New book release to be announced shortly.
‘Miracles Do Happen’ is a book that has been a work-in-progress for several months, and is now finally approaching the completion stage before eventually being submitted to the printers.
You may be thinking that several months is an awfully long time between the manuscript stage, and the pre-production stage for just one book of about 130 pages, but this is where attention to detail and getting the story to “flow” takes up so much time.
The original manuscript went through an initial grammar and spelling check (auto-generated text from grammar checker programs do not always get it right) and then was read by several people for an initial feedback. It needed to pass the “Is this a book that I would recommend to friends and strangers” check before it went anywhere further.
Having passed that initial hurdle, the book then goes to a committee of half a dozen authors who had critiqued the book at some earlier stage. The committee would then see if each of their personal comments would stand up to the combined opinions of others. This could be rather daunting for the author as he listens to the brutally honest appraisals of his ‘brothers and sisters’ as they make their suggestions. It can be equally daunting for the one giving the critique as they would need to defend their individual assessments against the majority view. This stage in the development of the book proves to be invaluable in the long run, as we get the serious ‘objections’ filtered out and the target audience is more closely identified.
Having survived the scrutineering stage where not only the contents of the book are examined, but the presentation of topics, theological errors, the title, the sub-title, and imagery for the cover are all discussed in depth.
It may seem strange to some, but the cover can arguably be regarded as the most important part of the book. Why? Because if the cover doesn’t impress the prospective buyer sufficiently for him or her to pick it up, then what could potentially be a best-seller would simply remain on the book shelves, unread and gathering dust.
Because of the importance in getting the book title and presentation right, there is often more time spent in agonising over this than in the editing and proofreading of the internal pages of the book – which can be quite time consuming in itself.
With the creation of images, the question needs to be addressed whether to us AI generated images (quick and easy), or use an eye-catching image that requires copyright permission (can take several months to obtain), the creation of an image from in-house talent or outsourced professional designer (can be costly and not quite ‘hit the mark’), or go with a “gut feeling” of what seems to tick all the boxes? Even after weeks and months of consultation, it can still miss the expectation of what a buyer may be looking for, and may even require a ‘re-badge’ at a later date.
The original title for this book was “He Calls You – Are You Ready”. Although this conveys the heart of the author in writing the book, the sheer weight of his testimony of miracle, after miracle, after miracle…, signified a title that not only spoke of miracles performed at the author’s obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit, but it also spoke volumes in the miraculous transformative power of God, to change a person’s life from the dregs of society to holy living in the Kingdom of God.
Who is this mysterious author? Why has the Holy Spirit prompted him to write this book? What are the miracles that he felt compelled to write about? What impact will this book have on the Church, and upon the individual who picks up this book and begins to read it? More will be revealed as we approach the day for a Grand Book Launch – somewhere to be announced.
Meanwhile, the final touches are being added…..
I think you will love this book when it eventually gets released under the ‘7 Eyes’ imprint of Festoon Publishing.
Watch this space for upcoming details.
Blessings.
Jon. H
