I have recently completed two required revisions of my book. Because of the sexually graphic contents, my publisher asked me to revise seven pages of my debut novel, "Repairman Jones", a story about a maintenance man who fools round with the tenants where he works,
The first time I was asked to "tone down" the 7 pages of my book, I looked at them, not having read them for a few weeks. I have to say, the scenes were a little overwhelming, even to me, the person who wrote them. I could appreciate their comments that they were over the top. I edited.
After I was asked to revise the pages the second time, I was a little peeved. I thought I had done a credible job of creating more erotic scenes, rather than pornographic. Still, I broke out my new thesaurus, and went to work. Once submitted, my second set of changes were quickly accepted.
How do I feel about having to make these changes? I have mixed feelings. I wanted to write cutting edge, sexually charged scenes for this book on purpose. Still, in my heart, I knew the original scenes were hardcore. I welcomed the opportunity to be a more creative erotic scene writer.
The second time, I was a little offended that a committee was actually sitting at a table deciding which of my words were acceptable for publishing. After I calmed down, I looked at my changes with a more objective mind. I have to say in the long run, that in some cases, less can be more.
I have an added respect for AuthorHouse, a Print On Demand company. I was surprised that they have a committee of people who actually read the books submitted to them. It shows they are not just acting as a printing and shipping company, but as responsible publishers in partnership with their authors. I'd rather work with them in advance, then to have them just blindfold themselves for the money, and have my book publicy censored and/or ridiculed.
Anyway, "Repairman Jones" is back on track, and I am still happy with my work. So far, so good.
