It’s DONE!!!
As my husband says, “Finished” is a relative term to a writer. For me, there’s a sense of completion when I’ve seen the shape of the book; I know what I’m working with. Then there’s the BIG “Finished,” when I’ve done with the writing–the story is All There, and in the publisher’s hands; at this point, there _will_ be a book, even if I get run over by a train.
Revisions–usually very minor, and they were _really_ minor in this book–are generally done as I go along. I send my two editors (US and UK) chunks of the manuscript, and they send me their comments, and if there looks like anything that should be tweaked (often there’s not), I do that just as part of the daily writing.
So the next major “Finished” is the copy-edits. The copy-editor is the unsung heroine who reads the finished manuscript One. Word. At. A. Time, looking for typos, continuity errors, infelicities (like using the same word three times in the same paragraph, or using six clauses all separated by dashes <g>), and so on. This is god-awful tedious stuff, and it’s not a lot more fun on -my- end, when it comes back and I have to check through all of the copy-editor’s queries and either answer them or do something about them.
And once the copy-edits are done, the manuscript goes to the typesetters, and then we get galleys. That’s short for “galley-proofs.” These are typeset pages that look exactly as the pages will look in the book, including page numbers, gutters, decorations, etc.
The final “Finished!” is when I’ve read through the galleys, correcting any typos that escaped during the earlier processes (there are _always_ escaped typos, no matter how many people have combed through a manuscript, always), and errors introduced during the typesetting process (words hyphenated in the wrong place at the end of a line, lines transposed–very rare, but it happens–lines accidentally broken in the middle, and so on). This is also my Very Last Chance to change or fix anything, and for this manuscript, also the last chance to make sure all of the Gaelic and French and German phrases were correctly spelled. <g>
But I made it! The very last batch of corrected galleys went out of here by FedEx this afternoon. I’m FINISHED!!
Whereupon my husband took me out to celebrate, and after two bottles of a nice cold Austrian wine, a lobster quesadilla (divine), a bowl of Chama chili and a four-hour nap…I was Nicely Mellow. <g>
We’re done–and there _will_ be a book on June 10th! (in the US and Canada; I believe the UK/Australia/NZ are saying they plan to release it June 5th, and Germany is saying July 21st.) Hope you’ll enjoy it!
Oh–I’ve had a lot of inquiries lately about getting signed copies of WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART’S BLOOD (My Own Heart’s Blood = MOHB = MOH-B = MOBY. Geddit?). For a list of places where I’ll be going and doing signings visit my official Appearances page on this site. If you don’t live in one of those places I ‘m visiting, but do want a signed book, the simplest thing to do is probably to order it from The Poisoned Pen bookstore, here in Scottsdale. They’re my local independent bookstore, always carry ALL my titles in all available formats, and will ship anywhere in the world. Just tell them how you’d like your book to be inscribed; I normally go by there every couple of weeks to sign their orders.
(Note from Diana’s webmistress: You can also request free, signed bookplates for your copies of MOBY. Click here for more information.)
Hi Diana…congrats on sending your Baby off with the FedEx person. I am so glad we are all going to see this on the screen. You and this story have been in my head for years. I reread “Outlander” and found a clipping inside. You and Hubby sitting in your home…he has a kilt on and is very handsome and you look really happy! It is from People Magazine, 4/14/97!!!!!! Looking forward to all these new pages of the Frasers and family (preordered). See you at the Biltmore.
Oh, just finished The Space Between – what a tease!
Can’t wait, but have to.
Dear Diana,
Enjoy your summer and I really think you’re the best author I’ve ever read.
As many of those following your page, I’m a huge fan of Outlander series. I use to re-read the entire serie each time a new book is coming, it’s like to see old friends after a while. I have wait for so long to the next, but I read them in French… Do you have any idea of when the French traduction will be available? ( I hope it’s soon then I will stard re-reading soon!
Just read that Outlander will premiere on August 9 at 9pm on STARZ! What a great summer this will be!!!
Hi Diana,
Hope u have a great Mother’s Day, as I will have also.
Can’t wait to eat ur new book on my kindle in June.
I need to to thank you for this good read!! I absolutely loved
every bit of it. I’ve got you book-marked to look at new things you
post…
Dear Diana,
I’m sure that you have heard this a million times but I just want you to know that your books are very sacred to me and the characters within them. This is important for me to tell you especially now with the TV series coming out. While I’m sure it will be lovely, no one can create Claire & Jamie but you. Claire has been a person of influence in my life. As a women myself with see-through thoughts on my face & an abrupt and straightforward communication style, I was quite lonely in a world full of extremely feminin woman before I came to meet Claire. I also became fascinated with medicine because of Claire and after six years working in corporate life, I made a wonderful career change and became an RN. Even now when I am away from the hospital on my medical missions with no modern commodities I ask myself, “What would Claire do?” I can’t thank you enough for these people you’ve given to me. Fiction or not, they are very real to me.
-Cory Lietz, Greensboro, NC
Thank you, Cory!
What a lovely message. I’m so glad you found your way to what you really want to do!
–Diana
This is one of the aspects of your novels that regularly makes me wonder “How come the author knows so well what happens to ‘different’ women”?
I am quite able to differentiate between the narrator and the author and your characters certainly live a life of their own I am able to follow and imagine when reading, but whenever I read (details) about the consequences Claire’s behaviour has I wonder “How comes Diana knows all this?”
Because it sounds so real … to me, too. Luckily, I stay within the novel world in all other situations, asking myself no (intrusive?) questions about you
Dear Alcessa
It is only my opinion but I believe Diana Gabaldon is Claire. Wouldn’t it be fun and enlightening to ask her husband his definition of femininity? DD
Hi Diana
I’m looking forward to the next part of your epic story and have been with you since the beginning. However, I am starting to worry now because I don’t know how I’m going to see the TV series. I don’t have satellite tv here in the UK if that is where Startz show. Any idea if our BBC might have shown intrest over here please.
If I can’t see it then I’ll still have my books.
best regards and enjoy some downtime before we start trying to drain you rest again with our demands for news of publication dates etc.
Diane x
Diana,
Thank you so much for your wonderful novels and the amazingly human and flawed characters you’ve created. I love the true life situations you’ve created with the ever-so-slight touch of the fantastical thrown in. I honestly believe at this point that Claire is my favorite fictional character to read about because I can identify with her so easily, and Jaime makes me smile because he’s so much like my husband.
I also wanted to thank you for the immense amount of research you’ve poured into writing these books. Being an individual in the health field, it’s been a real pleasure reading from the point of view of a woman with medical knowledge, as well as the same practicality and pragmatism required of those in the medical field. Working on the transfusion end of things myself, I was especially tickled when you brought up blood typing and the laws of inheritance. Thank you for remaining true to that concept when so many others take liberties with it!
Enjoy a well-deserved rest, Diana. And again, thank you for the opportunity to follow your story.
~ Nikki H.
Hi Diana,
I just finished reading A Breath Of Snow And Ashes and as always,I hate it when it ends! I haven’t read one of the series in about two years and over those months I kept wondering what they were doing and hoping that they were all safe! It’s like they are family and you have them in your thoughts always,not as a character in a book but as people you’ve known for a long time. I can’t wait to get hold of An Echo In The Bones and the new one to see what they are doing and find out if the baby is ok.LolThat has to be the sign of an amazing author to hold readers like that. I have been working on my family tree between books and I discovered that I am half Scottishso it’s been really interesting to learn a bit of history along the way. Thank you so much for the many hours of pleasure reading your books and I hope you never stop writing!
God Bless,
Susan Mooney
hello Diana,
Can u tell me perhaps when the new book will be for sale in dutch please?
Congratulations on completing Moby, Diana. What a full and exciting year for you.
It’s on my TBR list now, but I’d rather it was on my bedside table.
For all of you who want to “read” Diana’s magnificent books on unabridged audio they are All available at Audible.com* . MOBY (Written In My Own Heart’s Blood) is available for pre-order now & will be out on 6/10. The Jamie/Claire books are all narrated by Davina Porter; the Lord John stories are all narrated by Jeff Woodman [although tragically The Scottish Prisoner is dual narrated with the ill chosen Rick Holmes] The audio versions are wonderful!
*THE best place for audiobooks, you can try your first book or two for free [link below], member prices are very reasonable, they have great sales, you can return books you don’t like and they have excellent customer service. No, I don’t work for them: my daughter is dyslexic but love books, and I’m just addicted to audiobooks because I can devour books while multitasking – I would invent housework to justify listening to Diana’s books non stop ; )
http://www.audible.com/t1/amazon?source_code=AMZGC905HBN070912
Hello Diana,
Congratulations you finished Book 8. Many hours of hard work and thousands and thousands millions of very appreciative people around the world.
I know this is a really dumb question, my book store has two different hard copies available one costing more than the other, I don’t mind the price difference as I’d pay a thousand dollars for any of your books, it is rather the fact that I don’t wish to miss a single sentence, are they the same book with different covers, or does one have extra’s in it.
Maybe I should just buy them both and stop asking a stupid question.
Anyway I have booked Foxtel here in Australia so I will be watching The Outlander series, of cause I shall drive my other half crazy with shhhhh don’t talk, don’t make a sound, and yes plenty of see how wonderful this is oh and look its Diana on screen, hands clapping round of applause yay.
Yes I know blabbering like a loon again only this time I never threatened to poke anyone’s eyes out bahaahahahah
Congratulations once again, Big Big Big congratulations for Outlander the series. I’ve watched every interview etc and yes I was right when I called you kind generous and very humble, and let’s not forget very talented, many people have gifts in life most don’t ever discover them, you did, know this Diana We all smile, laugh, gasp, cry, hold our breath, and yes we all claim to know the characters personally.
By the way your latest photos wow you look beautiful, my other half said you were a very pretty 40 year young lady.
Lots of love and light.
Wendy
TV series, please do tell! When, where?
Dear Shari–
STARZ channel, airs August 9th!
–Diana
My MOBY’s coming today!
.
.
.
Hm, the silence here … so you are all already reading it?!? Don’t tell me!
I got the book Wednesday evening, Started reading and didn’t stop but for sleeping and eating. So NOW I have to wait 4 more years to find out what happened to William?????
Just finished the book – couldn’t wait to get my hands on it, so downloaded it from Amazon. Love the Jamie, Claire & family story so much – have read all the books three times (so far!). If there’s another book, it will be a bonus as the way this one ended left me with a huge smile on my face and in my heart – I read the ending four times before I shut down my Kindle. Thank you for your dedication to your writing – the end result is priceless!
Diana- moby was wonderful just wonderful. I have literally just finished and am sitting here teary and just had to tell you what a wonderful talented writer you are. Pray god there’s another novel- as I just can’t let go of the Frasers yet. Thank you
My copy of MOBY was delivered to my door bright and early Tuesday AM; went back and re-read the last fifty pages or so of An Echo in the Bone….and just finished MOBY about half an hour ago. Well done! And I’m glad there’ll be another book, I’d hate to have to wonder what becomes of William. But will we have to wait another three (or was it four) years for the next one?? Congrats on the TV series, it airs two days after my birthday, so I may wait until then to do any partying… a lovely gift, eh?
Ms Gabaldon thank you SO much for MOBY!
I have just finished devouring MOBY and are still licking my lips. It was very, very satisfying.
You’re an incredible writer, and I appreciate that you write such long stories for us (who wants an excellent story to be only 200 pages?) and all the effort that goes into planning, researching and writing such an epic novel.
I’m going to go now and stretch my neck – it’s well cricked!
Thank you again, and please please keep going with this story. Well, after a well deserved break/rest!
Best regards,
Katherine
Brisbane,
Australia