The cover is coming! The cover is coming!

"Publishing a book takes too long for an author and not long enough for a publisher."

Jennifer Silva Redmond told me that, and after self-publishing five books, I agree. My little author's foot is tapping while I check my watch and wonder why my book isn't out there yet. In the meantime, my inner publisher is looking at the calendar and asking herself why she promised ARCs at the end of February when the end of March would have given her so much more wiggle room.

The pieces are finally beginning to knit into their final tapestry. Lynne Glazer, the photographer I can never praise enough, got me all the pictures last night that I might use for the book. "Might?" I hear you say. Yes, you heard correctly.

I work with a wonderful cover designer, Joe Felipe of Market Me. All of my covers have so far been a collaboration - I give him some key images that define the book and he gives me three sample covers. I take the one I like best and we hone that one until it best represents the story I'm trying to tell (at least, in my opinion).

But this cover will be different, in that it will have a photo on it. No playing with images. Just Snoopy. So I thought giving him more than one pic would keep him from being locked in with a photo that he may or may not be able to work with.

These are the two photos I chose for the cover.

They show Snoopy looking at the camera, plus a nice shot of his broken leg, and I think that they will translate in thumbnail as being a horse instead of a weird blob.

For the back cover, I also gave two options. If I don't use the one of me and Snoopy on the back, I'll certainly use it on the "About the Author" page.

I love that he has the lead rope in his mouth. It's so Snoopy.

Hopefully, I'll have a cover to show you soon. And ARCs to hand out. I just have to keep Author Me in check while Publisher Me does her job.

P.S. This is my favorite photo of the whole shoot. I've got to find a way to use it. I just don't know where yet.

That was FUN!

On Wednesday, MomToo came to see me. She got me all cleaned up and shiny looking. While I was drying in the crossties, she decided to get my Mom out and let her stretch her legs. Since she was busy, I thought I'd inspect my grooming bag... and dig in the geraniums... and chew on my new halter and lead rope.

I did have to unhook one side of my crosstie chains. Is that a problem?

MomToo didn't think this was a good idea at all.

Soon, her friend, Miss Lynne came. Auntie Niki took me to the big arena on the hill and took off my halter. Miss Lynne sat in the middle of the arena and Auntie Niki chased me back and forth on the rail, while MomToo tried to keep me from crashing into the fence.

I got to run and jump and buck and play. I never usually get to play so much. It was so much fun! I saw that Miss Lynne had a black box that was making clicking noises, so I ran and jumped even more.

After I was tired, MomToo took me down to the other arena and walked and stood and sat with me while Miss Lynne pointed the black box at me and made more clicking noises. Then I went back to my stall and MomToo fed me candy canes. There was more clicking noises.

It might have been my best day ever.

From listening to them talk, I figured out they were taking pictures for my book. Miss Lynne took a lot. Here they are.

http://www.photo.lynnesite.com/event/Snoopy-2013/MWMncPVKV7TxE
I think I look pretty good. What do you think?

Miles to go and decisions to be made

After getting such excellent editing from Jennifer Silva Redmond, I sent Snoopy's book out to three beta readers. For folks who don't know the term, a beta reader is someone you trust to read your unpublished manuscript and give you constructive feedback. You can bribe them with dinners, drinks, chocolate, but most people just want a chance to read your stuff and give you an honest opinion.

I chose two horse-savvy people, and one who doesn't know a thing about the horse world but is a savvy business woman and author. I have comments back from one person already and am waiting for the other two.

This week, I have high hopes for amazing, because my friend Lynne Glazer is coming out to take photos of Snoopy to be used for the cover. Lynne is a photographer-extraordinaire and has some of the most beautiful liberty shots I've ever seen. Liberty shots are photos of horses without saddle, bridle, rider, etc. Visit her website if you don't believe me.

Snoopy at liberty. Lynne would make it prettier.

In the meantime, I'm faced with a dilemma: the spelling of "longe." If you work horses, you know the term. It means that you work them on a long line (or free, in a round pen). It's pronounced "lunge." Thus far, my editor had no problem with the terms, "longe, longed, longeing." My beta reader, although she knows the term well, kept stumbling over the word in print.

So, is it longe or lunge? If I spell it "lunge" perhaps more readers will understand, but horse people will accuse me of not knowing the proper word. If I spell it "longe" perhaps some readers will stop at the word each time and look at it askew - even horse people. Am I damned if I do and damned if I don't?

My editor and I spoke briefly about whether I would pursue a contract with this book or self-publish it. My first reaction was that I have such a clear vision for this book, I don't know how I could turn it over to someone else's hands. I know what I want for the title and the cover and the people I want to contact for marketing and publicity.

What a publisher might be able to do for me is one thing I cannot afford to do, at least not at the moment: I'd like the book to be available in hardcover. I think it's that kind of book. But that's one tick on the traditional route's side, with about a dozen ticks on the self-publishing side.

I'll get by with Snoopy in paperback and e-book.

In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed that we get some good photos this Wednesday!

Now the work begins

In hindsight, the writing of a book always seems easier than it was, and Snoopy's story was no exception. Although I wrote it incredibly fast (perhaps because he was telling me what to say?), the editing process was harder and I had to call for professional help.

Now that I have a manuscript, the hard part really starts. I spent a few moments wondering if I should query agents with this book, then realized that I had such a vision for the way this book will look, I would be a nightmare client for anyone who took me on. So Dancing Corgi Press (of whom I'm the CEO, CFO, editor-in-chief, bottle washer, and client) will be publishing Snoopy's tale.

I will be scheduling a photo session with the delightful and talented Lynne Glazer. She took the picture of Frostie and me that I use on many of my promotional materials and social media sites. I want a picture like this:

Only it needs to be better, of course.

I also need to write the jacket blurb. Although I've written the book in Snoopy's voice, I don't know if the jacket should also be in his voice, or in third person. My three go-to comparison books, Black Beauty, War Horse, and The Art of Racing in the Rain, all use third person for the jacket.

Here's the first attempt. I welcome comments.

* * *

Snoopy is an American Quarter horse. When he was three years old, he was a champion. He won the 2007 Trail Futurity, a multi-event contest held over several shows in southern and central California. Both his trainer and his owner had his career mapped out. He was natural show horse.

Then in the spring of 2008 he broke his left hind sesamoid, a small bone in the leg that can mean anything from surgery to euthanasia for a horse. The doctor recommended surgery and said Snoopy should be back to work in six months.

Two years later, he finally was.

This is Snoopy's story, told from his view, in his voice. The story of a young horse who was at the top of his game, only to be sidelined by injury. He tells the tale of his fight to return to the show arena, to prove he’s the same horse he always was, only different.