Tuesday, July 23, 2013

First Pass Pages


It’s been a dog eat everything week here at the Hautman-Logue-Gaston residence, and not a lot of work getting done. Mostly we have trying to convince the puppy to chew on things we want chewed, and to perform his evacuations outside. 
But I did finish reviewing the first pass pages of The Klaatu Terminus and making about a hundred small corrections.
“Pass pages” are the stage just after copyediting, when the copyedits have been incorporated into the manuscript, and the work is set in the font and layout that will appear in the final book. They look like this:
This page has one correction, of a typical pass page typo.
When I first went through the publishing process I was amazed by how many rounds of edits, corrections, and proofs are necessary to produce a professionally published novel. The first edition will probably have been combed through by no fewer than six readers, multiple times. And still, there will be mistakes. There are always mistakes. The first edition of my novel Rash, for example, contained a spelling error in the first sentence.
First pass pages are a critical stage for the author, because usually this is the last time he or she will have any significant input into the content of a book before it goes out for review. After that, the book will go through one (or two, or three) more sets of pass pages, and then into ARCs, or “Advance Reviewer Copies.” These are the bound, paperback copies that will go out to Publisher’s Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and other industry publications for pre-publication reviews.
ARCs often contain errors that will be corrected in the actual book, but it is fervently hoped that such errors will be minor, because the pre-pub reviewers will be judging the book on the basis of the ARC.

Anyway, I am glad to be done with these first pass pages, and I’ll be taking them to the post office this afternoon. I think. It always feels a bit like stepping out of an airplane and hoping the parachute opens. Maybe I’ll give the manuscript another read-through. I’m sure I missed some stuff.                         

Monday, July 15, 2013

Gaston has Arrived


Gaston, four months old and weighing in at four pounds one ounce, arrived yesterday. He eats, he poops, he squeaks, he licks, and he is very fuzzy. So far, that is all we know for sure.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

CONvergence


CONvergence is an annual convention for fans of Science Fiction and Fantasy in all media, held each July at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Bloomington, MN. It is insane, and you should go. You can register at the door. The costumes alone are worth the price.

Last year I went to CONvergence just to gawk and talk. I had enough fun to return this year in a more formal capacity. I'll be doing a reading, two panels, and a book signing. Here's my schedule:


Friday July 5, 2013 11:00am - 12:00pm
Reading
Pete Hautman reads from his time-travel novel The Cydonian Pyramid, Book 2 of The Klaatu Diskos.* Panelists: Pete Hautman
Friday July 5, 2013 11:00am - 12:00pm

*In fact, I will be reading from my NEW novel, The Flinkwater Chronicles. Or maybe I'll read a bit from both.

Saturday July 6, 2013 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Panel: Beyond SF 101
There's a lot of advice out there for the beginning writer, this panel is for those of you who have moved beyond that point. Panelists: John Klima, Michael Merriam, Monica Valentinelli, Scott Lynch, Pete Hautman

Saturday July 6, 2013 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Signing: Pete Hautman/Rob Callahan
Pete Hautman and Rob Callahan will be available to sign his work. Panelists: Rob Callahan, Pete Hautman

Sunday July 7, 2013 12:30pm - 1:30pm
Panel: Atheist Authors
How do authors' personal views influence their works? How does the atheist author approach writing the fantastic? Panelists: Melinda Snodgrass, Rob Callahan, Kelly McCullough, Aimee Kuzenski, Pete Hautman

I hope to see some of you there—especially at the reading!