One more round of proofing

Rosemary

Yep. Due to there being far too many errors to let go.

Aside from the typos on the back  cover, to which you my faithful correspondents alerted me, there were a whole bunch on the inside.

Some of those were pointed out by the extremely helpful Evelyn Park in an email; the rest were discovered by me.

Red tags of trouble!

I had hoped to get this paperback live and for sale in time for John Scalzi’s annual Holiday Shopping Guide.    Every year, Scalzi invites fellow creative persons to engage in shameless self-promotion in the comments stream of his blog posts.  Scalzi’s blog readership is huge, and getting listed helped me with ebook sales last year.

But that’s happening on Tuesday (for self-published works), and I won’t have had time to receive, review, and approve an updated version of the physical proof copy yet.  Still, the paperback of The Steerswoman is available, and all the ebooks, so it’s worth it to submit my self-promo bit.

I’m still on track to get all four paperbacks available for sale by Christmas.  But I do have to dig in.

And on that subject….

If any of you happen to have noticed, during your previous readings, any typos in the ebook versions of The Lost Steersman or The Language of Power, feel free to mention them to me!  Either in email, or in the comments….

I don’t want you to actually go to any trouble — I’ll be combing the pages myself with propper assiduousness — but if you happen to have noticed something during your previous readings, and can recall where it is in the book, and feel like dropping a note…. well, I’d be grateful.   I’m aiming for Friday as the day to be finished with proofing.

Now: must get sleep.  It is very late.  Even for me.


3 Responses to “One more round of proofing”

  • Lindig Says:

    I love proofreading, favorite part of the job when I was a typesetter, but it’s a pain when you’re in a hurry and the proofs are a mess. Best of luck and best wishes for enormous xmas season sales.

  • Rosemary Says:

    (This will be my promo on John Scalzi’s Holiday Shopping Guide blog post):

    You know what? I like physical books.

    There’s something satisfying about them: a real thing you can hold, right in your hands — filled with dreams, imaginings, adventure. Reading on paper is comfortable, even restful. It’s a release, an escape from all these eye-jabbing, glowing screens that yammer at us all day. My idea of paradise: A fireplace, a big armchair, and a fat book (cat optional).

    When my novels (The Steerswoman, The Outskirter’s Secret, The Lost Steersman, and The Language of Power) went out of print, I followed the advice of other writers: I got the rights back from my trad publisher, and self-published ebook versions of the novels.

    It was quick, easy to do, and rewarding. They sold well. But my readers did ask me: when will there be paperback versions?

    The answer: now. The Steerswoman is now available in paperback as well as ebook format; The Outskirter’s Secret should be going live any minute now; and the other two will be out in time for Christmas.

    The Steerswoman in paperback on Amazon

    The Steerswoman Series in ebooks on Amazon

    Here are some reviews:

    Hugo and Nebula winner Jo Walton: “If you like science, and if you like watching someone work out mysteries, and if you like detailed weird alien worlds and human cultures, if really good prose appeals… you’re really in luck.”

    Physicist Chad Orzel (Eureka! and How to Teach Physics to Your Dog): “Maybe the best depiction of the process of science I’ve encountered in fiction is the Steerswoman series.”

    Damien Broderick & Paul Di Filippo, in Science Fiction: The 101 Best Novels 1985-2010: “[Kirstein] walks the tightrope between fantasy and science fiction with precision and grace… [her] compassion for even minor characters is evident on every page, and her prose is measured and alluring without being overworked.”

    Suzy McKee Charnas (Motherlines and Walk to the End of the World), about The Lost Steersman: “[a]n original and fascinating take on the tensions between science and belief, observation and expectation, courage and fear. Highly recommended.”

    Publisher’s Weekly: “Kirstein’s striking portrait of an innovative woman who is scientist, judge, historian, and adventurer makes for a good, thought-provoking read.”

  • Nonesuch Says:

    And here’s a test, as we discussed, of my own promo:

    The process of converting one’s former mass market publications into both ebooks and shiny new trade paperbacks could be a thrilling tale in its own right, filled with laughter, terror and unintended consequences. (For one thing, now that I’m the publisher of my own books I find I expect myself to pick up the tab every time I dine out alone, and it’s getting expensive!)

    As of this fall, the two books that comprise the opening of my most popular series are available once again on Amazon.

    The FADING WORLDS was originally intended as a re-imagination of the Edgar Rice Burroughs-type adventures I read as a kid, and there was a temptation to make them little more than fast-paced entertainment that would hopefully sell like hotcakes. Going into the series, I had pretty much assumed that anything more than that should be reserved for more “serious” undertakings. But things have a way of heading in unexpected directions, and I’m more than happy with the way they’ve turned out. I’m working away on more volumes, which I hope to be able to tout in this space next year, and in the meantime, here are some reviews for the first two, along with a handy link to where they can be purchased.

    From Locus, the Magazine of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Field: “A KEY FOR THE NONESUCH feels like sf, but has many of the trappings of magical adventure. Many weird and wonderful scenes and characters, not to mention lots of action, keep the pace lively  . . . RETURN OF THE BREAKNECK BOYS continues the Fading Worlds series, as the contemporary hero begins to come to terms with the war-gaming universe where he’s accidentally (or not?) found himself . . . When the scene shifts back to Earth, the balance of humor and seriousness is just right. A new character, a gay high school buddy of the hero’s, comes in late and steals the show.” 

    From Aboriginal SF: “Geary Gravel’s delightful new SF adventure story . . . is written with a sharp wit. The characters are a lot of fun, and the alien races intriguing.”

    From Rosemary Kirstein, author of The Steerswoman books: “The FADING WORLDS series is lively, diverting, and a good turnaround of genre tropes about mighty Earthmen battling foes on barbaric alien worlds. Things are not quite what they seem, and Geary handles it all with wit and grace.” 

    Finally, John Clute, writing in the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, describes the author as “a polished writer who has not quite yet unleashed what seems a considerable talent.”

    Given that last comment, and the fact that I’m hard at work on the third book, this would probably be a good time to get in on the ground floor of the series. Oh, and pack your hazmat suit–or at least some sturdy galoshes: you never know when it all might be unleashed!

    Here’s a link to the first two books on Amazon: Geary Gravel’s books on Amazon