Proof Me Wrong: The Strange Feeling of Receiving a Finished Novel

I remember when my first book’s proof copy arrived in the post. I couldn’t contain my excitement. Things got real once I touched it. Prior to this, SEETHINGS was no more than a filename in a folder. Sure, it was a full-blown book, but only on a screen. All the words were there, but not the paper and binding. Having and holding a three-dimensional, page-flipping specimen changed it all.

Every author’s unboxing story is a special one, at least it is to them. You see unboxing vids being posted to social media all the time. The author dances around, gets out their box cutter, excitedly slices through the tape, opens the box’s flaps, and reveals the masterpiece within. They hug and kiss it like it’s a newborn baby.

My story has progressed somewhat since my first novel unboxing. When the third novel landed, I didn’t even photograph the moment. I wasn’t concerned with delivering a baby anymore, I was keen to get it fed, dressed and sent out into the world.

I studied the front graphic, checked the text on the inside (to make sure it didn’t get lost in the spine), and flipped it around to see if the synopsis was positioned well. No bells. No trumpets. No influencing actions. Nothing. (Just a still image of me reaching into a cardboard box)

Simple.

But here’s an old post I made when SEETHINGS (the proof copy) arrived. Social media wasn’t big back then, so I missed the chance to do an official unboxing video. It was lowkey by today’s standards. Nevertheless, you can still get the feel for that moment.

I even had the insight to get several proof copies to get on with the never-ending editing process.

Enjoy.

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Well, look what turned up in the post. It’s been about nine months since the last proof (I wasn’t happy with the previous cover), and this one hits it out of the park!

I ordered three proofs this time, one for myself and another two for people to proofread for me. The new matte finish is remarkable to touch compared to the glossy cover I ordered last time! There were some other alterations to the text, and this is now the latest version of the story. (Ten chapters of this are available for viewing @ SEETHINGS (the first ten) for free.)

Last week, I was inundated with people on my blog site. It coincided with the events surrounding Elliot Rodger and his killing spree in the United States. There has been a lot of online chatter about Involuntary Celibacy (INCEL) because of this, and, understandably, much hate directed towards what has been uncovered as an ‘Underground movement’: groups of angry men who can’t get women. I am not surprised to see the word misogyny popping up everywhere as a result of this new activity.

SEETHINGS parallels some of the INCEL ethos but not all. That’s why when you read the blog, you’ll see that it’s made up of many components. I remember having trouble describing Mitchell Felding’s situation in one word, so I could set the blog right by it… But there didn’t seem to be one available. Then, two years ago, on a trip to Melbourne, I came across INCEL on a blog site called M3. It was perfect, so I thought. Mike writes to his site far more than I do, and within his well-written blog, you’ll see that he’s anything but a woman-hating psycho ready to shoot up a shopping mall. He studies his emotions and calmly writes about them succinctly.

After a year of sitting on INCEL, I felt the word wasn’t applicable. Most sufferers of INCEL were single males between 20 and 40. None had girlfriends, partners or wives. My book was not about that, not really. I had to come up with another word: Celibacy-by-Proxy.

Mitchell’s in a relationship. He’s married to Sam. There is no sex in their relationship because they believe in celibacy. They get married, and the celibacy continues. It soon becomes a game of power, one that uses the threat of a sexual veto to control the other. Take all your Elliot Rodger fears and bottle them up in a marriage. That’s SEETHINGS.

-M