Category: Duilleog Volume One Page 4 of 8

The First Volume in the New Druids Series.

Friends and Feedback

On October 10, 2015

In Duilleog Volume One, Editing, The Art of Writing

While writing Duilleog I gave many advance copies of the manuscript to my friends and family. I had mixed support. My aunt gave me inspiration and asked me a great question one day that made me go “Wow!” and make a change in the novel. One of my friends accidently threw the manuscript out with the recycling and then didn’t have the courage to simply tell me. He has no idea just how angry and disappointed I was in that single act. Mostly though, I received praise. Everyone loved it. No constructive criticism, though. So, I thanked everyone honestly and sincerely.

So I relied on my editor. She did such a great job with the first chapter. But after I gave her the full novel I discovered that what I got back was merely a typo check and grammar correction. Nothing more really. And it wasn’t a lot of effort. Probably 10 hours worth of Track Changes. I should point out that my own ability to find typos was pretty good and so the corrections were truly minor. What I didn’t get from my editor was comments on the content, the storyline, plot holes, character development. Stuff I paid for but didn’t get. What I got was: “It’s fine.”

I was in a weird place back then. I was so excited about getting my novel out that I suppressed my concern and I went ahead and self-published. I was at the point that I could no longer see the forest for the trees. I thought my novel complete. I thought it good enough. It was, but it could have been better polished.

So the other day, a good friend who is just finishing up my novel sat me down and pulled out a list of errors and corrections that he found. He talked to me about the plot, storylines, wording, repetitive use of words, things that didn’t seem quite right to him. I could have hugged and kissed him and came damn close to doing just that. And he was worried he would offend me! That made me laugh. I told him that I was so absolutely thankful that I couldn’t possibly express it properly. So Steve C.: Thanks! Sincerely! OMG, you rock dude.

So, now I need to look at putting out a second edition. There are quite a few little problems that need to be fixed. Nothing major – all minor – but stuff my editor should ABSOLUTELY have picked up and corrected. Makes me angry knowing that my editor took my money and did the absolute minimum she could. It’s shameful. I need to find a good editor and hopefully I may have a way to seek that. I’ll explain in another post.

For those who have already purchased Duilleog: this corrected version should automatically be pushed to you on Amazon. if not, no worries. The corrections are simply typos and minor changes to word use. I didn’t do too bad a job with the first edition. It’s about 99.5% correct. Truly it is.

Oh, and the excerpt from Craobh that’s at the back of Duilleog? That will now become the epilogue within Duilleog.

Thanks for reading!

Don

DHL Express and Processing Fees

By donald

On September 1, 2015

In Duilleog Volume One

So DHL Express (Canada) Ltd. just delivered my latest order of Duilleog from CreateSpace. I had ordered from them many times whilst in the US and never blinked. Today I was met at the door by the DHL dude demanding $18.35 CAD for me to take possession of my books. I said, “Wuh?”and then paid while complaining the entire time.

Then I examined the invoice. I paid $44.98 for six books from Amazon. The GST/PST/HST they charged me was $2.25. That seems reasonable and is perfectly in line with duty rates of 5% for books being imported into Canada.

The remainder of the amount was $11.30 for a “Processing Fee” and $4.80 for a “Transaction Fee” (those amounts include GST). That means that on top of the $2.25 duty I also paid $16.10 in fees. That, my friends, is BLACKMAIL, pure and unadulterated. You see, I cannot take possession of the books unless I pay on the spot for their fees. They hold the box firmly unless I succeed to their demands and pay their ransom. Once paid the goods are handed to me with a smile.

This is criminal. I have no doubt of that in my mind. In essence I paid over 6 times the duty just so this company can deliver the goods. This is on top of what I already paid to Amazon to ship and handle my order. I feel dirty and angry and I have no recourse, or method to dispute the charges. No power at all.

I called their 1-800 number for an explanation. “Someone will call me tomorrow,” they said. I now suspect some thug will pistol whip me as I walk down the street to work, toss me in the back of a panel van, and I will wake up under a glaring light, tied to a chair.

Amazon Kindle Unlimited

By donald

On July 31, 2015

In Duilleog Volume One

Duilleog: A New Druids Novel, Volume One

I’ve pulled my book from Kobo and Smashwords and placed my novel on Kindle Unlimited (KU). Amazon will not allow a book to be placed on KU if it is available elsewhere. This will be for a limited time and it truly won’t effect anything.

Duilleog on Amazon.com

Duilleog, A New Druids Novel, Volume One, for sale!

By donald

On June 26, 2015

In Duilleog Volume One

Duilleog: A New Druids Novel, Volume One

Duilleog, A New Druids Series novel, Volume One, is now available for purchase in all formats:

CreateSpace Trade Paperback
Kindle Version on Amazon.com
Kindle version on Amazon.ca
Kobo version on Kobobooks.com
Smashwords versions (all eBook formats)
iTunes for iBook

Here’s the write up:

Visit a land where druids have all but been eradicated and Gaea stands on the brink of wiping out mankind. Join Will Arbor as he awakens his legacy of druidic powers and begins a journey of self-discovery.

Enter a world where the Church of the New Order seeks to destroy this last druid, remove the Lord Protector, and regain their control over the lives of the people of the Realm. Witness the horrors that only men with greed and lust for power can unleash.

This is a book that explores the strength of reason, the beauty of nature, and the lies of religion. A young man, ripped from his family, has raised himself in the wild and discovered a talent and love of nature and harmony. Duilleog captures the joy of his journey to discover truths and his own strength in the face of adversity.

Read as one young man tries to change the world.

Duilleog is the first volume in The New Druids Series. The next volume, Craobh, is due out Winter 2015, and will continue that voyage of self-discovery before culminating in the third volume, Stoc, due out Winter 2016.

Enjoy!