OK, all, I assume you've had some time to peruse the EPUB and the few hardcopies I managed to get mailed. A few did get actual books. I am dying to get started on my new book. Well, full disclosure, I have gotten started. Basic outline. Similar Clancy-esque theme. I just need to get some feedback on this one to do the next one better.
Steve, spoiler alert . . . skip this paragraph and read it after you've had your brief campfire read or book burning party!
So, I already know that [for publication cost reasons] removing nearly 100 pages of additional character subplots was a 20/20 hindsight mistake [86 pages actually, I guess]. But, when you self publish, everything is by the word, page, page size, graphic, header, footer, etc. so I elected to do the edit-removal down to the bare bones story which it does still have. Obviously, having more stories from people the main character met and learned from early on, to relationships while at the Dept of Energy, the actual detailed experience and relationships going through training at Camp Peary, conversations with people in our [still] deeply lacking electrical grid and their frustrations and some actual comedy dealing with, in some cases, literally, antique switching and monitoring systems [a funny subplot involving the specific sequence of events and order flipping of switches sometimes on completely opposite sides of the control room any one of which done wrong would take down the entire northwest grid], additional relationships over in Afghanistan. Then during the attack portion, from people leaving and then their horror on the flights during the attack, the pilots on the cargo 767 when it lost power after the attack with a brief communiqué with the control tower about sudden complete multi-system failure and then radio silence as they plummeted onto the Harrodsburg Road in Lexington, six different characters at the nuclear power plant in Arizona fighting desperately to maintain control of their devolving system crash [think similar to The China Syndrome here], to many additional character plots in the neighborhoods after the attack including societal breakdown, resultant anarchy, and eventual Martial Law restoring order subplots and issues, additional relationships [completely unlike current ones] over in Moscow trying to establish trusting communication with the still semi-functional government back in the US, and skip forward to the rebuild and recovery phases with lots of missing detail returning back to a normal functioning but yet completely different free market economy and democracy stateside.
And, believe it or not, I ended with the Hollywood ending where the main character gets to marry his Pakistani-American beauty but in the original there was a "all seemed that it was returning to some semblance of normalcy, Wes and Sofia looking forward to their lives together, when there was suddenly a completely implausible, unforeseen, and unexpected . . . blinding flash!" The non-Hollywood ending . . .
Preference? Booty or Burn endings? No poll required.
So, obviously, all the above [and then some] that I cut out would have made the book not only look more like an actual book [over 1/2 again thicker than it is] but would have certainly made a more fulfilling read, but I lost $3200 on the book project with the production costs of the book being 86 pages shorter. I am guessing that figure would have approached [-$5000] with the larger book at only 469 copies sold.
This next book needs to be bigger, better, focus more on primarily ebook which still has size cost relation but less so than printed book costs do, and set up publish paper copies to order only through Amazon, perhaps other sites, and the Website [not up yet]. Sadly, my pen name will already have to change as someone has stolen JJ Gregory already.
Looks like he's been busy . . . from 2012 on AFTER I RELEASED MINE!
Wonder if he enjoyed my book? Writing somewhat similar stuff.
Anyway, above is what I know I need to do. Any other ideas, pro or con would be deeply welcome. You can post them here. I can take it. Your book completely sucks because . . . But if you are remotely worried, you can PM me too if you want?
And, thanks for taking the time to read . . . The Grid!
Steve, spoiler alert . . . skip this paragraph and read it after you've had your brief campfire read or book burning party!
So, I already know that [for publication cost reasons] removing nearly 100 pages of additional character subplots was a 20/20 hindsight mistake [86 pages actually, I guess]. But, when you self publish, everything is by the word, page, page size, graphic, header, footer, etc. so I elected to do the edit-removal down to the bare bones story which it does still have. Obviously, having more stories from people the main character met and learned from early on, to relationships while at the Dept of Energy, the actual detailed experience and relationships going through training at Camp Peary, conversations with people in our [still] deeply lacking electrical grid and their frustrations and some actual comedy dealing with, in some cases, literally, antique switching and monitoring systems [a funny subplot involving the specific sequence of events and order flipping of switches sometimes on completely opposite sides of the control room any one of which done wrong would take down the entire northwest grid], additional relationships over in Afghanistan. Then during the attack portion, from people leaving and then their horror on the flights during the attack, the pilots on the cargo 767 when it lost power after the attack with a brief communiqué with the control tower about sudden complete multi-system failure and then radio silence as they plummeted onto the Harrodsburg Road in Lexington, six different characters at the nuclear power plant in Arizona fighting desperately to maintain control of their devolving system crash [think similar to The China Syndrome here], to many additional character plots in the neighborhoods after the attack including societal breakdown, resultant anarchy, and eventual Martial Law restoring order subplots and issues, additional relationships [completely unlike current ones] over in Moscow trying to establish trusting communication with the still semi-functional government back in the US, and skip forward to the rebuild and recovery phases with lots of missing detail returning back to a normal functioning but yet completely different free market economy and democracy stateside.
And, believe it or not, I ended with the Hollywood ending where the main character gets to marry his Pakistani-American beauty but in the original there was a "all seemed that it was returning to some semblance of normalcy, Wes and Sofia looking forward to their lives together, when there was suddenly a completely implausible, unforeseen, and unexpected . . . blinding flash!" The non-Hollywood ending . . .
Preference? Booty or Burn endings? No poll required.
So, obviously, all the above [and then some] that I cut out would have made the book not only look more like an actual book [over 1/2 again thicker than it is] but would have certainly made a more fulfilling read, but I lost $3200 on the book project with the production costs of the book being 86 pages shorter. I am guessing that figure would have approached [-$5000] with the larger book at only 469 copies sold.
This next book needs to be bigger, better, focus more on primarily ebook which still has size cost relation but less so than printed book costs do, and set up publish paper copies to order only through Amazon, perhaps other sites, and the Website [not up yet]. Sadly, my pen name will already have to change as someone has stolen JJ Gregory already.
Looks like he's been busy . . . from 2012 on AFTER I RELEASED MINE!
Wonder if he enjoyed my book? Writing somewhat similar stuff.Anyway, above is what I know I need to do. Any other ideas, pro or con would be deeply welcome. You can post them here. I can take it. Your book completely sucks because . . . But if you are remotely worried, you can PM me too if you want?
And, thanks for taking the time to read . . . The Grid!
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