Last month, I printed out three draft copies of my book – sans images. One copy was for me to read and edit, copy two for a Historian in Texas that I have been working with, and copy three to a man and his wife that has had a significant impact on this book and the Sno-Train and Sno-Freighter’s history. I just finished my edits and started cleaning up the working draft this morning.
Get Your Ego Out of the Way
Since delivering the copy three, they have emailed me a couple of times with questions and corrections. Their observations have improved the timeline quality and helped me clarify events sequences. When his wife first emailed me with questions and corrections, she was hesitant. She did not want to question my work. I wrote her back and told her:
Any time that you can improve upon your work, do it. You have to put aside your ego and let the data do the talking. As an author or professional [insert title here], if you are not open to criticism and willing to make changes, you’re in the wrong biz.
