Editing comes next. That's where beta readers come in: they get the rough draft. The beta reads is my first round of outsourced editing. Their general impressions help identify what "regular" readers will notice when they read my book. From their comments, I can fix plot holes, inconsistencies, redundancies, and other flaws.

After revising in accordance with beta reader comments--or not, as the case may be--the next draft is then ready to go to an editor who will put his or her eagle eyes to the task of whipping the manuscript into shape. No editor expects a writer to accept 100 percent of his recommended changes, but an editor's opinion will greatly improve those story mechanics that sometimes just don't seem to work well.

I've got a cover designed. Actually, the cover for Russian Gold is a variation on the cover used for Russian Lullaby. They're themed, you know. So no sweat there. The as-yet untitled third book in the series (not serial) will have a similar cover design.

I'm also working on another book, this one is a fantasy romance. Maybe that's the same as paranormal romance, but I'm not altogether sure about that. It doesn't have a title, either. But I hope to have that ready for release by the end of this year, too. Fingers are crossed.

Like everyone else with a website and who offers a service, I'm trying to boost sales and commissions on already published titles. Hey, I live off what I earn from book sales, so this is important. To that end, I'm trying to figure out Facebook advertising, use the Amazon Associates program, and chasing down freelance gigs. Wish me luck. This stuff just isn't intuitive for me.