Yep, it has a home

Broadleaf Books will publish Thriving on a Riff: Jazz and the Spiritual Life. Hooray! Broadleaf is an imprint of 1517 Media in Minneapolis. Their tagline is "expanding the mind, nourishing the soul, cultivating the common good." My book will be a perfect fit.

We have a contract, signed and sealed. The terms are generous, especially since I've never been paid for my last book (with another publisher, of course). Broadleaf has a full staff and an aggressive marketing approach. My friend Byron the Bookseller says they actually send publishing representatives out to the stores and support their books. These days, that's rare.

I am thrilled. Really happy. And I don't mind one bit that the book will be published fifteen months from now (April 2024). It's in good hands.

Soon it will be in your hands, gentle reader.

A home for the holidays?

This could be it. Broadleaf Books is interested in my book. Even the marketing staff likes it.

Christmas is upon us. Meanwhile, the West Coast publisher extended their offer past the holidays. Let's see how this shakes out.

Got some interest - and a contract if I want it

 A nibble and a bite...

The bite is from a West Coast publisher. They have a few different "brands" under the same roof, including a brand that publishes a lot of doctoral dissertations. The e-mail said, "Congratulations, we are delighted to offer you a contract to publish your book!" Fabulous! What an affirmation!

But check the fine print. The publisher expects the author to "participate financially." That is, I'd have to cough up some bucks for the publishing process. And I'd have to submit the manuscript for their copyeditor (wait, didn't Corey do that?). There might be some "additional costs, as needed." Hmm... I think I'll hold off before I sign anything.

The nibble is from Broadleaf. The acquisition editor is REALLY interested. He's certain that other publishers will snatch this up (don't tell him otherwise). He responds to my e-mail immediately. And he wants a phone conference as soon as possible. "How about tomorrow?" Sure!

The Waiting Game

 I'm glad I have other things to do for a living. Otherwise I'd starve.

The editor at Westminster John Knox Press was enthusiastic. She's a jazz lover with a dog named after Thelonious Monk. And she attends the church in Nashville where my best friend is on the pastoral staff. She liked the book proposal and the sample chapters, but alas! "We don't know if we could sell a book on jazz."

Learning for the day: a lot of publishing decisions are made by the marketing staff. Just saying. And I understand.

Another press, quite renowned, sent a piece of form mail. It read like "Dear Occupant." Ok.

My friend Byron, who has a nifty book shop a few hours from my home, has been enthusiastic. "Have you tried Broadleaf Books"? No. Uhh, not sure I've ever heard of them. 

So we'll try them next.

Just push the button

That last blog article was enough to get me out of my slump. The finished book has been dwelling on my laptop computer for three full months. I've been busy, sure, but not that busy. So I've submitted it.

How does an author submit a book these days? Everything goes by email. Many publishing houses have a page on their website with instructions for submissions (here's one). My late night project has been to identify a few prospects and draft a book proposal. Publishers have hints on those, too. 

I'll start with Westminster John Knox Press, my denomination's publisher, along with a couple of others. Best to shoot high!

Stay tuned. 

The Dating Game, Updated

Here is one of the painful memories of high school: getting the courage to call up somebody attractive and ask them out to dinner or the movies. I didn't do it a lot, most because there were a few occasions when I was turned down. That hurt. Made me shy. Took a while to recover.

One memory in particular: I dialed the number, identified myself, and asked for somebody named "Cindy." When she picked up the receiver, I played it cool and said, "Would you like to go out sometime?" She said, "No." Shot down immediately. As I tried to recover, I could hear tell someone what she said. Then she started to laugh. And hung up.

I chewed on the cold coals of humiliation.

This is the fear of sending a book manuscript off to a publisher. What if my fine effort is rejected? What if they laugh?

It's curious that I haven't sent out the book yet. True, the editing phase took a lot longer than I ever expected. There have been delays, some of which I do not understand. And there's the quiet fear that it will not be wanted. So I'll wait until confidence is regained.

Whiz Kid. (Well, not a kid, really)

Cousin John has three talented sons. Corey is the eldest and he's my copyditor. He's amazing. With over 6000 projects to date, he's astute, decisive, and quick. Thriving on a Riff is one of the forty-two nonfiction books that he has copyedited.

I can't say enough about his work. He would edit me if I did.

What does a copyeditor do? He polishes gems until they sparkle. Here is the description from his website: 

Copyediting is the process of editing copy for accuracy, clarity, style, consistency, and formatting, and correcting errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, word choice, subject/verb agreement, etc. Copyediting also may include fact-checking, checking references, and making alterations to a text for proper adherence to the preferred style guide.

Focus: correction. Deliverable: a piece of writing that is exponentially more effective at communicating its message and engaging its target audience.

He and Lil were a one-two punch. 

And dang, he's quick. Four weeks in his hands, and it's done already.

Check him out at https://coreymccullough.com/. Tell him that I sent you. And buy his books, especially the novel Rust on the Allegheny.  It's a slightly fictionalized story of the town where my mom grew up. 

In fact, the cover of his novel is a stylized image of the theater where she heard Louis Armstrong play.

It's all in the family.