All the final editing is finished. The cover is done. The inside of the book is formatted (Chapter numbers and titles added, paragraph indents set, Fonts chosen, scene breaks divided with a decorative line etc.). There's much work to be done that you never think about till you write your first book and set out to publish it!
I struggled a bit with the title for this one. It had always been 'Flight of the EsCargo' in my mind, but as I finished up I realized that the book was more about the Stowaways than the EsCargo captain and crew.The name though catchy, didn't seem to fit anymore. I really wanted to keep Flight of the EsCargo as it is so unusual, so I tried paring it with The Stowaways, but that was a double title and just too much.
I spoke with family and friends and most agreed that just keeping it simple 'The Stowaways' was the best and fit the pattern set by the first title in the series 'The Dreamers'. Book two now has the more generic title, 'The Stowaways.' Why do i think it's generic? Because, I discovered when I published book one, that the title 'The Dreamers' seemed to be a popular title. There must be five hundred books with that title or something very close. Not helpful when people are searching for your book! I scrolled through five pages of similar titles and never did find my book!
How does 'The Stowaways' fare in comparison? It's actually much better. I found my book on the bottom of the second or middle of the third page when I searched it. Now I need to see how my third title holds up as I begin to write book three, 'The Migration' I may have to tweak it by adding another word! I also want to write a children's book about the adventures of the colonists and how their faith is tested through the persecution on Earth, the move and work of the training period, and the strangeness of a new world. It will be called 'The Children of Terra' and have many of the experiences seen from a child's perspective.
Every new project is a new adventure for me. I'm excited to begin as I think through what these books will communicate through the stories I tell.