MUSKOKA’S MAIN STREET GOES TO THE PRINTER

ByLee Ann

The last six weeks has been a marathon of design, review, editing, fact-checking and proofreading.

I want to say one thing about proofreading. It is a long, painstaking, manual process. Four people proofread the galley proofs for MMS – these are like the proofs you get from a photographer – and every person found something different. If a fifth person proofread them, they might unearth something we left behind – a typo, a duplicated word, a missing word – but I doubt it. Or at least, I hope not. (One professional proofreader I worked with years ago used to read a manuscript backward. Amazing what you find when you are not reading the context, but rather, just the words themselves.)

Today the book was sent on CD via courier to the printer. By next week we will know the printer’s schedule. Tentative publication date is August 1.

My brand-new website will go live about when the book is published. (NOTE TO MY FAITHFUL SUBSCRIBERS: YOU WILL HAVE TO RE-SUBSCRIBE. More on that later.) My blog and website will now be on the same platform, which makes them easier to update, which is a good thing, since we now switch gears from “down and detailed” to “fast and furious.” OH – and the website will include an interactive map of the Muskoka Road! Very exciting, very unique.

Patrick, my publisher at Muskoka Books has already turned his attention to marketing activities. Launch events. Contests. Personal appearances. Magazine articles. Something for everyone along this road!

Hang on to your hats.

BOOK DESIGN

ByLee Ann

It’s been a ride and a half getting the manuscript to the point where Gary, my book designer, can start laying out the pages. By my count, I’ve pressed the send button for the final time three times now. Once to the Dominic, the editor. Once to add more photos. Once to incorporate all the “front matter”: preface, introduction, publisher’s message, endorsements.

This is the process of refinement that gives a book its final polish. As I write this, Gary has done a preliminary layout and in doing that, has read the text through again. He says he can’t help it, especially with a book so interesting,which is high praise from a man who’s already read it twice. I’m busy responding to his questions and suggestions. Meanwhile, editor Dominic has also reviewed the manuscript once more and provided some suggested tweaks to Patrick, the publisher, who is giving the text a thorough read himself. This book will shine diamond-bright from all the polishing!

What you will be dazzled by first, though, is the design. Main Street has so much visual appeal, starting with the cover: 

Inside, this is not a simple novel, which consists of page after page of plain text with a header, a footer and some chapter pages. Main Street has over a dozen “sidebars”and 100-plus photos and maps that must be fit into the right places in the text, enhancing not distracting from the text itself. Every single page is unique, yet follows an overall design that dictates column width, text placement and presentation.

Book design is both creative and technical; every element requires a decision. Fonts are chosen for readability and for a style that reflects the nature of the book. Page size and paper type are based on the content, the number and size of illustrations, and the cost of printing. Muskoka’s Main Street will be seven by nine inches, printed on high quality white paper, and will run about 230 pages. 

Every page will sparkle!

MUSKOKA ROAD END TO END: How Not to Take Pictures

ByLee Ann

Geoff and I just returned from another venture along the Muskoka Road, this time to take pictures of me on the road. Amazingly, after all this time, I had no pictures of me on the road. 

Lee Ann at the start of the MCR (Washago)

 We also took the opportunity to take some “today” shots of the main streets of six Muskoka-Parry Sound towns, matching today’s view with that of historical photos I have in the book. A very cool comparison, especially when some buildings are still standing!

Washago 1903

One thing of note, though, is that 19th century photographers invariably stood in the middle of the road when taking “main street” pictures. Not a good idea with today’s traffic. We had to take turns standing guard for each other, when trying to get the same vantage point.

Washago 2012

Oh – a word of advice for those of you considering a venture where you drive 370 kilometres to Muskoka, then a further 170+ kms from one end of a road to the other, through at least six towns over two days, taking 63 photos. Check the settings on your camera.

Yes! Imagine my horror when I uploaded 63 very blue pictures to my computer. That’s what you get when the camera is set for incandescent light.

O.M.G. Somehow they did not look blue on the camera screen .

Luckily all my photos will be black and white in the book, so I am saved.

Onwards!

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BABY BOOMER IN THE BLOGOSPHERE: Book Marketing in the 21st Century

ByLee Ann

I’m about to take a giant leap forward in the online world.

My friends and family will LOL about this, knowing that I have only very recently got a smart phone and I don’t even have email on it. Queen of the Baby Steps, that’s me.

When it comes to Muskoka’s Main Street, though, I paid close attention to what the Writers’ Union of Canada’s recent webinar advised about the opportunities in the land of the Internet. Of course I have a website. I even have a blog – not bad for a baby-boomer! What I want to do next is to extend my reach a bit, and use the Internet to make the book as interesting and as visible as possible.

My friend Lynn is my technical guru and hand-holder in this process. She builds websites that are “smooth, elegant, bright and beautiful” – what more could anyone want? I already love the new look she’s put together for me. Stay tuned for the launch of the revamped look!

Beyond the flash will be lots of substance, including:

  • An interactive map of the Muskoka Road,
  • ‘Share’ buttons for Facebook and Twitter users, although I am not a big Facebook user myself and I do not tweet,
  • A ‘pinnable’ book cover icon for Pinterest users. 

But wait, there’s more! I will create a Facebook page for the book, beef up my LinkedIn information, and research book bloggers to see if it makes sense to approach any of them.

And you thought all a writer had to do was write.

Media and Presentations

ByLee Ann

Watch this blog for upcoming information on a flurry of personal appearances to promote the new book. If you’d like to set up a presentation or interview regarding Muskoka’s Main Street, please contact me directly.

In the meantime, here’s a summary of my past public presentations.

Dialogue With Diversity Radio Program, October 13, 2010

Dr. Qais Ghanem, host of this weekly program on CHIN-FM radio, attended one of my workshops and then invited me to speak about my Hungarian ancestors’ immigration experiences.

Perth Writers Guild, May 20, 2010

I was invited to speak at the Guild’s monthly meeting, where I presented a customized version of my workshop, “Prepare to Publish.”

WOT (Women On Top) e-zine, February 2010

I was interviewed for the “Authors in their Own Write” column.

Canadian Authors Association podcast, January 2010

I was interviewed for a podcast, talking about my book, Strength Within: The Granger Chronicles.

Perth Writers Guild, Snowsuit Fundraiser, October 16, 2009

I was a featured author and spoke about “Finding Treasure in Family History and Memoir.”

Lake 88 Radio, August 29, 2009

I was the featured guest on the program “All About the House” discussing how to write family history.

Stittsville News, March 26, 2009

A news article, “Family History Leads to Miracles and Secrets” reported on my talk at Goulbourn Historical Society.

Goulbourn Historical Society, March 19, 2009

I was the guest speaker at the monthly meeting, presenting “What You Really Need to Know About Writing Family History”.

Women in The New Century Conference, 2009, 2008, 2007

I presented the workshop, “Writing Family History and Memoir, Even if You’re Not a Writer” for three years at this charity event, organized by Ottawa’s WEBB (Women’s Educational Business Breakfast).

Stories and Articles

ByLee Ann

2012: “A Lasting Gift for Years to Come,” about writing memoir, was published in the January-Feburary issue of Fifty-Five Plus Magazine.

2011: “Family Treasure: Five Best Reasons for Writing a Family History,” was published in the September issue of Fifty-Five Plus Magazine.

2010: “Project Planning: Researching Family History” was published in the September/October 2010 issue of Family Chronicle magazine. See your local bookseller or the Family Chronicle website to get your copy.

2010: “Plan and Passion: Writing a Family History, ” was published in the Perth Courier newspaper March 4, 2010.

2010: “Muskoka’s Main Street: The Muskoka Colonization Road” – the article that started it all! – was published in the Winter/Spring 2010 issue of The Country Connection magazine, a magazine focussed on Ontario history, arts and the environment. See your local bookseller or The Country Connection website to get your copy.

2009: “How to Bring Your Family History Alive,” article published in the October edition of the Ottawa Valley’s Humm newspaper.

2006: Two short stories were published in Written In Stone, an anthology published by the Kanata Writers Group, with all profits donated to local literacy programs.

2004: “A Rough Game,” short story published in the Richmond-Munster Minor Hockey newsletter.

1999: “The Teddy Bear Warriors,” winner of the Chapters Eastern Ontario short story contest. Re-titled “Playing by the Rules,” this story was subsequently published in Storyteller Magazine.