I recently got some kudos aimed at my support staff, whose names you see (or should see) in the end note of all my recent books and stories. By recent I mean books and stories I wrote in the last ten or so years. Michelle is my proofreader and "normal human" who does a 'reaction video' to each book I write, except it's not a video. Most people have seen those reaction videos, though and she does very much the same thing. Once she sends me her changes and thoughts back and I digest them, the book then goes to Andy, who is in Mensa and twice as smart as I'll ever be. His background is in strict grammar, so he keeps me honest (or tries to) when it comes to using the King's English, so to speak.
So I passed on the kudos to them, as I always do, and I thought the readers might like a peek into our little literary world, in which we all work very well together.
Here are their responses:
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Andy: I don't know that I've put it this way before, Bob, but anyone can follow known rules, which is what I and Michelle do (sorry, dear, but it's true). The creative spark is yours alone, and that is the end-all and be-all of art. It's you who keep us "in business", so to speak.
Michelle: It is true what you say Andy, but mostly I just make changes just so things flow better and look nicer. Knowing the rules is just what makes things easier to understand in my book. I'm not so anal to think I've got everything nailed down, but I understand what needs to go where to make things flow nicely. That said, I do leave all the harder edits to you Andy so take your bow.
As for your fan base, Bob, be sure to tell the kind fans that they are very much appreciated and that I hope their experiences with reading your works make for a relaxing and entertaining time as it does for me. I've said many times how much I enjoy reading your work and I'm always happy to hear that they do as well. It makes things on my end much more pleasant and I'm waaaayyy more willing to make sure to catch as much as I can so their reading experience sails smoothly. Be proud of your work first and foremost and let their praise come as a close second. You really do earn it. :)
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It isn't much, just some ordinary email exchanges, but they exemplify the process in which the product you read gets to your e-reader. I hope this was interesting.
I just wanted to thank you for the nice things you say.
So do Michelle and Andy.
By the way, I just got one back from Michelle and sent it on to Andy just before I posted this blog entry. He's a busy guy and it's a longer story, so it may be a while until it gets to your e-reader, but for those of you who think i might have died or had a stroke or fallen and couldn't get up, now you know there will be something... eventually.
Thanks for reading.
Bob