Adding to Team Take the Wheel

I met with Vinnie Kinsella at Indigo Editing yesterday to ask him questions about the publication process, since I am — or was — so admittedly clueless. He was very enlightening. He also agreed to design Take the Wheel and help me publish it.

Here is my new understanding of the self-publishing process:

• I write the book. And rewrite it. And ask for readers. And take their suggestions. And rewrite it.
• An editor tells me what still needs to be fixed in the manuscript, and I fix those things.
• I give the fixed manuscript to the book designer, who makes it work as an ebook and a print book.
• We hand it over to a proofreader, who makes sure the designer and I didn’t fluff things up too badly.
• Something about ISBNs and registration comes at this point.
• I set up an account with a printer, who makes the product available as both an ebook and a print-on-demand book.
• That printer happens to be a subsidiary of a distributor, who lists Take the Wheel in their catalog.
• I sell the mother-lovin’ fluff out of the book.

As you can see, my understanding of the process is quite detailed and technical. Also, during the course of writing this post, I have decided that “fluff” is my new favorite euphemistic swear word. I don’t want to burn your eyeballs with my filthy language.