My First Published Novel - My Publishing Journey Part 5

Once I signed the publishing contract for my first novel, Hidden Threat, it was time to get to work. Matthew and Cali's story had been floating in my head for fifteen years in one form or another, and now it was time to go through it with a fine-tooth comb. I was a bit nervous. 

 

The story was sent to an editor and we began going through the story, chapter by chapter, line by line, to get it ready for publication. If you've never gone through the editing process before, it's daunting. If you're offered a publishing contract, you think your story is pretty good. Then, and editor gets their hands on it and begins picking it apart. It's a very humbling experience.

 

 After going back and forth for a couple of months with the editor making sure to close any plot holes and correct grammar and spelling mistakes, it was time for the book to be formatted and the cover to be designed. I was lucky in that my publisher allowed the authors to have a say in the cover design. A lot of publishers don't.

 

The story was a romantic suspense set in Chicago and I decided to go with a title that reflected that. 

 

Hidden Threat released on December 31, 2010. 

 

Five years after it's release, I got my rights back from the publisher and decided to republish it, but under a new name. I'd learned a lot since I'd released my first novel and while the book had a lot of suspense in it, the romance was the driving factor. I realized that the title Hidden Threat, didn't really fit the vibe of an office romance.

 

So...after doing a complete rewrite which added 15,000 words to the story, I re-released the book under the name Strictly Professional with a new cover and loads of new content. 

 

Strictly Professional hit stores January 2016.

 

Which cover to you like better?