I'm just saying, One Crisis at a Time is our motto as well as our title. Have a Fantasy Heroine book update for your delectation and delight. books2read.com... #fantasyheroine #onecrisisatatime
Preorder the ebook here! US: www.amazon.com/dp/B0CDCKX7Q2 UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CDCKX7Q2 Canada: www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CDCKX7Q2 Australia: www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0CDCKX7Q2 Everyone else...you get the idea :) Hope you enjoyed this update, and I look forward to your book cover suggestions 😁 (Anyone else having flashbacks to that episode of The Guild where Zaboo gets Codex a romance novel cover style painting of her and…Wil Wheaton’s character?)
Half the cover should look like a typical romance cover half should look like reality and have Rosmund and caroline arguing about the cover (Rosmund in her ball/wedding gown)
The other advantage of self publishing is that you can write your book any which way you want -- nobody telling you it needs to be 10 000 words longer, or shorter nor somebody forcefully suggesting you kill off this character so that another character can be the hero.
Jill: "It's 60,000 words" Also Jill: "It's basically just a novella" Girl, "novella" is less than 40k words. You're well into novel territory. You're so far into novel territory you're actually a novelist. Also, yes, I'm jealous of your executive function, because I've spent 5 years just trying to get 35k words, but also, I'm really happy for you. Congratulations!
Me, finishing a story: "There! This story is perfect. It's exactly as long as it needs to be, no longer and no shorter." Me, running the story through Word Count: "29575". Me, remembering that people only buy and read full-blooded novels: "D'oh!"
60k is a novel, but it's quite a short one for most genres. I actually see 40k as novel territory personally, but that's VERY short for a normal adult novel. I really think 20 - 30k is probably normal novella territory, but that's just my opinion.
I feel like the growing tendency for novels (esp. fantasy/SF series sequels) to always be doorstop-sized is a bit of a pernicious creeping kudzu in the publishing industry...? In many of the works I've read, it just seems to lead to poor editing and unnecessary verbosity? So I've become quite a fan of the "short-but-perfectly-crafted" approach to novel-writing... 😏
sigh, crayon sooooo overdone. Can't you bring us something fresh like spagettis spilled on the floor? Something more like that brilliant artist with bannana and duck tape.
I have a vision of the cover art being Rosamund demonstrating to a terrified Caroline that no, actually, the pen is not mightier than the sword. At least at close quarters.
@@mikanchan322...I actually now have a full-fledged idea in my head. I am not a cover artist, but I'm a graphic designer who dabbles in extensive photomanipulation for fun.
The fact this went from presumably a "You know what would be funny" conversation at the pub, to "haha funny YT-Shorts" to "Screw it I'll have a go at this 'author' thing" kind of sums up Jill's slightly chaotic but wholesome nature. And I am 100% here for that. All we need is a reference to cheese and we have Jill Bearup Bingo...
Cover idea: Caroline trying to manipulate Rosamund like a puppeteer with a puppet, but Rosamund struggles against the strings and slices some of them with her sword.
I am a writer and I heartily applaud your wise and well-thought out decision to self-publish! I have noted that too many book covers (including the one you held up to show us) are actually boring. Two people walking. Does not really grab ones attention or even hint at what exciting things await the potential reader. Rosamund with dress hiked and sword in hand, standing back to back with Leo...also sword in hand...perhaps both framed from the thighs up...would be MUCH more telling. And intriguing. (Acres of Bosom Not Included = )
Or Rosamund and Caroline facing off (Rosamund in practical garb with sword or dagger, Caroline with pen and fancy gown she wants Rosamund to wear in hand) with Leo looking confused in the background.
@@bookgirl2021 Oh! THAT could VERY MUCH work as well! Bravo! I think I may even like yours better! Especially if the artist remembers to make Rosamund and Caroline identical! = )
@@tzxazrael EXACTLY! We need to Champion @bookgirl2021 and her version of the cover! Hmmm...WAIT! If one of us writes a LENGTHY reply in this comment thread...Jill will HAVE TO read it. Because lengthy comments AUTOMATICALLY go into a "bucket", as it were, where she has to read them before posting. And yes...I DO only know this because I tend to be long winded and Jill and I have had this discussion before. I hope that works, because otherwise its a LONG swim across the pond to knock on her door...THEN a LONG jog. Because Kent is on the East coast of England.
@Jill Bearup Baen is fantasy/sci-fi. David Weber has one of the biggest sets of books on there. I find it hard to stop before 100,000 words even writing just for myself. Then I edit it and it gets bigger... Will be interesting listening to you going through the self publishing process, might even get me to consider it.
" We Are Nothing If Not Meta " 👍👍 Your New T-Shirt/Coffee Cup Merch Slogan !!! ( Along with paperback, also offer a more expensive slim hard-cover gift edition looking like a fairy-tale book from 1900s , I think that some will love giving it to their bestie )
I have dreamed of being an author since I was in high school. Alas, life has a nasty penchant for getting in the way. Stumbling across your channel, meeting you, Caroline, and Rosimund, has had me digging into my storage, dragging out my multitude of Drafts and Snippets, and pouring over them with a vigor I thought I'd lost. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for returning that treasure to me❤
"If your a writer you'll probably hate me by the end of this", "it was a lot of fun, but also kind of hard work". I'm busy turning an ADHD side project/hyperfixation into a full tabletop game, complete with companion stories. "It was a lot fun, but kind of hard work" is an understatement, but also pretty accurate. Good luck!
@@Atma_Weapon lol. Extremely short answer, think of it as a blend of the old world of darkness games (vampire the masquerade etc) with d&d, with a heavy emphasis on exploration and city building, set in a modern fantasy world. Extra-dimensional tears have opened up in the world, mutating people, but the lands on the other side of these tears promise riches and adventure. If you can survive.
Jill, lets get one thing straight. You are a fantastic writer. You consistently write fantastic scripts for videos and shorts. Now, while this skill won't directly translate to long-ish form novels, the point is you've got the important bits down on keeping an audience entertained and engaged. I also cannot wait for your audiobook version, you are absolutely right that no one is going to be able to hear the book in anything but your voice anyway. lol
My sister used to be publicist/manager for a self published author. Definitely the way to go. My advice? Keep the book the length it is but maybe expand the story into a series of books. That's what she has always done and it works for her. Then once the whole series is out you can rerelease the whole thing in a one volume "box set “. Seems to really work for her lol
I am a writer and I can say without any hesitation that I do not hate you after this video. How amazing is this! You’ve written a book- a novella- anyway it’s amazing that you’ve come this far! Most don’t. You’re not alone in needing people to be gentle with their criticism, I think that’s a mistake unprofessional editors- and maybe professional ones too- make. It helps every bit as much to know what does work as it does to know what doesn’t work. Personally I think it is MORE helpful to writers to know what is working than to just point out their flaws. I’m so excited for you! There’s nothing quite like holding your own completed book in your hands- unless it’s holding a new book by a favorite author- that’s probably as good, but to know that your hard work went somewhere is incredible. Good luck and thank you for bringing us along with you!
Yeah, as an editor myself I'd have to say we could probably take some hints from the teaching profession...? There's not much point in pointing out to someone that something isn't working unless you can give some idea of WHY, & also some kind of suggestion for potential ways to fix it!
Oh wow, yeah... SOOO much potential for bad writing there! 😅 Movie kids often seem to be written in particularly unrealistic ways...? And honestly, literary kids arent always that much better! 😜 (Just finished re-reading the classic "What Katy Did" series, and honestly, I was going "Jeez these kids are obnoxious" for much of the way thru, esp. in later sequels!! 🙈 It's funny how tastes in popular media depictions change so much over time, and often in unexpected ways...? Happy to report that "Little Women" still mostly holds up pretty well, though! 😏)
As a fellow romance author, I wish you ALL THE BEST! We've (my hubby and I) have been watching your progress over time, and can't wait to see the finished product - don't sell yourself or your skill short! Onwards! Upwards! Huzzah!!! :D
Wow. I know you've got quite a to-do list there, but don't forget translation services for publications in French, Russian and Spanish. I knew you'd appreciate the reminder. ;) Best of luck. Looking forward to reading it (the English version of course).
@@JillBearup it's a bit of a long shot but I hope you would be able to find Someone who could translate it into an Indian language too! Generic Paragraphs are used to add an additional basic region to a node in a spot other than the main body region. You can place a generic paragraph in the Content Paragraph or Content Bottom region. Generic Paragraphs can also have styles applied to them to make them standout. Styles include a background color and/or border. Editing Generic Paragraphs To edit a generic paragraph, click the edit button to expand the paragraph. Note that if you have multiple generic paragraphs on a page, you may have to expand more than one to find the content you are trying to edit.
Of course this begs the question: When you do live readings of chapters of the book at Waterstone's or whatever - will you be reading them as Jill, Caroline or Rosamund? I feel at this stage the answer might be "Yes."
I published a very odd book in 2009 and trad publishers went “we don’t know how to market this.” I self published and the validation from its audience was better than getting a publisher’s validation! ❤
That's one of the best things about self-publishing, eh - the way it seems to really help quirky or niche content successfully find its audience, in a way the trad-pub system honestly seems to actively prevent...?
As someone currently in college for developmental editing and general book writing who is also working on my own WIP, with traditional publishing dreams, GO FOR IT!!! The best publishing option is *always* what allows your story to be its most authentic self. Love you Jill!
I like people's ideas of having the author and heroine facing off! You could have two sides and backgrounds meeting in the middle. With Rose (I'm nicknaming so I don’t misspell) facing the middle with a sword, and her love interests and a few plot elements behind her, and then Caroline holding a notebook and pen with the hot editer and some details from her life behind her. Sort of like two worlds merging. Idk, despite being an aspiring author myself, I'm not all wise in cover design and genre specific designs either 😅
Congrats! I love it when a joke backfires in the best possible way for everyone. My question is if we buy it, does it include a discount code on cheese?
As a children's (YA) writer pursuing traditional publishing, I 100% support your choice for going with self-publishing. You have the platform and the reach for it, and you should make the most of current excitement for the story (waiting the standard 2+ years timeline for tradpub will mean you consistently pumping out shorts to keep us excited). I can't wait to read your finished book - it's going to be unique and fun and meta and everything that we all love 🥰
What I really like about the rise of self-publishing is the way it seems to be enabling much more diverse &/or quirky work to flourish? Particularly by minority-group writers (LGBT, BIPOC, non-NT etc) who have tended to get a bit excluded in the trad-pub space. Along with a whole tidal wave of really, really badly self-edited dreck e-books as well, unfortunately!! 😅 However, as a freelancer myself, I can only imagine the extra load of admin, financial planning, marketing management etc that must land on authors when they take the self-publishing route..? 😳 Glad to see GOATs like Gail Carriger publishing some guidance on that topic, hopefully it may help out the next generation of writers tackling it...
The one thing most authors (wannabe authors) lack is name recognition. Jill has the advantage (especially for self publishing) of having exposure -- half a million subscribers means at least that number aware that she exists and has a book (coming out soon). That name recognition is also why Baen Books et al are voicing interest. You have already attracted a massive potential customer base making the book a lot less risky for them. Even just 1% of them buying the book would be profitable for them
I went the self publishing route for my book, and that was before I had ANY social media presence. It was totally so that I could 'check off a box' on my list of 'life goals', but looking back, it did what I needed it to do and I don't regret it. Its outstanding to see you heading this direction. Good luck, God Bless, and enjoy the hell out of it!
For the cover: Rosamund standing in front of a mirror and looking frazzled, holding up two reasonable Fancy Dresses(TM). Caroline is standing next to her proffering a much less reasonable Fancy Dress(TM) with thigh-high slit. Leo is standing off to one side, holding out another Fancy Dress(TM) while also trying to avert his eyes respectfully, and Robin is leaning against the page border, munching on an apple and smirking. All the characters have black strings running from their limbs, but the strings have been cut; Caroline has a stack of broken marionette frames piled up behind her.
Okay, *genuinely* love the cut strings idea! I could see an alternate version (maybe back cover or title page art?) of the characters running - Robin chasing Leo chasing Rosamund (chasing the children? Baron Mabry? a horse?) - with Caroline trailing behind them, absolutely *incensed* , holding the broken frames and waving the script at them as she runs... maybe the unflappable administrator behind her, and Henry the hot editor behind her. 😅 It could, conceivably, turn into an entire border, or a flip book across the bottom right corner. 😂😂😂 (For reference, my brain is picturing the chaos of the characters in the end credits of the Disney animated Robin Hood 😁😅)
I'm glad you're being realistic about the timelines on self-pub: it is much faster than trad pub, but it still takes time. I did some stunt writing for NaNoWriMo a few years ago and thought at first I would be able to get it self-pubbed in three months: it took a year, and that felt rushed. Anyway, congratulations on having a story and most of a book. I'm looking forward to reading it.
Super excited, Ms. Bearup; this couldn't have happened to a better set of characters. A bit of unsolicited advice; one of my favorite authors, Laural K. Hamilton, once said that editing was hard. In the first edit, you get a few notes; by the last edit, you have almost as many notes as pages, but remember, early edits are plot holes and people's features changing; the last edit is grammar and punctuation. So, it's the quality of the notes, not the quantity. All that to say, "You got this!!!!!"
Omg! I'm SO excited for you! You deserve the CLOUT and I hope this "stab me now army" helps you get done what you need to get done. I think it would be amazing if you did a submission contest on your channel for the artwork. Winner gets to share some clout, get paid, and you get lots of options to choose from among true fans of your work who respect what you're doing. That would be so cool! Can't wait to see this process in action. Wooooo!
I'm so proud of you and how far you've come with this project! You've done so well! I know that might be a bit weird to say to a someone over a decade older than me who I just watch talk online but I genuinely mean it. I remember when you first started trying to write it up and you saying you'd tried before but never really got very far and now you're up to 60k words! Thats amazing! I realise youre comparing yourself to a lot of books and authors you love right now but I think an applicable saying here is "don't compare yourself to others, only to your past self". I think your past self would be very impressed.
Bless you for actually recognizing you need an editor to assist. So so many of these crappy Booktok books would’ve been better if they did this. Obviously you are putting in real effort to make this great! Fingers crossed it gets to press!!!!
😂 As an editor, I second that enormously!! I've tried to read SO many self-published ebooks over recent years that clearly never got even glanced at by an editor, and lawdy, it SHOWS... 😳
Yes!!! Read the audio book yourself! I drive at least 2 hours a day and audio books keep me sane-ish and I would be annoyed with anyone else reading at this point!! Yay!!
That's great news! :). As a writer, I don't see how other writers would hate you for this, quite the contrary. You learned stage combat, and shared what you learned with us. Likewise with clothing/armor/weapon concealment. The same with understanding the deeper communication of fights and flirty fights. You're one of my favorite channels to recommend to my fellow writers, and now you're diving into writing. Good for you! We need more people sharing their journeys-it teaches us and inspires us to follow.
Good point! 😏 Even if Jill is technically now providing a little competition in the publishing space, I'd say the amount of good content she's provided for writers to mine in the past far outweighs that...? 😝 On that topic, it kinda blows my mind the resources writers have online access to today?? 😳 From Google Street View to the costuber universe, 'expert reviews' vids, sensitivity readers, free archaeology & criminology & psych lectures, and even whole YT channels full of great writing guidance... I imagine getting over that first hurdle of getting something on the page never gets any easier, but the free fact-checking & professional resources out there now are just WOW!! 😍
As someone who has spent the last 4 years *also* writing a weird "fantasy with a strong romance thread" or "light (PG ish) romance with a strong fantasy thread" I find this both hilarious and also really really exciting! I am so happy for you and a huge fan of your series of shorts. I'm sure that so long as you take everything "one crisis at a time," it will be fine! ;)
As a self-published author, I do not hate you. No. More power to you. You have the platform you've worked very hard on, so what's to hate? Go for it. Enjoy the mind numbing / soul tearing / joyful exuberance that is being a self-pub author. Bravo!
As a writer approaching to be a reasonably published author I give you full amnesty on our behalf. I will further add - you go girl! I currently believe anyone with the clout to pull it off should self publish, as you said it has so much more benefit to the author. The publishing industry needs to change and that's not going to happen until they're forced to acknowledge that the benefits are less and less appealing when considering the very substantial cons. I'm so excited to see your journey 😁
While I appreciate them both, I feel like "Historically accurate" isn't exactly in Caroline's wheelhouse, so a-historical Romance cover elements would be more fitting?
@@Siriastimeflies but at the same time, Bernadette is uniquely suited to the task of selecting believable costumery such that it will be taken as realistic clothes rather than something poorly made, pulled off the costume rack in the wrong size and crammed into the model so the resulting picture could be edited into a "painting". I thoroughly enjoyed her analysis of the GOT costumes over the extent of the show, and such skill might prove equally useful in this context. (Yes, Jill, I'm waxing loquacious to be noticed by the algorithm. So you might ask Bernadette, because where's the harm?)
I support this. This idea was floated about 2 weeks ago too, in the comments of a previous video. I suggested (and now do again) the title: Bearup and Banner in stitches.
As someone who doesn’t even have a “zero draft” as you called it yet (but will absolutely use that term to make myself feel better about having only half a story so far) I wish you luck!! I can’t wait to read the book when it does come out, including all of Caroline and Rosamund’s side quips :)
Self publishing makes a lot of sense for someone who has a following especially when the story has a built in audience, you've earned your clout, use it well your success inspires others
Really seems to work well for somewhat 'liminal' works like this too, that fall into grey areas for trad-pub in terms of genre, length etc...? SP sounds like a LOT of extra work for the writer thoughn in terms of the non-writing parts of the process! I hope Jill has good collaborators/co-conspirators she can drag in to help shoulder some of that.
How interesting. After probably about 7 years of writing and literary experience, I'm finally working on self-publishing a pseudo-historical fantasy novelette right now. I definitely want to go into traditional publishing down the line, but I work full time and mostly only have a few hours each day to write. I mostly want to get something out there in a quicker and more manageable way. It was really amazing to see someone else's experience.
have to say, your enthusiasm for the project is so infectious that despite being a third of a world away, and completely unqualified for any of the steps before publication, it's tempting to volunteer. but of course, reasons above, and also, I am trying to stick to my two crises at a time rule.
I love your project philosophy. "It's the best thing I'm able to do at this point in time". Business would be a much happier place if that was widely adopted.
Really good point! SO applicable in the creative world, too, where we are generally our own worst critics... Looking at the journey as an iterative process rather than a series of full-stops is much better for the sanity, I suspect!
In this day and age self-publishing is often the best route to go with works that don't fit the traditional publishing mould (especially with a genre that they might see as hard to market) so good on you for taking on this challenge! I will look forward to the pre-ordering update, whenever that comes out :)
Baen's covers are probably the worst whenbyou compare the quality of the writing omg look at the Vorkosigan series 💔 Im very happy that you are still blazing your way through ! Keep on woman ! Your geeky self is an inspiration and yep... audiobook should definitely have your voice
😂 It's been quite an education (& a rather terrifying revelation) to me, learning how little control authors actually have over the cover art on their works?! 😳 Even very well known ones. Lois M. Bujold has certainly had some fantastically salty words to say on that topic! Considering it's the main method whereby most people decide which works they'll give a try... 🤦🏻♀️ Coupled with the weird marketing decisions that seem to happen, particularly in the specfic space, it really leaves me bewildered..? Honestly, I look at most paranormal fantasy covers & just go, "Who the hell was your target audience here?? You know most of your readers are statistically older, straight women, & yet your cover style seems to consistently be 'soft porn for horny guys'..." 🤦🏻♀️
I'm a writer who wants to be traditionally published with my novels (I have several novel drafts but I'm not published and I don't have an agent as of yet), and I'm really happy for you! It sounds like you've put a lot of thought into what works best for you, and self-publishing has so many perks over traditional, as you mentioned.
Huzzah! Hurrah! You're doing great, keep it up! I can't wait to read it when it's ready (or rather, I can literally wait, but I am so looking forward to it). The author-heroine interaction is simply brilliant.
Illustrator suggestion - Jody Lee has done a lot of very beautiful pieces of cover art! ... As long as we ignore Kerowyn's armor on _"By the Sword"..._ If you look it up you'll see _that_ piece is very deeply into 'just stab me now' territory. Still beautiful art, just, some... Interesting choices for armor details... Also, I just. Have this mental image of a lady in pseudo-medieval garb, paused while pulling a shirt of maille on, giving vaguely horrified side-eye to another lady in _distinctly_ modern clothing, grinning menacingly with a pen and clipboard
I'm super excited for this. I've always loved meta-fiction concepts and this is a very good one, which actually has good story potential beyond just a one-note joke.
Nothing wrong with starting with fanfiction, I know I did. Good for you for choosing the way that works best for your story (though, I admit, I wouldn't make the same choice, but thats just me)! I can't wait to read the story when it's ready!
Starting as a fanfic writer almost seems to be the norm rather than the exception in the specfic community, it seems, from the interviews I've seen! 😆 Makes sense - you're engaging with characters & setting you're already deeply invested in, but don't have the pressure of creating everything from scratch, so it'd be a bit like trainer-wheels for practicing what works...? And I imagine having the ability to share your work (through online sites now, or zines etc in the past) and get free audience feedback must speed up the writers development process too...? (If only in learning to discern what criticism is helpful & what isn't! 😝) I did wonder if going from fanfic to original writing maybe could foster a certain overconfidence...? With a rude shock when authors suddenly discover how much extra work & skill creating a fully original universe entails, & a potential mental barrier to continuation at that point. What's your observation been on that one...?
@@anna_in_aotearoa3166 it depends. So, I'm someone who had a decent following for a story, not great, but not awful at just over 500k views. But, I also write in several different fandoms, depending on what I'm in the mood to do (I've done over 70 on one username). Some are well received, some aren't. I think I have a fairly good idea of if something is going to do well before I post it, but I am occasionally surprised. That said, I also write original novels, and I tease them in certain fanfics to create more of an interest in it. Of course, its not perfect, but it works for me!
Yay, I want to hear your voice in my head reading the story of the adventures and tribulations of Caroline and Rosimund. You kept me sane, up beat and broadened my horizons to good and modern things during the worst of my Long Covid journey, starting in 2020. 😳😄😀😂😉👍💖🕊
I am a writer and I aspire to traditionally publish, and I am only insanely proud of you and happy for you. I agree that this particular book should be self published. One Crisis at a Time is very much a product of its indie/grassroots/public beginnings. It will do best where you can develop it within the culture and community (and your own personal control) that formed it- and that it was formed for. Traditional publishing is absolutely not the best route for every author or for every book. I think you are well equipped to go forth and scramble like heck in the self publishing world. You got this and I’m a huge fan of it
How very exciting! Having followed along with the Fantasy Heroin series (and now these updates), it's wonderful and exciting and all abounding an adventure to hear about it getting turned into a book proper. Best of luck with getting through all of the steps, I absolutely plan on purchasing a physical copy of my own one day (And perhaps for a few people I know would enjoy it too).
I cannot tell you how excited I am! I don’t care how it happens. To do a bad quote ‘shut up and take my money….multiple times because I will buy it in ebook, paperback and audio!’ I speak for myself but I have a feeling I also speak for a lot of your other fans - write it and it will sell. I, for one, cannot wait…or rather will have to wait with baited breath. You’ve got this! 💕💕💕💕💕
DEVELOPMENTAL EDITOR YESSS! Developmental editors, and editors in general, are so important! You have the dedication to work on it AND hire the right person to help you.
As an editor... Blush!! 😘 But yeah, seriously, I reckon a trained second pair of eyes is SO important in getting your writing to the best point it can possibly reach? There's a significant amount of humility entailed in even admitting you'll need that help, though, so major kudos to Jill (as always! 🥰) A big chunk of e-books these days are clearly self-published, and honestly, I often find them almost unreadable due to the obvious lack of editing before release? 😣 It's kind of sad, because clearly the author still put in a quantifiable amount of effort to get that far. They just didn't have the full skillset needed to create a polished final work - & maybe didn't even realise that, alas! 😒
@@anna_in_aotearoa3166 I'm with you! All of that is so true. Good writing needs good editing, but it is very scary and humbling to admit you need that! Or to take feedback. (Make sure it's a good editor you can trust, too.) And yes, it takes so much work and effort to produce a book you're proud of. It is so worth it to invest in good editing and cover design to make sure it's polished and enjoyable. There are many ways to do that. But it's so worth it! We can't do everything alone. And it's a relief to have support and help to do the parts you can't do yourself. What I love, though, is that it's possible to create indie books that are far better quality than most traditionally published books. There are a lot of sloppy and low-quality books in traditional publishing. It makes me sad to see the quality degrading even in popular books that get a wide audience. It is so wonderful to find authors who are creating the unique and quality books that don't fit in traditional genres--but there's an audience who wants to read them. Including me!! And indie books these days include some of the most excellent books of all. And I'm an editor too (😄), but even if I was solely a reader...I know editors are so important. I'm grateful for good editors. Readers appreciate it! Me included. I'm purely talking in theory here, for the sake of discussion. I'm a reader too. But with a career in the book industry, I think a lot about different kinds of publishing. It's interesting, hence the long page of thoughts. (Sounds like you've thought about it too, Anne!) Indie publishing is very flexible, and there are different levels and goals. Levels of editing can adapt to fit different types of publishing. Indie publishing can be sloppy or extremely high-quality. (As we all know!) It really depends on what the author wants. I love how flexible and unique indie publishing is. I enjoy good stories no matter the level of editing, and I love seeing authors publish enjoyable stories that fit their vision. If it's just for fun, anything goes. But even when publishing just for fun, it is important to have editing that fits the level and goal of the author, whatever that might be. That can be anything! It might be a quick proofread if it's for an informal audience. But good editing is always necessary if you have a wide audience and if you care about producing a quality book that is enjoyable and excellent. (If it's just for you and your friends, it's a different story, but editing helps at any level--and there are different kinds of editing for different needs. I enjoy books that have good story, even if they haven't been edited extensively--but if it's unedited, it is often very hard to read.) Hiring professionals is so important! For editing and cover design at the bare minimum. But there's no limit. If you have an excellent editor who works well with you and your book, or multiple editors, rounds of editing, and types of editing--it will only improve your book more and more! If you have the means for more than one round of edits, that is what will create a quality indie book that is competitive but still flexible, unique, and fun. Developmental editing is so vital and often overlooked. Proofreading is vital as well, but it can't save a book that hasn't been edited professionally or written carefully in earlier drafts. And good copyediting is just as vital. I'm soooo grateful for good editing, just as a reader! (And again, for the sake of discussion, I'm just interested in the theory of the craft! I'm certainly not taking new clients right now.) It's hilarious to see how Jill knows way too much about being an author for her own comfort...the pain is real.
YAY!!! Thank you for the Update. Also very glad you are feeling better and hoping you stay healthy. Will put moneys aside (in my head at least) for buying when it comes to presale time. Baen really is one of the good ones. ^_^
Congrats on all your progress! As a dev editor and writing coach, I say kudos to knowing that's a critical step for successful writing, and also, you are 100% a writer because you wrote something! I had that conversation countless times with college students who were writing academic essays but were convinced they were bad at it because it was the first thing they'd ever written. I can't wait to see how these shorts blend into book form!
Oh, this just makes me have more affection for you! 😂❤ It's delightful and sounds a little scary, like you are riding a bike for the first time and accidentally go down a hill! I'm glad that they were really nice. 🤗🙏
Lee Moyer is an experienced, brilliant Nebula award winning genre artist who has done genre book covers. And he’s a writer with a wicked sense of humour. :)
I have a writing degree and now work in traditional publishing and everyone's feelings are bruised by criticism, even if that criticism is right (it often isn't, at least when given at scale). Experience putting your work out there and receiving criticism, and learning what to ignore, does help it hurt less, which I suspect you know from going through what I imagine was a similar experience via your videos and the comment section. You are in no way lesser or a mere crayon artist because you are new to the medium of books or new to writing fiction. Nor are you a weakling. I'm very glad you've had such a good experience so far and I think, not that a stranger on the internet's opinion matters, that you've made very sensible and reasonable decisions that will give you the outcome you have expressed wanting. Which means it's the perfect route for this project.
Completely agree! 👏 Isn't it interesting, though, how everybody always focuses on the writer/creator end, and the pain of receiving criticism, valid or not...? I'd just like to put in a wee word for the editor's experience, too! 😉 Critiquing other people's babies is a REALLY BIG responsibility! 😅 Finding ways to provide feedback in a way that's helpful rather than hurtful is quite an art form in itself, as is knowing what level of complexity to include when digging down through the layers of a piece. And like all back-of-house support roles, editing generally doesn't pay anywhere near what it's worth... It's more a compulsion than a profession, though, so we keep going regardless!! 😂
Pretty sure it's impossible to be an author or finish a book without tricking your brain into the patience and stamina necessary to finish! If you wrote the book, you wrote it, and you get a trophy! You should be proud, especially as you step into the next stage.
This is so exciting!! Watching your Fantasy Heroine shorts has been one of my favorite stories ever! I will absolutely buy the book when it's available, so let us know!! :D
Great news. that there will be a book, I mean. I've stumbled across the shorts compilation not so long ago and I thought it was brilliant. I was a bit fuzzy on the actual status of "that thing" though (I write "that thing" because back then I had no idea if it's a book, audio drama, netflix show or what). This update cleared things, thanks :) I'm a bit torn between the physical book and audiobook. I'll probably get both - a hard copy to look nice on my shelf and audiobook to actually listen to. I feel like the audio version will be the closest form to the original. Can't wait :)
Going the self-publishing route for this is absolutely the right call. The biggest draw of getting a publisher is that they can market the book to a wider audience, but since you can already market the book to your audience better than any publisher can, you don’t need it.
I absolutely love this. I love that you are being encouraged to continue with this project by us who really enjoyed and then became invested in your shorts. I love how you are reaching out to your community. I don't know you lady, but I really like cheese, and I really like your community. I am looking forward to seeing how this bumps down the bunny trail. Personally, I believe that we are sometimes gifted with paths to follow that we never expected and that we should always follow those paths. (unless we are just really tired) (also I really wish you had a zip up hoody and v-neck t-shirt in you merch)
I do find it eerily appropriate that the first thing I see when I scroll down from this video is an image of the Just Stab Me Now mug. I feel that's what Jill is screaming in her head.
As a (hopeful) author I know this struggle. The good news with Self/Indie publishing is that you control everything involved with the book, the downside of Self/Indie publishing is that you control everything involved with the book.
So, I don't particularly care if One Crisis ends up being a fantastic read. What I do care about is supporting a creator whose content I really enjoy. Sadly, I don't have the means currently to reliably support your Patreon, but I will make sure have the means to buy this book when it becomes available. Because it matters.
This 100% tracks for me. I had a book idea (nonfiction) and realized there was no way I could publish (traditional or self) without having an audience first. So I pivoted to teaching myself how to make videos. Growth starts very slowly, but at least doing lightsaber reviews is fun, so it's still a good path to be on. :-)
Hi, great news. I remember Heinlein's rules from an address way back in the 70s. Write. Finish what you write. Don't re-write except on editorial command. Put what you write on the market. Leave it there until sold. He did define re-wite: Re-writing is not polishing. It is changing the base story. Hang in, you have already done the hardest parts: writing and finishing what you wrote. 😊
This is such exciting news! Self-publishing is hard, but you've already created a large platform of people who are dying to read this book, and speaking from experience, that is the part that can take the longest. Editing and rewriting are also brutal, but you've got this! With every draft and every version, you'll see it look more and more like the story in your head. I can't wait to read it!
It sounds like a fun book. I will look forward to reading it. Your chosen path is filled with different pain than the traditional path, but you can somewhat choose what pain is important.
