Ok, I am now down to about only 35 books, give or take, so it's getting down to the nitty gritty! Still more poetry, still hoping to get as much done before my vacation starts. I think it's been five weeks today since I embarked upon this ludicrous project, so that means I can hopefully finish all this part in less.
The fun part is going to start when I have to correct my errors on computer. That means I am going to have to log on, access my files, (which I will have to unpublish most of them first because that's what you have to do with a previously finished revision) make the changes in the documents, upload it all again, finish publishing the book, and then, go back and check to make sure the file is how I want it. Once I start buying copies of these new books, I sure as hell am NOT going to do it again! That would really drive me insane (and not the cute kind of crazy that I am now)!!
Be on the lookout for loads of more fun... Har Har (Can you note the sarcasm?)
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
More Poetry, More Promise
Despite my recent dismay regarding this entire proofreading project, I feel that I may be able to finish the first portion soon. I have three weeks until I get back from vacation. (Unfortunately, I still have about eleven days until it starts.) By then, hopefully, I will be able to have most, if not all, of this portion finished. The fact that I have (at least) a few more poetry books to revise gives me more hope, because they are fast to read. I feel that the Duran Duran biography is going to be the biggest pain in the butt, regarding revisions, though it was something that I started five years ago, and I would not rest until it was finished. But, like for Madness, I will NOT (create an index) and revise everything possible, unless I decide to publish it elsewhere. Besides, I am not much of a Duran Duran fan anymore.
Still have not read my personal copy of The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner or the book published by our local author. But, the sooner I can get my books done, the sooner I can put them back on sale so that people can buy them. (I had better get my paper published in Indiana Libraries after all this effort.)
Well, that's about all for today. I do not want to exert myself too much on this post. I'll keep everyone updated.
BTW: Happy Birthday to Mom! Hope you enjoy your special day!!
Still have not read my personal copy of The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner or the book published by our local author. But, the sooner I can get my books done, the sooner I can put them back on sale so that people can buy them. (I had better get my paper published in Indiana Libraries after all this effort.)
Well, that's about all for today. I do not want to exert myself too much on this post. I'll keep everyone updated.
BTW: Happy Birthday to Mom! Hope you enjoy your special day!!
Monday, June 28, 2010
I'm sick of proofreading :p
Okay, so I finally got under 40 books to revise, and I finished Alwine's travel journal, along with Madness (my novella). Now, let's see if I can prevent myself from undergoing madness for the rest of the process. (Now I know how Julie Powell felt while she was blogging and cooking Julia Childs's recipes.) I have yet to start books 103 and 104, but I am still really gung-ho about finishing the others first.
Earlier today, I found most of my poems from my second book of poetry published on Amazon, A View of Dreams, on an old floppy disk from a few years ago. I copied and pasted the portion that was available and sent it to myself. This way, I can go on amazon and revise it. The only problem is that I have to re-type the missing poems (and I may not feel like doing so for a good, long time). I think I might have to hold off on that one, and Opening the Doors as well, because I do not want to lose my page on amazon.
I know that I am at the point of loathing, regarding revising these books, but the sooner I get it done, the sooner the process will be off my mind. And I will never have to do it again, unless a regular publishing company gives me incentive some day. Then, I will go back and revise Madness, Reach up for the Sunrise, and A Year in the Life of Emelie Jones. For royalties, which can help pay off our mortgage, I will gladly pull out the remaining strands of my hair to revise these books! :)
Earlier today, I found most of my poems from my second book of poetry published on Amazon, A View of Dreams, on an old floppy disk from a few years ago. I copied and pasted the portion that was available and sent it to myself. This way, I can go on amazon and revise it. The only problem is that I have to re-type the missing poems (and I may not feel like doing so for a good, long time). I think I might have to hold off on that one, and Opening the Doors as well, because I do not want to lose my page on amazon.
I know that I am at the point of loathing, regarding revising these books, but the sooner I get it done, the sooner the process will be off my mind. And I will never have to do it again, unless a regular publishing company gives me incentive some day. Then, I will go back and revise Madness, Reach up for the Sunrise, and A Year in the Life of Emelie Jones. For royalties, which can help pay off our mortgage, I will gladly pull out the remaining strands of my hair to revise these books! :)
Friday, June 25, 2010
On This Day
It is bright and sunny outside, and I am feeling good! Though I still have half a day left, I am happy that I will be going home to my husband soon.
Now, on the book front. First, I will mention a good friend of mine, who recently had his third book published on http://www.lulu.com/. I am extremely happy for him, and I am glad that he has found so much success on lulu. It makes me feel good that I recommended the site to him. I finished my copy of Sizzling Sixteen and have returned it to our library. I also checked out that book written by one of our patrons. Proofreading wise, I am on book 65, although the one I am currently reading is not one that I have written. (So, that brings my total down to 105.) This particular title was written by my great-grandmother (on my mother's side), Alwine Baurman, on her 1910 trip to Europe. Interestingly enough, her first entry is dated June 25, 1910, exactly one-hundred years ago today!
Alwine was a first generation American. Her father, Augustus Baurman, came over from Germany in 1866 and received his U.S. citizenship in the state of New York. (It is interesting to see how much our family has branched out over the decades.) She gave birth to my great-aunt, then my grandfather, who passed everything on to my mother. Now I am the proud carrier of our family heirlooms.
When I first read her memoir four years ago, I was completely captivated, and I had a difficult time putting the diary down. Though people often get on my nerves, and I feel that our world has gotten too fast-paced; it's nice being able to escape every one in a while. That's the purpose of any good book, whether or not its commercially known. That's what I eventually want my stuff to be, but it may take a while for my work to mature like that. Besides, once I am finished with these masochistic proofreading, I am taking a huge break from writing! (Except, for my blog, maybe...) I also have all those delicious books waiting for me back at home.
Anyway, back to the main subject at hand. It's amazing how our family has had this book in its possession for 100 years--about 50 yearswhich it has been with my grandparents. When they passed away nearly five years ago, my mother gave this book to me. It was a real treat not only to read the book, but I enjoyed transcribing it as well. Sure, I had a difficult time reading some of Alwine's handwriting, and I had to google the names of the places, just to make sure that they were the right locations and that I spelled the names correctly. I am also proud of the fact that Alwine Baurman is now searchable through any online search engine. Before I had transcribed and published her work on lulu, the Internet had not even heard of her. I hope that Alwine is in heaven, looking down with pride at what she has accomplished through me. I am proud to be a vessel, concerning this special period in her life.
Now, on the book front. First, I will mention a good friend of mine, who recently had his third book published on http://www.lulu.com/. I am extremely happy for him, and I am glad that he has found so much success on lulu. It makes me feel good that I recommended the site to him. I finished my copy of Sizzling Sixteen and have returned it to our library. I also checked out that book written by one of our patrons. Proofreading wise, I am on book 65, although the one I am currently reading is not one that I have written. (So, that brings my total down to 105.) This particular title was written by my great-grandmother (on my mother's side), Alwine Baurman, on her 1910 trip to Europe. Interestingly enough, her first entry is dated June 25, 1910, exactly one-hundred years ago today!
Alwine was a first generation American. Her father, Augustus Baurman, came over from Germany in 1866 and received his U.S. citizenship in the state of New York. (It is interesting to see how much our family has branched out over the decades.) She gave birth to my great-aunt, then my grandfather, who passed everything on to my mother. Now I am the proud carrier of our family heirlooms.
When I first read her memoir four years ago, I was completely captivated, and I had a difficult time putting the diary down. Though people often get on my nerves, and I feel that our world has gotten too fast-paced; it's nice being able to escape every one in a while. That's the purpose of any good book, whether or not its commercially known. That's what I eventually want my stuff to be, but it may take a while for my work to mature like that. Besides, once I am finished with these masochistic proofreading, I am taking a huge break from writing! (Except, for my blog, maybe...) I also have all those delicious books waiting for me back at home.
Anyway, back to the main subject at hand. It's amazing how our family has had this book in its possession for 100 years--about 50 yearswhich it has been with my grandparents. When they passed away nearly five years ago, my mother gave this book to me. It was a real treat not only to read the book, but I enjoyed transcribing it as well. Sure, I had a difficult time reading some of Alwine's handwriting, and I had to google the names of the places, just to make sure that they were the right locations and that I spelled the names correctly. I am also proud of the fact that Alwine Baurman is now searchable through any online search engine. Before I had transcribed and published her work on lulu, the Internet had not even heard of her. I hope that Alwine is in heaven, looking down with pride at what she has accomplished through me. I am proud to be a vessel, concerning this special period in her life.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
You Know, its Funny
Kinda ironic, the fact that I like online interaction much better than face-to-face interaction, mostly because it involves writing and is not forced. (My apologies, my last post was NOT saved, and this is the abridged version. Too bad, because this one is less articulate. Oh well.)
Still did not find anything about that self-publishing company, but I will try again some other day. Later...
Still did not find anything about that self-publishing company, but I will try again some other day. Later...
Reading and Proofreading, too much to Balance
Ugh! I am feeling extremely tired and reclusive today, but when I got a chance to get away, I felt better. I have finished proofreading 63 of my 102 books. I am now on 64. I had to take a few breaks in between revising my most current books to read my library copy of Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich, who is the only author that I read consistently. I have a very sporadic book "diet," and much like my food diet, there is no consistency. Now I am finding out that some of our patrons have self-published books and somehow managed to get them into our library collection. I have tried to do that for years! (Well, I didn't actually ask anyone because I didn't want to piss people off.) But, being in charge of collection development, I think I am entitled to have at least one book in our collection. Of course, I will have to revise one that I think is suitable, and I can't overlook the fact that these other books look really good. At least I found a local publisher in Charlestown, so I might check out their webpage and look at their publishing requirements. Still waiting for news on the paper I wrote for Indiana Libraries. Might be back later...
Overcast
The clouds outside have been taunting and teasing me, making it look like it's going to rain. But I have yet to see a drop. I was hoping that I would not have to water the lawn when I get home because I want to spend my time doing my own thing. Maybe it rained at home. I could put it off until tomorrow...
(I know, this has nothing to do with writing, but I had to fill in the void.)
(I know, this has nothing to do with writing, but I had to fill in the void.)
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Is anybody as crazy as I?
I've reached the point of no return. Surely I am not the only frustrated writer out there...
About a month ago, I decided to go back and revise all 102 of my self-published books because I cannot tolerate any errors. I am also hoping to get an article published in the journal Indiana Libraries. The guest editor said that they are most likely going to publish my article on intellectual freedom in this fall's special edition. Since I included a short bio. along with my submission, I feel as if I have to go back and revise all my books (even the ones to which only I have access) because I mentioned the fact that people can access my books through http://www.lulu.com/ and http://www.amazon.com/. In the rare event that any library would want to purchase any of my books for their collection, I want to make sure that the print is large enough and that the books are free of errors. (I do not have the luxury of an editor or a proofreader.)
I have been writing for approximately sixteen years, and I've tried to stop several times, all to no avail. And though my work has been rejected before, I, apparently, am not the type to give up so easily. But with me having only proofread about 60 of my 102 books in four weeks,
(while putting many other things on hold) I am seriously starting to question my sanity ;) LOL
About a month ago, I decided to go back and revise all 102 of my self-published books because I cannot tolerate any errors. I am also hoping to get an article published in the journal Indiana Libraries. The guest editor said that they are most likely going to publish my article on intellectual freedom in this fall's special edition. Since I included a short bio. along with my submission, I feel as if I have to go back and revise all my books (even the ones to which only I have access) because I mentioned the fact that people can access my books through http://www.lulu.com/ and http://www.amazon.com/. In the rare event that any library would want to purchase any of my books for their collection, I want to make sure that the print is large enough and that the books are free of errors. (I do not have the luxury of an editor or a proofreader.)
I have been writing for approximately sixteen years, and I've tried to stop several times, all to no avail. And though my work has been rejected before, I, apparently, am not the type to give up so easily. But with me having only proofread about 60 of my 102 books in four weeks,
(while putting many other things on hold) I am seriously starting to question my sanity ;) LOL
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