Republishing - Part II

In addition to republishing my own book, Ghost Writer, I am also helping friends republish their books. The first one I did was our friend, Bob (Robert L.) Schwenck’s, Digging Deep. This book originally came out in 1979, and it has been out-of-print since the mid-eighties.

I always liked the book about dream and biblical symbols. However, the original read much like a textbook. I wanted the new edition to be more reader-friendly without watering down the original information.

Unfortunately, the book was so old no digital copy exists. Fortunately, we had an old paperback copy of the original. So, I started re-typing the book from the beginning. After I had done a few chapters, Larry started at the back and re-typed a chapter at a time, working forward. When we were about two-thirds of the way done, I realized I had an OCR (Optical Character Reader) and could scan the pages. After using the OCR, I copied the characters into a new Word document. Unfortunately, the OCR doesn’t read all characters correctly, and it loses nearly all the formatting. So, the first task was to restore the original text.

The book included number of pen-and-ink drawings. Larry scanned those, and we added them back into the manuscript before publishing.

Bob had recently done a color painting based on one of these drawings. Larry used this painting as the cover image.

I think it is a great improvement over the original, which none of us really liked. What do you think?

Once we had all the chapters in digital form, I did a complete edit in order to remove the repetition and make it more reader-friendly.

Bob reviewed everything and made changes, corrections, additions. He also added a prologue and an additional chapter.

Finally, we sent the completed manuscript to some beta readers. They returned comments, which we included in the front matter.

Once published, the book now exists in ebook and paperback form, and readers can now enjoy it again.

Republishing

We were blessed to be published by two small independent publishers. The owners of both became dear friends as well as our publishers.

The first company was sold when the owner could no longer run the business due to Parkinson’s disease. This situation was sad and distressing since we cared about the people involved.

We stayed with the new publisher since they had seven of our titles. So far, they seem okay, if indifferent, but we haven’t seen any royalties for months. However, getting our rights back would cost us more than we could make in several years. So, the books will stay where they are—for now.

The second publisher had a stroke about two years ago. Again, we felt terrible because she is a dear friend. In addition, she created a new imprint for my book. Besides being published by her imprint, I did a great deal of editing for her.

We have prayed for her recovery and continue to hope she will be able to resume her work, but after nearly two years without royalties, I felt I had no choice but to take back my book.

I contacted the cover artist to find out who owned the cover art. Some artists license their covers to the publishers and retain their ownership. Others create the books for the publisher. The publisher pays for the cover and has ownership. This was the case with my cover. Thank goodness because it is my favorite cover.

The first sample I received in no way reflected the story. It featured two half-naked people against an orange sunset. I loathe the color orange, and the cover looked like it should have been for erotica. Not at all like my book.

Larry mocked up an idea, and the cover artist took it to a whole new level. It completely reflects the story.

I contacted the publisher and requested my rights back. In addition, I asked for the cover rights in exchange for any money I am owed. Bless her. She gave me full rights in writing as well as the cover art and the PDF of the book as submitted for publication.

Then came the hard work. Fortunately, I have a program with an OCR (Optical character Reader). I was able to convert the PDF to a text file, so I could create a new Word file. The downside is in the conversion, all the formatting is lost. Occasionally, words are lost or wrong. Therefore, a complete edit is necessary, along with new formatting. But at least I had about 95% of the text intact.

I contacted the cover artist again. I offered her a small amount to remove the publisher’s information, and she agreed to do it as well as size the cover for the new book.

I tried to format the book to closely resemble the original so the transition would appear nearly seamless. This took lots of time and effort, but the result was worth it.

Once I had the complete manuscript and cover, I was able to self-publish it as a second edition. For this one, I added a new section in the back: Book Club Questions.

The book is now available again on Amazon as a second edition, and I am happy to have complete ownership of it. From here on, I will have complete control of the book without depending on anyone else.

Since I did this one, I have also converted two books for a friend. They had been published by the same publisher.

I anticipate we may have to do the same for the other seven books. Someday, we will probably have all of our books self-published.

Indian Attack

In recent years, we have written about the Indians here in California. After telling their story, I have become aware of the hubris of Europeans who arrived here in America, usurped their lands, and destroyed their way of life. Recently, I have been transcribing accounts of my own ancestors, and I have become painfully aware of their part in doing the same. In this account, my great-grandfather recounts his encounter with the Indians in Utah. I present it as a historical account only. In no way, do I condone the actions of those who arrived and showed no respect for those already living on the land.

Indian Attack

An account given by Marinus Lund

of Spring City, Utah.

Edited by Lorna Lund Collins

During the month of April, a company of "Minute Men" was organized at Spring City, Sanpete County, Utah, for guarding, scouting, and general service in protecting the settlers from the Indians. The company was composed of ten picked men, who were on duty all the time during the spring and summer of 1867.

Everybody moved along quietly until the morning of August 13, 1867, when about twenty men with teams left Spring City for the hayfield, which was about six miles southwest of the town. Contrary to the usual custom, the scouting ahead of the cowherd was not done that morning.

A company of Indians, who evidently had spent the previous night in the stone-quarry hills, about a half-mile south of the hay road, saw the cow herd coming over the hills north of the road. In their effort to reach the cowherd, the Indians encountered the hay teams. The Minute Men were guarding the herd and were attracted by the reports of the guns fired by the Indians in their attack on the hay teams.

William Scott, Sanford Allred, and myself [sic] rode to the place where the firing was heard. On our way, we saw Andrew Johnson, a driver of one of the hay teams, going north with an arrow in his back. He had been shot by an Indian while on his wagon.

Sanford Allred, who was armed with a cap and ball pistol, went to Spring City to report. William Scott left me and rode down west. I yelled and asked him to wait for me.

I had nearly reached him when Mr. Scott said, "Look behind you.”

I then discovered that several Indians were riding close behind me. I turned in my saddle and fired at them. They rode away.

When I reached Scott, I asked him where he was going? [sic] He said that he was afraid his father-in-law, James Meeks, had been killed.

I then left Scott and rode north to the cowherd. On the way, I met William Blain, who had been shot through the ear by the Indians. Mr. Blain told me not to get scared. I showed him the nearest way to town, and told him to go there as fast as he could. The Indians were then all south of us.

I then met Jack Allred and asked him where he was going. He said that he was going down to get his horse out of the band, which the Indians had stolen. As he was crippled, I told him that I would go with him and help him catch his horse. I suggested that the Indians might kill him; to which he replied that he did not care.

We went east to a place where other Minute Men were stationed on top of a hill. At the foot of this hill, two Indians rode by without seeing us. Neither did we see them until they had passed.

When we arrived at the top of the hill, I dismounted and tied my horse to a cedar tree. As I dismounted, three Indians rode by. I shot at them three times.

Captain John Hitchcock asked me if I was shot.

I told him, "No."

He then said that my horse was shot, if I wasn't, but my horse was not hurt.

Jack Allred said “You hit an Indian.”

“I am not certain whether I did or not," was my reply.

Later, we caught a mule, which one of the Indians that I shot at had been riding. This mule had been stolen from Peter Oldroyd at Glenwood at the fight in March, 1867.

I then rode towards Spring town and met members of the militia, who were coming to the rescue of the herd and hay teams.

The Indians had stolen twenty-eight head of horses and started to the mountains with them. We followed the Indians up the trail south of Bill Allred's canyon, and the militia had a small engagement with them on the mountainside.

The Indians were followed to the top of Horseshoe Mountain, and on the way up my horse gave out.

Thomas Coates, a tame Indian from Moroni, and I followed to the top of the Horseshoe.

When we arrived there, we discovered that all the militiamen had returned to Springtown, and we did not see any Indians there.

Then we returned to Springtown, where we arrived about nine o'clock at night.

Here we learned that William Scott's father-in-law, James Meeks had been killed, and Andrew Johansen, who had been wounded, died that night.