Why is there a picture of me SCUBA diving on my blog? Good question. Well, When I first started SCUBA diving, it was such an unknown, diving into such unknown territory. And now that I am publishing a book, I feel much the same: diving into uncharted waters with this blog.
Let’s start at the sort of beginning – I had already written my book – it had taken many years, probably decades, to get it to the point where I thought it was “finished” and a friend of mine gave it to a publisher, Carol, to read. Then the publisher called and we arranged to meet for coffee. I sat across the table from her – she had my manuscript in her hands and I will never forget what issued forth from her mouth:
“Well Ruth, I love it. It’s the best thing I’ve read in a long time.”
I almost fell off my chair. I looked and looked at her to make sure she wasn’t joking – she didn’t appear to be – she seemed to mean what she said. And indeed she did because Carol and her husband Richard, who are Ekstasis Editions, are publishing my book. The launch will be March 25, 2010.
At that point, I thought that a publisher was someone who took one’s manuscript and voila, magically a book with the same title appeared in the stores, and people bought it and the author became well known and rich and went on Oprah and lived happily ever after.
That stage lasted about a week. Then reality set in. The first thing to happen was a meeting – I met with Carol and Richard, the publishers of Ekstasis Editions. They didn’t like the title of the book. Richard explained he thought it was too negative. I had entitled the book “Broken” and he said he thought it referred to the main character and he was half-way through the book before he realized that it in fact referred to many other things but not the main character, ie, me. I agreed with him. He does have the experience. Then we took about three months to try to find a title we all liked. I asked all my friends, my family, my book group, my writing group, strangers on the street. What do you think would be a good title? Of course, most of them had not read the book, so how would they know? I was partial to “Buy This Book” but I think it had been done before. After months of putting forth viable titles, we settled for The Jagged Years of Ruthie J. The thing I like best about this title is that I don’t think it came from any one person; rather, it just evolved. And so The Jagged Years of Ruthie J it is.
Then we needed a cover. Of course. I have a good friend who is a designer, and I had a very specific idea in my head of what I would like to see as the cover. I described it to Julie and she got it almost the first try. I am pleased with it; it gives the feeling I wanted, of something good busting through something bad. That’s a very simplistic way of putting it, but if you read the book, you’ll know what I mean.
Then we needed the title and the back cover and the photos and everything else that goes into making the outside covers of a book.
“Go to a professional photographer,” said Richard.
“Okay,” I said and immediately called Brian Asmussen, the best animal photographer I know.
“Brian, I need a publicity photo for my new book. Reenie and I are coming over for a session.”
Now Reenie is my dog, for the very few of you who may not know that, and although she didn’t technically write the book, she certainly enabled me to do so. In fact, as I write this, she is lying at my feet, her rhythmic breathing instilling me with a peacefulness and a sense of well-being. So naturally I thought she should be on the cover too.
“Ruth, all the photos you gave me look like Reenie is the star. We can hardly see you! You’re in the background,” Carol said when I send her the proofs.
I managed to find a photo where maybe both Reenie and I were in the foreground together, like the partners we are. I hope Carol is okay with that. I desperately want Reenie to be with me on the back cover of the book with me, but they are the publishers and they get to decide, so I guess we’ll wait to see what happens.
Then I had to address the issues of agents, publicists, and exactly what do publishers do anyway. I still don’t know the answers.
I almost had an agent from Vancouver – she seemed to like the book and said a lot of nice things to me, emailing me a bunch of times, but in the end, did not want to take me on. Just as well, I guess. I have no idea what agents do, and just in case they help you find a publisher, I guess I don’t need one for that. But I did need a publicist. I was not too sure what publicists did either, so went on line as well as looked through all my writing books, to do some research. I read and read and found a whole bunch of publicists, but one in particular struck me as one I would like. Never mind that she is in Texas and I am in Victoria, BC. That is how Marika came to be my publicist. The short version.
And all of this is just the very beginning. As time goes on, I hope to take you, the reader, on this safari into the world of book publishing with me. Yes, I have published before, many times, but never a REAL book by a REAL publisher, that has a REAL book launch, and will be in a REAL bookstore. Or at least that’s my take on it.
My very first publication ever happened in 1969. My mother came to Washington, DC to visit me, where I was in school.
“Mom, I have a surprise for you. Come with me.” My mom was puzzled as we got into the car, and even more puzzled as we drove into the parking lot of the National Institutes of Health Library in Bethesda.
“C’mon, mom, let’s go inside.” She followed me inside and waited patiently while I looked up something in the index cards.
“C’mon, check this out.” We walked up to a shelf, I pulled out a current journal, opened it up, and there was an article, by me, and my professor. We had discovered a new physical constant. I can’t really say I understand physical constants very much any more, but I did understand them in 1969. In fact, I won an award for this discovery from the Chemistry Society in Washington, D.C. But showing my mother my publication was the best!
My mother was bursting with pride when she saw my name on an article in a journal housed in this august building in the national capital of the USA. And so naturally I was bursting with pride too because my mother was so proud of me. I’m sorry she is no longer with us, because I would be so much prouder if she were looking at my book in a bookstore with me. But I will imagine she is by my side anyway.
So I will sign off for now. There is so much more to talk about, but that’s what blogs are for….
