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I’m About to Be a Book Mom
From manuscript to bound book
September 2, 2024, is the debut of my memoir in verse, Recalibrating Gravity. I always thought when I finished my book and found a publishing home, I’d be done. How silly of me.
Once Woodhall Press agreed to publish my memoir, I had another year of work to do. I suppose if I hadn’t decided to illustrate my book, that time would have been cut down. But I don’t think by much.
Every book needs to be polished to shine. Seems like typos like to hide in plain sight. That’s mostly due to our brains filling in missing words or correcting misspelled ones. The proofreading process never seems to end. Then there is the task of laying out the book.
A poetry book is challenging in itself because stanzas can’t be broken across pages like paragraphs. Formatting a book full of shape poems and illustrations is a marathon.
I was fortunate that Woodhall Press and their team care about their authors and the finished product. As for my book, their layout artist should win an award for patience. My sister, Carolyn Keating, who is a writer herself as well as an editor and proofreader, added her love and expertise. My brother, David Keating, an artist and photographer, was kind enough to take my author photo. The end result was a family affair and a team effort.
