By Gail Pallotta
Stunned and confused when my publisher went out
of business, I did nothing. My husband and daughter said, “You have to get Stopped Cold back out.”
One day I realized I had to remove cover images
from the internet. During the process, I e-mailed people and began sharing the
fate of Stopped Cold. My critique partner, Lisa Lickel,
wouldn’t hear of the book ending up in a drawer and offered to help.
I hope this never happens to anyone else, but in
case it does, I’ve compiled a few tips.
Believe in the book. To undo publishing then re-do it, one must
believe it’s worth the effort.
Prayers. I wouldn’t have undertaken or completed the process without them.
I think of those who said them as co-authors.
Support group. Another author with the defunct publisher
started a Facebook page for us. I went to it and realized I wasn’t alone. We
shared problems, hopes and possibilities for re-launches. What a great bunch!
Assess the situation. On the positive side, Stopped Cold already
had reviews and comments that gave it validity. On the negative side, it had
been in print. Not having a clue what to expect I e-mailed four publishers.
Three of them agreed to take Stopped Cold. I was humbled and
honored, but maybe most importantly, my faith in humanity was restored.
Yet, I hadn’t looked at my situation closely
enough. I needed print books immediately to meet commitments I’d made. Lisa
suggested that one of the small presses might publish e-books while I brought
out print copies. That worked best for my circumstance. However, should this
happen to other authors, they should look at all of the options for solving
their particular problems.
A revised edition or a reprint. It’s the author’s responsibility to make sure
what rights he or she has. Mine were for the original manuscript, but not the
edits or cover. I welcomed the opportunity to enhance the book for a revised
edition. If no changes had been made to the text, it would have been a reprint.
Un-formatting. After a book has been in several formats the
text does strange things when one edits it. I tried many options that didn’t
work to remedy this. Finally, I went to Smashwords and took the advice of Mark
Coker step by step. Then I ran it through notepad as he suggested. My eyes were
crossing by the time I finished this task.
Proofread. Proofread. Proofread. If the book were a piece of clothing, it would
have been turned inside out, gone through several high intensity washes and the
spin cycle in the dryer. Every time I made a change I read Stopped Cold looking
for mistakes. My daughter visited before I submitted the book and found several
more.
Life’s so much more than a book. Focus on God’s blessings and His will.
The reward. The light in the eyes of the little girl who
doesn’t usually read, but wanted this book.
___________________________________________________________________
Award-winning author Gail Pallotta’s a wife, Mom, swimmer
and bargain shopper who loves God, beach sunsets and getting together with
friends and family. A former regional writer of the year for American Christian
Writers Association, she won Clash of the Titles in 2010. Her teen book, Stopped Cold, is a best-seller on All
Romance eBooks, finished fourth in the 16th Annual Preditors and Editors
readers’ poll, and was a finalist for the 2013 Grace Awards. She’s published
short stories in “Splickety” magazine and Sweet Freedom with a Slice of Peach Cobbler. Some of her published articles
appear in anthologies while two are in museums. her social media links are
Blog: http://www.gailpallotta.blogspot.comAuthors and More: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorsandMore
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