{"id":1797,"date":"2014-10-02T15:26:00","date_gmt":"2014-10-02T22:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/?p=1797"},"modified":"2018-07-25T14:39:28","modified_gmt":"2018-07-25T21:39:28","slug":"giving-birth-to-a-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2014\/writing\/giving-birth-to-a-book\/","title":{"rendered":"Giving Birth to a Book"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, I met with my friend, Karen Dodd<\/strong><\/a>, the author \"Deadly<\/a>of the delicious suspense novel, Deadly Switch<\/strong>. She\u2019s been marvellous, coaxing me along, encouraging me, telling me that my book is more than ready. \u201cIt\u2019s well overdue,\u201d she said. She\u2019s right. My novel, A CRY FROM THE DEEP<\/strong>, has been ready for months, and yet, I\u2019ve been dragging my heels. Why?<\/p>\n

Well, for one thing, I\u2019ve been paying attention to how traditional books are published. My friend, Catherine Knutsson<\/strong><\/a>\"Shadows<\/a>, got an agent, sat tight during a bidding war between two highly respected publishers for rights to publish her Y\/A novel, Shadows Cast By Stars<\/strong>, \u00a0and then waited a few years for her story to reach the bookstore shelves. Giving birth to a book takes longer than nine months. It takes time to get it right.<\/p>\n

With no publisher or agent to lean on, I embarked on my self-publishing journey with trepidation, realizing there\"My would be countless steps to my destination. It helped that I was supported by similar travellers I met along the way. They kept me going with their generosity of spirit and willingness to share what they had learned. Especially\u00a0Martin Crosbie<\/strong>, whom I met at the Surrey Writers International Conference a few years back. He is the author of How I Sold 30,000 eBooks on Amazon\u2019s Kindle<\/strong>, and someone I can now call a friend, someone who lives the philosophy of paying it forward.<\/p>\n

Another self-published writer who has been more than \"Awakening<\/a>generous is J. P. McLean<\/a><\/strong>, author of the mystery thriller series, The Gift<\/strong>. Jo-Anne, with her wonderful imagination, is always there when I call with yet another question.<\/p>\n

And then there are those who shout their encouragement from their websites. Among them, Jonathan Gunson’s Bestseller Labs<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0giving words of wisdom on how to write that bestseller and\u00a0J.A. Konrath’s A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing<\/a><\/strong>, with his in-depth column on the whole publishing industry, its quarrels and accomplishments.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019d be neglectful if I didn\u2019t mention the River Writers<\/strong>, my writers\u2019 critique group. I\u2019ve been so blessed to be in the company of these wonderful writers: Kristin Butcher<\/a><\/strong>, Jocelyn Reekie<\/a><\/strong>, Shari Green<\/a><\/strong>, and Janet Smith<\/a><\/strong>. They\u2019ve seen every stage of my novel, and their constructive comments have coaxed more out of me than I thought was possible.<\/p>\n

And of course, I couldn\u2019t have done it without my family, cheering me on every step of the way. Grandson and film director, Michael Stevantoni, did my book trailer, which I\u2019ll be showing soon. My greatest source of comfort, though, has been Robert\u2014my husband, friend, lover and soul mate. He\u2019s shown such patience with all my turmoil.<\/p>\n

Yes, the self-publishing field is a mixed bag. There are too many books that need further editing, or more story development, or more thought put into their book cover designs, but there are also many gems in this group as well. Gems that agents and publishers have let slip through their fingers. Ones that deserve to stand alongside any traditional book out there.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m now hoping mine will shine in this pile, but one never knows, does one?\u00a0 Writing a novel is like any other art form. It\u2019s up to the public to decide whether the artist\u2019s output is worthy of attention or not. And that\u2019s how it should be.<\/p>\n

So, with all these thoughts jumbled in my brain, I\u2019m set to launch my book baby into the world. Exciting times!<\/p>\n

My novel, A CRY FROM THE DEEP<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, comes out on Oct. 15th<\/sup><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Campbell<\/a>I\u2019ll be doing a reading at the Campbell River Library<\/a><\/strong>, in Campbell River, British Columbia, on Oct. 21st<\/sup> at 6:30 p.m<\/strong>. For this and other events, I\u2019ll be sending out a newsletter. You can find my sign-up form on the right side of this page.<\/p>\n

Are you thinking of giving birth to a book?<\/strong> If you are, I\u2019d be glad to give you any tips that I\u2019ve learned along the way, or steer you to someone who knows.<\/p>\n

Any comments are always appreciated.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, I met with my friend, Karen Dodd, the author of the delicious suspense novel, Deadly Switch. She\u2019s been marvellous, coaxing me along, encouraging me, telling me that my book… <\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1803,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[744,4],"tags":[609,342,78,650,633,469,600,605,464,597,9,43,251],"class_list":["post-1797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books","category-writing","tag-a-cry-from-the-deep","tag-catherine-knutsson","tag-diana-stevan","tag-j-a-konrath","tag-j-p-mclean","tag-jocelyn-reekie","tag-jonathan-gunson","tag-karen-dodd","tag-kristin-butcher","tag-martin-crosbie","tag-novel","tag-self-publishing","tag-shari-green"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/CR-Branch-Exterior-2011-002.jpg?fit=228%2C171&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1LuVB-sZ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6505,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2024\/books\/celebrating-a-cry-from-the-deep-with-a-sale-on-its-10th-anniversary\/","url_meta":{"origin":1797,"position":0},"title":"Celebrating ‘A Cry from the Deep’ with a Sale on its 10th Anniversary","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"9 \u0416\u043e\u0432\u0442\u043d\u044f, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"My Debut Book Launch It was a dark and stormy night\u00a0in October, 2014, when I launched A Cry from the Deep, my debut novel, at the local library in Campbell River on Vancouver Island. It wasn\u2019t a night to be out. The wind howled, as it does across Discovery Passage,\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Welcome","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/cropped-Coho-Bestseller3.jpg?fit=940%2C427&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/cropped-Coho-Bestseller3.jpg?fit=940%2C427&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/cropped-Coho-Bestseller3.jpg?fit=940%2C427&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/cropped-Coho-Bestseller3.jpg?fit=940%2C427&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1610,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2014\/writing\/the-challenge-of-book-covers\/","url_meta":{"origin":1797,"position":1},"title":"The Challenge of Book Covers","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"26 \u041a\u0432\u0456\u0442\u043d\u044f, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"When I was writing A Cry From The Deep, I never gave any thought to a book cover. That\u2019s not unreasonable given that I had to write the novel first. Mine took longer than most because I chose to write about subjects that I didn\u2019t know much about. Also, since\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Art"","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/art\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"From 123f.com","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/a-cry-from-the-deep-alt-watermark-196x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7070,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2025\/books\/https-www-dianastevan-com\/","url_meta":{"origin":1797,"position":2},"title":"A Year of Hope and Frustration","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"8 \u0413\u0440\u0443\u0434\u043d\u044f, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Where would we be without hope? It\u2019s what fuels our dreams and loves. But this past year has tested us all, lots of hope and frustration, with the war in Gaza and Ukraine (the birthplace of my parents), and AI threatening many livelihoods and our climate, which is already under\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hope and frustration","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Christmas-trilogy.jpg?fit=552%2C363&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Christmas-trilogy.jpg?fit=552%2C363&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Christmas-trilogy.jpg?fit=552%2C363&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1702,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2014\/writing\/writing-process-blog-hop\/","url_meta":{"origin":1797,"position":3},"title":"WRITING PROCESS BLOG HOP","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"7 \u041b\u0438\u043f\u043d\u044f, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"When you read all those wonderful books, do you ever wonder about the writer? Where the ideas come from? What a writer\u2019s day is like? What makes them tick? Are they as crazy as their characters, or do they draw from some other well? The writing process blog hop will\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"My Baba, Lukia Mazurec","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/P1090283-300x297.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":987,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2012\/uncategorized\/steps-to-publishing-success-or-what-i-learned-from-author-catherine-knutsson\/","url_meta":{"origin":1797,"position":4},"title":"Steps To Publishing Success or What I Learned from Author, Catherine Knutsson","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"8 \u0427\u0435\u0440\u0432\u043d\u044f, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Since completing my novel, I\u2019ve been busy learning the steps to publishing success. Step 1. I know the importance of story first. A good story, that is. One with a memorable protagonist with clear goals, seemingly insurmountable obstacles, a worthy opponent and a plot that keeps you turning the page\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Catherine-Knutsson-237x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6683,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2025\/books\/an-enduring-love-story-for-valentines-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":1797,"position":5},"title":"An Enduring Love Story for Valentine’s Day","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"17 \u0421\u0456\u0447\u043d\u044f, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"To celebrate the upcoming launch of Along Came A Gardener, I'm offering a Special Sale of my debut novel, A Cry from the Deep, an enduring love story for Valentine's Day. The ebook, a time-slip romantic mystery and adventure, is now .99 and the paperback is $11.97 US ($14.99 Canadian)\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"enduring love story","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ACFTD-highheels-1.jpg?fit=700%2C492&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ACFTD-highheels-1.jpg?fit=700%2C492&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ACFTD-highheels-1.jpg?fit=700%2C492&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ACFTD-highheels-1.jpg?fit=700%2C492&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1797"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1797\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}