Now this can be painstaking because there could be parts in there that you really love, but based on what the editor recommends they should go or be changed. Of course you have the final say in most cases, if you don't agree with them or they just don't get what the writer is trying to say its up to the writer to decide to make the change the editor recommended or to ignore that recommendation. It's a fine line. The reason is that if you ignore them, you have to be honest with yourself and ask "If the editor did not 'Get it' will the audience?" That is a very valid and important question. Think about this, is your editor used to the genre you write in? Are they a great editor but used to editing say romance novel's and you are writing sci-fi? If it's a terminology thing, maybe you have to go into a deeper explanation in your story for those not used to your genre. It's a compromise of sorts but it works out best.
Anyway, beyond editing there's also proofreading that needs to be done after you get the edits back and have them installed as it were. Now you have to go through the book again, looking for grammar and spelling errors. Sometimes during this portion of production you might realize a certain passage could have been clearer. Believe it or not that's pretty important also. The easier it is to understand , the more your target audience will enjoy your story. Sometimes, a passage worded a certain way sounds great the first time you read it after just writing it, but the next time around after you have let it sit a while, it no longer works. Sometimes it's just a matter of moving two words around in a sentence to clear things up. Sometimes it comes to you after the fact in a moment of clarity (I believe that our subconscious is always working on these things when your not completely happy with something.) Steven King once said after you write a novel to put it away for six months (SIX MONTHS???!!!???) and then come back to it with a completely clear head. While I'm no Steven King and don't allude to be, I think he may be slightly excessive here. But walking away from it for a month or two is fine.
Case in point: Since April of 2012 I have written four novels, including 'Redemption of the Sorcerer' which I started all the way back in 2005. I finished that book up in April of 2012 and felt I had a groove going so I started on 'Torahg the Warrior: Sword of Vengeance' After I finished Torahg I wrote another Torahg book, an anthology of sorts, which is a long ways off from being published, but probably will be sometime in the next year or so. After that I wrote the just released 'The Cagliostro Chronicles', my sci-fi adventure novel. I have to say these three books are all fun reads that every time I look at, I can't believe I wrote. When people ask me which is my favorite I can't answer that because it changes daily.
'Redemption of the Sorcerer' is an epic fantasy novel that is massive in what it represents. One man who made some bad choices and lost his way while all the while becoming more and more powerful to the point that he was the greatest wizard in creation. Then a carefully orchestrated plan was implemented over many years to overthrow him. Once removed from power he's exiled to w realm without magic, only then is the real danger revealed. Now powerless, is Crystalon going to do the right thing and save the new world he finds himself on from a demonic foe? The big question is, is he even going to care enough to try?
'Torahg the Warrior, Sword of Vengeance' is a classic sword and sorcery novel set in a long forgotten realm of monsters and magic where man and his sharpened sword are all that stand before the evils in that world. Torahg is the story of a young prince who watches his father be killed before his very eyes by a malevolent wizard, as well as his own flesh and blood brother, Prince Welcomb. Welcomb is a petty, jealous man who wants the throne of Fairandia for himself, and lets nothing stand in his way of his goal. Thus the naïve and kind hearted Prince Torahg roams the face of the world for twenty long years, while hunted by mercenaries and thugs the world over. But the day has come when Torahg decides it is time to return to Fairandia and to free her people from the oppressive yoke of his brother, or die trying! 'Torahg the Warrior: Sword of Vengeance' is a classic sword and sorcery tale in the vein of great characters like Conan, John Carter, King Kull and Tarzan.
'The Cagliostro Chronicles' is a sci-fi adventure set in 2089 when mankind makes its final steps toward the larger universe with Mark Johnson's perfection of a faster than light drive. But that is just the beginning of the story as Johnson, along with his handpicked crew of adventurers leave our solar system behind and fly off to a greater universe filled with intrigue and deadly foes, as well as a deepening century old mystery and conspiracy that if left undiscovered will tear the earth and its inhabitants apart!
'Help! They're All Out to Get Me! The Motorcyclists Guide to Surviving the Everyday World' is a non-fiction 'How-to' book for the new or returning motorcyclist as well as those who may need tuning up their skills. It was my first book and still my best seller to this day.
All of these are available on my website http://RLAngeloJr.com or at Amazon directly http://tinyurl.com/ralphsamazon
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