Twenty years ago this September, my first book was published by Warner Books. Some days I hardly feel like I’m twenty years old so it doesn’t seem possible to have a book that old. But it’s true. Today, I took my copy of Passion’s Choice off the book shelf behind my desk and looked at it. I haven’t done that in years. I smiled as I held it in my hands and remembered how my fingers trembled when I opened the box. It was absolutely thrilling to receive that first published book.
The pages have yellowed quite a bit and that beautiful, romantic front cover has faded. The spine is crinkled where I opened it and read every page as soon as I got it in my hands. Such fond, fond memories. I put it back on the shelf and let my fingertips run along the spines of all twenty-one of my books. Most of them have yellowed and faded but Passion’s Choice was the only one with a bent spine. When I read it for the first time, I wanted to tweak this sentence, change that word, or delete an entire paragraph. However, the book was already in print and I couldn’t do it! That cured me from wanting to read my books once they are published…….That is until earlier this year.
Sourcebooks bought my previously published Amelia Grey titles last year and decided Never A Bride should be the first re-release. My intuitive editor, Deb Werksmen asked if I’d like to make any tweaks or changes to it before they sent it to print. I wrote that book nine years and eight books ago. After twenty years, you can bet I wanted to make some tweaks and changes!
So I re-read Never A Bride because this time I could change whatever I wanted. It was exciting to do that, and now I look forward to reading and editing the other books that will be re-printed in the coming years.
And now, it is with great pleasure I announce the re-release of my first Amelia Grey book—Never A Bride, available at your favorite local or online bookstore.
My question to you today is: Do you re-read your books, articles, interviews, or blogs once they are printed?
Watch for A Gentleman Never Tells coming from Sourcebooks in June 2011. Please visit me at ameliagrey.com or ameliagrey@comcast.net.
Congratulations, Amelia! Yes, I do reread my books, because I'm writing about some of the same characters and I need to keep continuity! :) Uhm, what color were his eyes again? What did she like to do on her off duty werewolf time? :) Congrats again!! I love your covers!
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to the debut of my first novel, "The Heir" in December, and it's reassuring to know even after it's printed, an author will want to tinker with her work. I feel a little like that first time expectant mother in her ninth month: But can't I just have ONE more month to perfect this thing? Congrats on the re-release. Most of my keepers are either quite dated, or the works of ladies who've been plying their art for a quite a while.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new release, Amelia!
ReplyDeleteLike Terry, I've had to refer back to earlier books to refresh my memory on the characteristics of various planets and aliens, but knowing I couldn't change anything made me reluctant to read the entire books. Then I got the Kindle app for my iTouch and thought it would be cool to put my books on it. I started out reading Slave and am now well into Outcast. I'm seeing all sorts of things I'd like to change, and this is only after TWO years!
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ReplyDeleteGood Morning Ladies,
ReplyDeleteThank you for all the good wishes and I look forward to being on Casablanca Authors today. I'll check back for your comments and questions throughout the day.
Amelia
Congrats Amelia! I know how excited you are to see this book in print again :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! Yes, it really is exciting to have the re-release of Never A Bride and I'm looking forward to four more previously published books in the future.
ReplyDeleteAmelia
Congratulations on your new re-release! How cool that you got to re-edit it, too. I assumed they just slapped a new cover on re-releases and put them on the shelf. I think it's great that you got to tweak it again.
ReplyDeleteYes, I reread my stuff. For series continuity reasons. And because it's like visiting great friends. Ones you know well and are just danged happy to see again.
Amelia, this is so incredibly exciting! To be sharing such an amazing moment in your history with you. I feel honored to be a part of this time. Congratulations and I hope this re-issue blows all the previous sales out of the water!
ReplyDeleteI have re-read parts of my novels after they were published but like you I don't want to see places that I thought were perfect but now want to mess with! Besides, I barely have time to read any books so I don't want to waste time on one I know like the back of my hand! LOL!
Have fun at the celebration party. I wish I could be there :-)
I love to read! Your books, my books and my previously published books. I was surprised with the re-release process and delighted with the new cover for Never A Bride.
ReplyDeleteAmelia
What an absolutely gorgeous cover. Congratulations on your rerelease!
ReplyDeleteI'm a perfectionist, and I definitely reread almost everything I write. Right now my excuse is that I'm reading TASTE ME's completed manuscript for series continuity issues (What color were Scarlett's eyes again?) but generally I'm just tickled that the words I wrote are going to be read by others.
Congrats, Amelia! How exciting to revisit old friends. :}
ReplyDeleteI agree Tamara, I'm encouraged every time I hear a reader enjoyed my books. The finished manuscript, publication and it's liked by the readers!
ReplyDeleteAmelia
Ah, to someday have 21 books in print! :) Congrats Amelia! And, yep, I'll pull mine out and read them (just got an ARC of I Dream of Genies in the mail today, my 4th book) and I've already fanned through it. But I don't break the spines, even on the paperback versions. I love seeing other people do it, though. I love seeing them worn and dog-eared.
ReplyDeleteHappy Anniversary Amelia!
ReplyDeleteMy first book was published 30 years ago this Dec. and I haven't re read it in many years. I'm sure I'd cringe.
I can't re read my books because I'd want to change them.
No! I try very hard not to re-read anything I've done once it's published because I can't change it. Inevitably I'll see some mistake, so I prefer not to look.
ReplyDeleteAnd congrats on the re-release!
I love the broken book spines and well worn pages of my favorite books. Some are even books of historical facts, dictionaries and poetry. I acknowlege the future of e-Books, but I'd rather turn pages.
ReplyDeleteAmelia
Congrats, Amelia! That's sooo exciting!
ReplyDeleteI recently reread part of Romeo, Romeo because I was speaking at a book club and hadn't read it in a couple years. I do refer back to the books too. But to sit and read them from cover to cover? No, I haven't yet. I might some day though...maybe after 20 years.
This has been fun! Thank you for all the congrats and wonderful comments. Have a great Labor Day weekend. Please visit me at ameliagrey.com or ameliagrey@comcast.net.
ReplyDeleteHappy Reading,
Amelia
I'm a perfectionist (not that anything comes out perfect - I just can't help trying!) and an obsessive re-writer, so I re-read everything a million times before it's published. But once it's in book form, I normally haven't looked at it in a while, and it's a pleasure to just sit down and read it like a "real person." I'm usually surprised how much I like it!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Amelia! The cover is fantastic, and it's great to you got to satisfy those tinkering urges. Here's to another 20 years of much success.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Amelia! The new cover is gorgeous! What an opportunity to have one more chance to edit AND appreciate what a darn good job you did the first time! For me, I like to change things every time I read it, so once it's in print I prefer just to look lovingly at my cover but not open it up!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the book launch and long career!
ReplyDeleteI hope to say I've been published (regularly) for 20 years at some point. Oh dear. That would be 2024!
Do I reread? With one exception, only arcs, because of exactly what you said.
I did however reread Love Cuffs after a tough Amazon review. You know what? I couldn't put it down! I didn't know I was so clever. LOL.
Ash