Some Editing Will Be in Order
Posted on May 3, 2008 Posted by John Scalzi 10 Comments
I need to send the updated manuscript for Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded to Subterranean in the next couple of weeks in order to make our September release date, which means integrating new material into the original manuscript, which I compiled in early 2006, which covered Whatever during the years 1998 through 2005. That manuscript was 98,800 words long, which was not bad, considering the target length for the book was (and still is) 100K words. The minor problem: The new material, encompassing 2006 through April 2008, is 42,300 words. Solution: There will be blood, which is to say, lots and lots and lots of editing.
Which is fine. I was planning to blow up the chapter structure of the book anyway; this gives me an excuse to do it. It also allows me to be fairly ruthless about what what entries survive. The book is a ten-year retrospective of this site; after a decade and I suspect rather more than a million words here, there’s no point in having any padding. So I’m off to kill my babies. Wish me luck.
Be ruthless and have fun. Good luck!
Nothin’ like a blistering word apocalypse to get the blood pumping. I love the smell of Wite-Out in the morning…
well… good luck with that… LOL
Any reason why it can’t all stay?? Has it had a rough edit before this?
It can’t all stay because then it’ll be 40% over the intended length. That is extra production cost and etc.
Into the lion’s mouth!
If I’m in that… you and I are going to be having a problem, John.
Will this be immediately available as an e-book?
XD
Sorry, that just struck me as funny.
Here’s a real reader request, though: make sure to leave room for pictures! (Your motivational posters, the clones, Kodi in the tub and Athena looming over the cat with one of Louisville’s finest are special favorites here.)
Sounds like a case for Athena and a pair of scissors! I feel like she could have that job done in an hour.
And in the case of some of my earlier entries, she’d probably make them better.
*I Hate Your Politics
*Notes on the Confederacy
*Why the Confederacy is EVIL
These are my personal faves that should totally make the cut. Not that my opinion matters in any way, shape, or form. At ALL. =)