I was finished writting a novel last year. It was about my life and my realationship with my ex. About the time I was getting ready to complete it, my ex died. This change the whole dynamic of the book. They way he died, the way he was feeling prior to his death and his secrets. I put the book on hold. Dealing with his wife, our son and his other kids, I just didnt think it was the right time. He has been gone now for almost a year now, and so many things i found out he had lied to his wife about us. One was the fact that he married her only 7 weeks after we divorced and told her we had been divorce for 10 years, I tried to tell her the truth, but she called me a liar and that she would have never dated a married man, she also told me that she had a copy of the divorce degree and told me the date on it. I told her I too had a copy and it was public record to look and see, I would later find out that his aunt had his original copy. He just i am sure did some clip art on his computer to make her see something he wanted her to see. But there was so much more. Anyway, I am working on changing the ending again, but it's all in my head and ready to go to be editied, I have someone in mind to use to edit it and she has a great reputation, by I was wondering if anyone else has done a novel that can give me some insight as to using and editor, or self publishing. Any sugguestions are appreciated.
It sounds like you are in for a round of trouble if you publish this and call everything fact, i'm sure there are disclaimers that can be used for legal protection.
As for self-publishing, I'm not sure. I know a few authors who mostly self published... they didn't get very successful, but I suppose it just depends on your objective. I thought this article had a lot of interesting points:
http://reviews.cnet.com/self-publishing/
Getting a novel published the old way is ridiculously difficult, so I think you'd do much better self publishing. Amazon has a program where you can have your book ready to be printed on demand. That way, you don't have to pay the costs of having many books printed that you might not sell.
I edited a friend's novel like this. Not sure how she's going to publish it.
Good morning. Your story sounds compelling and, I'm sure, will find an audience. I am a freelance writer and copy editor and would love to talk with you regarding your project.
Please take a look at my Web site and contact me if you're interested in discussing a partnership.
Take care,
L.
www.OffRampPublishing.com
I would consult with a lawyer before publishing anything about your deceased Ex. If you publish something his family could consider defamatory, you could find yourself embroiled in a messy lawsuit.
If you decide to not get the help of a professional writer or editor, I do highly recommend working with at least a proofreader. I proofread everything I write several times over several sittings in multiple ways. I read each manuscript aloud in its entirety, and also read the manuscript backward (this is an old proofreader's trick). I have several other people read my manuscripts as well and offer suggestions, comments, and criticisms. Not to be mean or anything, but I noticed several grammatical and syntactical errors in your post. Not having read anything else by you, I'm not going to make any judgments about your writing ability or style, as I know this could just be a factor of writing quickly for an informal post. Personally, I reread and proofread my posts, too. (I still sometimes end up with typographical errors that I miss, though, which is why it is so important to have at least one extra set of eyes review your material).
Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best of success with your endeavor. Even if you never publish, just the act of writing about your experiences can be very rewarding and therapeutic.
