I got a lot of responses to Jaden Baker, all positive, over the past few weeks. Some people left comments, others emailed me directly. There were many questions about “what happens next” both in narrative and in the book process. So I thought I’d write a second post about Jaden and try to answer some general questions. I will be updating this blog with news about the book, so please subscribe to the RSS feed (click on the RSS button in the top bar [where it says www.courtneykirchoff.com] to subscribe).

Publication

Yes, Jaden will be published. By divine intervention, I met up with a small local publisher back in May, convenient considering I was about to pen my novel. Jaden is with an editor now, and will most likely be returned to me (to incorporate edits) in January 2011. The book is about 189,000 words, which is long for a first book. We’re looking at publishing it around May of 2011 should everything go smoothly.

It will first be available through Print on Demand, meaning that when ordered on Amazon, through B&N, etc., the book will be printed then shipped. This method is done for two reasons:  I’m a first time author and have yet to prove whether or not my books will sell. Printing on demand makes the most financial sense and takes a lot of risk out of the game. Any other publisher would do the same. If the book sells and does well, then it may be printed for shelves. But for the first go around, the book will have to be ordered online.

I’ve gotten many requests for signed copies. Since publication is a ways out, it’s difficult to say how we can arrange a signing. The easiest thing is to purchase the book directly from me and I can sign and ship it. These details will be sorted out later when it gets closer to publication.

Where did Jaden come from?

As for where it came from, I can’t exactly say. The idea of Jaden took six years to form. The story changed dramatically over that time, finally evolving into what it is now. It did not, for example, come to me completed as I rode a train from Manchester to London. For the first four years I didn’t know how the story would end. Writing a novel is like packing for a trip: it’s hard to know what to stash in your suitcase if you’re unsure of your destination. Finally the ending came to me as I was working at Topcon a few years ago. But it took me another two years before finally writing the novel to completion.

In June I had a breakthrough. I took a chapter originally destined for the middle of the book, and stuck it in the beginning (the chapter posted here). That simple act changed everything. It communicated exactly what I needed to say: something bad happens to him, he gets away.

Will I post more chapters?

In short, no. This is my baby, and I don’t plan on giving it away. Only a handful of people in my “inner circle” have read the entire novel. The circle includes my immediate family and extremely close friends. I’m cagey about sending the completed manuscript out to anyone else. While I love the enthusiasm Jaden is generating, I’ll be keeping the plot to myself. You’ll just have to wonder for a few more months who Jaden is.

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