Loving Mr. Darcy update

September sounds so far away, doesn’t it? Well, yes and no. The six months between the release of Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy this past March and the launch of volume 2 of the Darcy Saga on September 1 are far from idle, but I am enjoying the breather. Nevertheless, with four months yet to go before seeing my novel on a store shelf, events are creeping up on me.

Here is where we are with Loving Mr. Darcy…. Edits are 98% done. Yesterday I was informed by my publicist, the adorable and efficient Danielle, that the Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) have been received and the marketing process begun. She has been busy for the past few weeks sending out queries to the various reviewers – over 250! Naturally there aren’t that many ARCs to distribute and only a small fraction of reviewers queried will request a copy, but it gives you an idea of how hard Danielle works. The first batch of ARCs have been sent. In fact, I heard from one friend who reviewed and loved Mr. & Mrs. FD that her package arrived today! It will be a good two to three months before the actual reviews will begin rolling in, so I am not holding my breath in anticipation quite yet!

Will I get to see an ARC? I am not sure. Danielle is going to try to reserve one for me, but naturally it is preferred to send them out for potential positive reviews. What I will be getting in a week or so are the printed pages for me to look over one last time. The ARC is a preliminary copy of the novel, bound with the cover on (without the pretty “foil” look), but it is understood that last minute changes may occur. This is the same version that is read by proofreaders for an opportunity to catch any overlooked typos or errors. I will be asked to address any problems or inconsistencies picked up by the proofreader, but those are very minor at this stage of the game. As I said, the editing is effectively done.

Along with the queries for reviews, Danielle also queries websites for guest blogs and interviews. Gradually interest will be generated, but I will not have to worry about that until August. So, even though Danielle is keeping me abreast of the current happenings, there isn’t really any of it that directly affects me at this point. I do not expect the front cover to change since we all like it so well. The back cover I have not seen and that is actually fine. It probably will change, especially as they will be placing quotes from positive reviews – that is why the ARCs are sent out so far in advance. Additionally, Sourcebooks is actively putting together their Fall/Winter catalog that will have a full page spread for both my books! Must have some praiseworthy quotations for that – let’s hope.

I know I have spoken of this before, but for those of you who have read my self-published version of Journeys Beyond Pemberley, you will find little changed in Loving Mr. Darcy. I was very blessed and I have to admit greatly satisfied when my editor found nothing majorly wrong. In fact, she loved the book and has told me on several occasions that it is one of the best she has ever read! Coming from a professional with some 30 years experience, that is high praise indeed. What that meant is that I only had a couple of short paragraphs or sentences to rewrite, a handful of facts to check for accuracy, nothing to remove, the few odd words or phrases that she felt amiss, and a smattering of grammar issues to clear up. The process was smooth – the end product relatively unchanged but perfected.

I think that covers it for Loving Mr. Darcy. Set your calendars for September! Next entry will deal with The Darcys at Years End.

Please leave this field empty

SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG
UPDATE MAILING LIST!

SELECT DELIVERY PREFERENCE:

Weekly Update Bi-Monthly Update

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. Thank you!