Those of you who follow me elsewhere - Facebook, Twitter, or on my other blog - will know that I had some exciting news at the beginning of the month. My book baby got accepted!! I spazzed a bit over at my Princess of Procrastination blog (not to mention all over Twitter and Facebook *shifty*), so I won't repeat myself here, but suffice to say I am still squealing. I think it's taken a couple of weeks for the initial shock to wear off, but now that it has, I've had to knuckle down.
The first order of the day was regarding the title. Much as I love the play on Cinderella, and the fact that my home town was a part of the original title, I had to agree that Cardiffella wasn't going to work. Unless you know Cardiff, the reference was going to be lost, and readers would just be confused. So I did some brainstorming on Facebook, and after coming up with a few possibilities, I settled on a shortlist. Fortunately, the editors immediately liked my first choice, and as of now, Cardiffella is no more *sniffs*. Despite being a bit teary over it, I am incredibly happy with the new name, and there is a funny little story behind it too.
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| Bye bye baby... *dabs eye* |
As I was thinking of new titles, I added them to my Facebook poll, whether I thought they were good or not. I just wanted to sound them out, you know? Anyway, I'd thought of If The Shoe Fits, but didn't add it to the poll. I think it was mostly because I had a vague notion that it had already been used as a book title before now, though I have no idea why I thought this (you already know how nutty I am, yes?). Then my good friend Tami (also known as The Watery Tart) suggested it to me, and it just tickled me that she had the same idea as me. I did a little research, couldn't find anything obvious in my investigations, and added it to my poll after all.
Eventually I had a shortlist, which I dutifully sent to my editor. Now comes the really funny part. You see, just as I hit 'send' on the email, I had an email alert. Another editor, who was working on my cover art, needed me to send her my ideas for the new title so that she could get a feel for the tone. Over the next few minutes, both editors and myself engaged in crossed emails, and BOTH came back with immediate approvals for If The Shoe Fits. Have I mentioned how fabulous the editors at Crimson are? No? Well they are! Fabulous, that is. Super friendly, super helpful, and all round awesome, actually. And that's a genuine endorsment from me, I'm not saying it because I have to, I'm saying it because I mean it. They've made what could have been a daunting process for a newbie author incredibly easy.
So anyway, I guess it was kind of meant to be. I'm happy, they're happy, and most of the people I polled are happy. Sorted!
Currently I am busy editing. I'm happy to say that there were no major revisions needed. The majority of changes are due to the fact that it's an American publishing house, which means that I've had to format according to American English rather than British English. Aside from typos and a few grammar boobies, the original manuscript is virtually unchanged. I'm currently 50 pages in, so I'm about 25% done, but it is an easy job and I'm aiming to finish by the end of the week, which is a full week ahead of my deadline. Not only am I determined to show that I will be a good client, I am also committed to taking part in a WriMo in March, where I fully intend to get the next book finished, so that I can spend April polishing and revising it. My aim is to submit it to my editor just as If The Shoe Fits releases.
This is where a series title comes in. You may have noticed that as well as the book, the title for this blog has changed too. I've had to be ruthless and get rid of it. *wipes away tear* But again, I'm really happy with the new name. The Furry Tale Chronicles is what I can hopefully call the series, though until I contract a second book, a series title is not up for discussion. Crossing my fingers that things will go to plan, though!
Lastly, and again I'm wiping away a little tear, I won't be able to use the cover art that was so beautifully created for me. Ana did a wonderful job on it, and I will keep it on display not only because I love it so much, but because I'm super grateful to her for finding the time to do it for me. Not to mention Joris (Joris Ammerlaan Design), who is the exceptionally talented graphics whizz who spruced up the original drawing. Between the two of them, they made a fabulous cover design that I will always be fond of.
I'm waiting with bated breath for the new cover to be finished. I have no idea what it will be like, which is part of the excitement, but I'm confident that it will be fabulous!
I think that's enough news for one day. Now I have to get back to my edits...
If The Shoe Fits releases with Crimson Romance April 29th.
PS - Okay, apparently it wasn't enough news for one day. My signed contract just landed on my doormat! Clearly I am still not over the initial shock, and am still in the Spazzing Phase. *squeals*
Tara congrats again. I too am a little sad that the title is changing and the art is different. Still can't wait to see it though. And I do have the original story still. I don't understand Americanizing it though, I'm American I understood it the language isn't that different. Course that always bugged me about Harry Potter too, never understood the changes they made there either.
ReplyDeleteThere really wasn't a lot of word changes, maybe around a dozen, and even then, some of them were more about the way I phrased something than the actual word. I DID use a few Britishisms (as the ed called them), and I guess that maybe it would have interrupted the flow for those who weren't used to British terms. I get that, so I wasn't too worried.
ReplyDeleteMy main concern was that they might have requested major cuts and/or additions, but they didn't, so I've nothing whatsoever to complain about. I'm a happy camper. :D
Yay I was worried it may not be the same story.
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