Author Profile - M Romanych

[MRomanych]

The title of this thread is misleading because at present I am still an aspiring author. I have been working on the text of a book for almost a year in anticipation of getting a contract with a publisher. As I write this, my co-author and I am are waiting for the contract to arrive in the mail. Once the contract is signed, I will share my experiences of being a first-time author, describing what I did - both good and bad - to become a published author.

My first piece of advice is to give yourself plenty of time to select a topic, research it, and assemble all the materials (photos, maps, documents) you will need to write the text and create the graphics. Then, make sure you reference your sources; it will come on handy later. If you are unfamiliar with writing a military history (as I was and in many ways still am), then search the Internet for tips and buy a good book about writing nonfiction works, and perhaps on historical research methods. Armed with this knowledge, you will be much better prepared for what follows......networking, research, and marketing.

[Swordfish]

Mr-
No teaser? No theatrical trailer? Come on man, give us a little whif of what the book entails.

Anything to do with battle on the Maginot Line? Just a guess:)

Congratulations on completing the work and getting it published. An accomplishment to cetainly be proud of. Well done. Authoring a book takes time, money and a whole lot of frustrations and committment. But when it all comes together you know it was worth it. Heck and maybe even make a few $$ from it.


Down the road when I complete my saber collection, all 200 varients, along with collecting all the data about the various manufacturers, timelines, etc., I intend to publish a very small book on the subject. It would be the equivalent to Angolia, but limited to Heer sabers, and cover the broad spectrum, ideally hitting each particular example that was made. Angolia did a great job, but since the time the book was published, we know a little bit more now. It also doesn't cover every saber produced for the Army from '33-'44. And often we see a photo of a piece, but lacking the items Nr. or other identification number, as well as various specification that pertain to that specific piece. This is where I would like to come in and sort of take the idea of what Jack was trying to do, clean it up a little bit, with a sold emphasis on Heer. Johnson put out a sword series lately, in 3 volumes. 1- Army 2- Luft,Navy, SA, SS 3- DLV, Customs, etc. He did a very nice job putting these together but they almost serve more as a reference of dress sabers in wear. He included alot of wonderful period photos of swords in wear. Not a whole lot of the technical side to it, and the books only covered a fraction of the various configurations that were available to military men back then, as well as collectors today. Both Angolia and Johnson wrote excellent works, and I highly reccommend them. Infact, if you are even a "here-and-there" sword collector, both of these are musts. Like I said, i'm hoping to kinda of fill in the blanks as it pertains to Armies. At this juncture, my intention is to publish it in digital format, with hardbough compies available and possible have it posted in cyberspace. The goal is to make an easy to understand, and very utilitarian tool available for all collectors. I'm not looking at the project as an income literary work. Strictly for the collectors and those inquiring about the diversity of TR and Weimar era Army sabers. If I am able to scratch a dollar or two from it, I won't cry either.

Real quick, speaking of books, just curious if anyone bought Mike Bortners (goes by MikeB on wehrmactawards..you know the DDS from Florida..he's a super guy) new, recently published book on Imperial Japanese flags and 1000 stitch belts?

http://www.gethistorytoday.com/about/about.html

I'm sure it's a great book and well written. Mike certainly has a high degree of competency when it comes to his Japanese cloth. It's his true passion. One of my battle flags is picutured in his book, so he told me. I too am guilty as of yet not having purchased a copy. I will I swear. In the very new future. Anyone who's read it i'd love to hear from you on his piece. Mike's a great guy and a very intelligent one as well. Just knowing him i'm sure his book is 1st rate.

Good collecting and keep those pencils hot, there are still alot of specialty books to be written..importantly from friends who share our interests and passions.

Tom

[MRomanych]

Tom, yes indeed the book is about combat operations of the Maginot Line; particularly German attacks in May and June 1940. It is a part of the France 1940 campaign that is ignored by the historical record ..... well, at least by the English-language record. It turns out that despite conventional thought that the German Army bypassed the Line, the reality is that the German Army engaged in two major offensives and several smaller operations against the French fortifications. One - Operation Tiger - involved the greatest assemblage of artillery since WWI. The book, co-written with a colleague, describes the combat within the context of the larger campaign, supplemented by photographs from my collection of 3,000 or so original photos of the Maginot Line.

I have not posted more about my writer's experience because I am still waiting for the contract to arrive. What that has taught me is this: a first-time or beginning author must on one hand be patient with his editor/publisher and on the other hand be very responsive in turn. This is primarily because the new author does not know how the publishing business works and will invariably misestimate the pace at which a book proposal is proposed and put into action. More later; I’m checking my mail box for the contract.....(drat!)

[MRomanych]

I finally got my contract. I will co-author an Opsrey book titled: "Maginot Line 1940: Battles on the French Frontier." I think it will be out this time next year.

As a soon to be first time author, I must admit that I backed my way into a get a book deal. While I had the idea that I wanted to write a book, I had no real plan. Then, by chance, I helped an acquaintance of a friend at the National Archives. This acquaintance was writing his second book for Osprey. He introduced me to his editor and all of a sudden there was an opportunity to present a book concept. the lessons learned were: 1) Helping other people in your area of interest will create opportunities for you. If I had not offered to help my friend's acquaintance, then, i would have never met the editor. 2) You must be willing and prepared to seize the opportunity when it comes along. Writing a book is a lot of work. Typically, you must research your subject, find photographs and images, draft a proposal, write the text, and develop graphics packages for creation of maps and illustrations, all on the publisher's timeline (in my case, I have now have five months to submit a finished manuscript). These tasks are made more difficult if, like me, you are also learning about how to be a writer. Lucky for me, I have a co-author who shared the load, especially by writing large sections of text and by provided technical details that take years of research to find and understand.

More later....Marc

[Swordfish]

Right on Marc. Congrats. I'm sure it's a very exciting time for you.

[MRomanych]

I finally finished and put the manuscript and supporting documentation in the mail to Osprey. If all goes well, the book should be out next summer. It has been an 18-month journey which, I must say, is not for the faint of heart. If anyone wants to know about writing a book for Osprey, PM me.

Now, I wonder what my next subject could be? Hmm...

[RaymondG]

I finally finished and put the manuscript and supporting documentation in the mail to Osprey. If all goes well, the book should be out next summer. It has been an 18-month journey which, I must say, is not for the faint of heart. If anyone wants to know about writing a book for Osprey, PM me.

Now, I wonder what my next subject could be? Hmm...

Congratulations, Marc :thumbup:

I can imagine that was a weight off your shoulders now.

Raymond

[MikeC]

"Now, I wonder what my next subject could be? Hmm..."

The bikinis of Rio are always a popular topic, but the topic might not fit into the Osprey model.

Huge Congratulations, Marc. We at the Riordan Multiplex could not be more proud of you and your laborious accomplishment. Prost!