I’m laboriously typing in my red pen edits to the actual manuscript for the second edition of Starstrikers. The book was published last year as an experiment in self-publishing. I learned many lessons in putting it together. The first of which, is that it needed a better edit.
For the second edition, it will be professionally edited. I was abhorred at how badly it was edited the first time around.
The second edition will also see some additional scenes that were left out – inexplicably in the first edition.
In fact, there will be an entirely new chapter. I still can’t believe I left it out the first time. It’s a wonder readers even knew what the heck was going on in the first edition.
Other changes as they stand now, include taking out the preview of Starforgers and redoing the type setting in an effort to reduce page count. My goal is to get the price of the paperback down at least a dollar. That will have to be determined after I’m done editing.
The cover will get some tweaking, but no huge changes. It will be clearly marked as the second edition, to avoid on-line buying confusion. On that note, the book will be a part of GB Press and have it’s own ISBN, owned by myself. Instead of going with the POD publisher’s batch of ISBNs. I’m also using Lulu for my POD instead of CreateSpace.
I find the fit and finish of Lulu books superior as well as their print packages.
So when can you expect the second edition to hit the shelves? Not sure. I’m aiming for Spring of next year.
Baring any major issues, it could be first or second quarter of 2010. I still have to get Tyrmia out before next year’s Fandamonium, so that will be my big release in 2010. I’ve never released two books in one year before. But then, there won’t be much fanfare for the Starstrikers re-release.
P.S. Starstrikers briefly flirted with popularity this past week on the Kindle Store. It went as high as #14,904 in the rankings. Thanks to all my new Kindle readers! The Second Edition will be available for free on Starstrikers.Ning.com, same as the first, so everyone who purchases it now, will be able to get a Kindle version (i.e. mobi) next year at no cost.