Tour Wrap-up!

I’m home again after an amazing seven-day tour for The Son of Neptune. Thank you to all the fans who came out for an Olympian Week event. You can see a few shots from the events above. For a complete photo album, check my Facebook page!

I wish I’d been taking notes during the tour, because there were so many great moments. I’m sure I’ve forgotten some incredible interactions since they all went by so quickly. One boy gave me a Roman coin to take with me for good luck. Another said, “I thank God that he put you here to write these books!” Many fans shared stories they’d written or pictures they’d drawn. And the costumes were incredible! I saw dozens of Medusas, a Tyson with his own jar of peanut butter, several young satyrs, a Jason, half a dozen Pipers, two Reynas, several Leos with tool belts, and scores of Annabeths in NY Yankees caps! A mom and son team came dressed as Sally Jackson and the Minotaur. Several people brought me blue candy, blue cookies, and even a hot dog.

We estimate that I met roughly 12,000 fans in the course of seven days, and signed well over 25,000 books. I’m so grateful to the sponsors of each event who made everything run so smoothly, and to the fans who waited so patiently and were so understanding with the limits of the signing line. I managed to arrive by Hades’s chariot in Columbia, SC without scaring poor Belle the horse, who wasn’t used to thousands of screaming kids. I arrived in Mission Viejo, CA in an 800-lb. metal chariot pulled by Spartan warriors, yet managed not to run over anyone’s toes. I arrived on the docks in Olympia, WA in Poseidon’s yacht without getting seasick or falling overboard. And I made it through the Toronto Airport despite a labor slowdown that was a curse from Hermes. Major victories!

The Son of Neptune’s launch week was a huge success, by far the biggest of my career so far. It has debuted at #1 on the bestseller lists for New York Times, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal. I’m so glad you guys are enjoying the story.

So what happens next? I’m back to writing. I’ve already (mostly) wrapped up work on Kane Chronicles #3, which comes out in May. We’ll announce the title and show the cover for that book in another few months, so stay tuned. Now I’m turning my attention to the Heroes of Olympus, Book 3: The Mark of Athena.

To all the fans who’ve asked if I can release that book immediately: Well, no, because it doesn’t exist yet. I kind of have to write it first. I’m giving it my undivided attention, and it will be out in the fall of 2012 as promised, but I’m afraid that’s as fast as I can possibly finish it. When we have an exact release date, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, sorry about the cliffhanger in The Son of Neptune . . . wait, no I’m not! I always do cliffhangers. I’m just evil that way. But rest assured, there was a reason I had to end the book there.

And now, back to writing. Thanks again to my readers – the best fans in the world!

Perils of Proofreading, Redux

With the release of Son of Neptune, it seems an appropriate time to revisit an old post I did about why and how errors can appear in published books even after they are heavily edited by numerous readers. The post below is from 2006. Sadly, it still applies!

If anything, publishing since then has become even trickier. With the advent of e-publishing, manuscripts have to be re-keyed and reformatted completely for the Kindle, Nook, and every other reader, which allows new formatting, spelling and grammar errors to be introduced *after* the book is proofread. I haven't seen the final e-book for Son of Neptune since I've been touring, but I understand the first release was rife with formatting problems -- no spaces between words, etc. This has been corrected, so if you download it now, you should be fine, and if you previously downloaded it, your e-book should be automatically updated the next time you synch your device. That's my understanding, anyway. The publisher is working on figuring out how this happened and how we can keep it from happening again, but my apologies for the inconvenience. Again, the errors were formatting, not missing pages or anything like that. The printed edition was not affected.

Still, I've never read a book that didn't have some typos. How could this possibly happen? Read on . . .

The Perils of Proofreading (first blogged 2006)

Oh, the joys of editing!

One of my wife’s pet peeves is when people complain about errors in my books. Not as if Becky and I don’t complain about typos, too, when we’re reading novels. Errors are annoying, and they can pull the reader out of an enjoyable story. Still, Becky just hates it when someone points to some mistake in one of my books -- a missing word, a misspelling, a typo -- and comes to the conclusion: “No one proofread this book!” Alas, nothing could be farther from the truth, but still errors happen. Why?

A tour of the editing process may be in order. The revisions start with me, of course. As the author, I must take final responsibility for any errors in the text of my novel. By the time I send a manuscript to my editor, I’ve spent a year with the story. I’ve read every chapter at least twenty times, trying to fine-tune it. That’s part of the problem. I know the story so well by then, I can easily miss errors. I skim over missing words because I know what is supposed to be there, and my mind simply supplies it. After I’ve checked the manuscript so many times that I just can’t read it anymore, I give it to Becky and several other members of my immediate family to proofread. I also read it aloud to my son (if it’s a Percy Jackson book). Reading aloud, by the way, is tremendously helpful for revision. I recommend it to every author. I catch sentences that don’t sound right and dialogue that needs revision, as well as many typos.

After all this, the manuscript is sent to my editor. She reads it primarily for content changes. This character needs work. This part of the story needs some tightening. She also catches many grammar or punctuation errors that eluded me. The manuscript then comes back to me. I make changes and corrections. It goes back again to my editor, who gives it another pass. If she approves, it then goes to the copy-editor, who is the real stickler in the process. He goes over the manuscript with a magnifying glass, studying the grammar, spelling, and usage. He checks all factual references to make sure they are correct. Wherever necessary, he capitalizes, punctuates, and basically standardizes the language. He even types up an extensive style sheet, sometimes 5-6 pages long, listing exactly which rules of grammar he invoked and which forms of usage will be the law in this particular manuscript. My editor then reads it again and sends it back to me. I give it yet another pass and then send the manuscript back for typesetting.

Now you would think, at this point, the manuscript would be free of errors. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Sometimes the manuscript is re-keyed completely during the typesetting process, allowing an opportunity for a whole new set of errors to be introduced. I do get to look at the galley (the typeset manuscript) before it is bound and turned into an advance reading copy -- the kind that says ‘uncorrected proof,’ though this is something of a misnomer. Still, errors slip through.

Becky knows how long and arduous this process is, which is why she feels the need to rise to my defense when someone wonders why I don’t edit my manuscripts more carefully.

Me, I’ve become more philosophical about it over time. In a 90,000-word manuscript, five or ten typos shouldn’t be surprising. I knew I was in good company when I read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince two summers ago. The hardcover edition has some glaring typos in it. This was the most anticipated literary event in the history of the world. You would think if any book would be error-free, it would be Harry Potter. But, no. Even his magic was no match for the dreaded Lord Typo.

So next time you come across an error in a book and are tempted to blame a lazy editor or lazy author, just remember us toiling away in the land of comma splices and hyphenated words. We try, dear reader. We really do!

The Son of Neptune arrives! (and some thoughts on book signings)

Greetings from Columbia, South Carolina, where I'll be doing my first signing for The Son of Neptune. I'm so excited to share the new book with all of you. I hope you enjoy it!

If you're planning to attend an event, check for full details at olympianweek.com.  I'd also encourage you to call the hosting bookstore before you go, as some events have sold out already, and each event has guidelines, which are set by the publisher in coordination with the sponsoring bookstore.

With every book, I am amazed and grateful that so many readers are enjoying my work. Truly, I'm blessed to have this job as a storyteller, bringing the old myths into the 21st Century. Thank you all for reading!

The only real downside to the books being so popular is that I don't get to spend the sort of quality time with fans that I used to have. It reminds me of being a teacher, when I would chaperone a field trip for 100 middle schoolers. One student might ask to stop by the snack shop at the museum on the way to an activity, and the child would be incensed when I told her no.

"Why not?" she might demand. "It'll only take a second. If I was here with my parents, I'd be able to!"

I'd have to explain that rules change when you're in a large group. If one student stops to get a soda, all the other students will want the same opportunity. One hundred students stopping 'just for a second' to buy a soda turns into an hour-long line, and suddenly the field trip is over and all we've visited is the snack shop. (Which, of course, the students would be fine with, but the educational value of the trip would be a little hard to justify.)

My point is that my book signing events have evolved as the crowds have gotten larger. It used to be possible to chat extensively with each child, which I really value, sign and personalize every single book for every fan, and take a personal photo with each child. Sadly, with the numbers we're expecting at this year's signings, that's just not feasible. For most events, I'll only be able to sign two books per person, and we can't do posed photos. While I always welcome each fan asking me a question when they meet me, our time together is only a few seconds.

It's disappointing to me, and I'm not someone who likes to disappoint my fans, but I also know we have to move the signing line along so the event doesn't last ten hours and the kids at the back of the line aren't waiting until 2AM to meet me. And of course, sitting that long would be pretty hard on me, too. I mention this because I want you to know what to expect (and not expect) when you get to the event. It will be a lot of fun, but rules do change with big groups.

Some tips:

1) signing and personalization. At many events this time, I'm just able to sign two books -- so you'll get my autograph on the books, but no personalization. If the event does allow personalization, that means: "To Sam,"  "To Marie," et cetera. I won't be able to write: "To my favorite fan and a future writer in hopes that you follow your dreams and become the best person ever." Of course, I hope that's true! I just won't have time to inscribe it. Again, I know it doesn't seem like much to ask. If it was just one person in line, or even fifty, it wouldn't be. But with hundreds and hundreds in line, those extra paragraphs of text add up quickly. We have to limit the number of books signed per person for the same reason. I wish we didn't have to, but for the sake of the people behind you in line, and for the sake of the author's weary hand, we must.

2) photos. I had no idea how much time it can take to do a photo until I started doing large events! It seems like such a simple request, doesn't it? "Can we take a quick photo?"

In a big crowd, there is no such thing as a quick photo. The parent doesn't know how to operate the phone. The phone doesn't work. The battery dies. The photo doesn't save for some reason. Our eyes were closed. The shot was blurry. Stand a little closer. Now one with everybody in it. Now with my other camera. I quickly came to understand why the publisher instituted the 'no posed photo' rule. I love taking pictures with fans when I have a small group. It's fun! But if we tried to give everyone that chance in a group of 500, 600 or 2000 (as they're expecting at some of the events this week) we would literally be there all night. We can't do that, but parents are welcome to stand to the side and get some quick candid shots while I'm meeting the kids. Just be prepared, because the moment goes fast!

Another plea about photos: parents, please let your kids enjoy the experience of talking to me without obsessing about capturing it on film. Too often, my interaction with a young fan is completely drowned out by a parent screaming from the side, "John, look over here! John! John, smile! No, John, move to your left! Look over here!" And then the moment is gone. The kid had a question for me but he didn't get to ask it. Then he's whisked away in the line and never really got to meet me. I don't say this to be critical, but it's easy to get caught up in the frenzy of the crowd and be so busy capturing a moment that you don't get to live the moment you're trying to capture.

3) Questions. Absolutely, I welcome hearing from the kids as they come through the line! It's fine if they don't want to ask a question, but you might get them thinking about one so they don't freeze and regret missing the chance. For most events, I am doing some sort of general talk to begin, so some of the more basic questions will be covered, like 'Where did you get your inspiration?' We'll probably only have time for one question per kid.

Another tip for parents: Let your kids have the moment! Often I'll meet a child in the line and the conversation will go like this:

Michael: "Hi, I'm Michael!"
Rick: "Hey, Michael! Great to meet you. Did you have any questions for me?"
Michael's dad shoulders him out of the way. "I had a question  . . ."

Not that I don't love talking to parents too, but given our limited time, if your child is the fan, let your child ask the question!

4) Giveaways. In the early days of Percy Jackson, I used to make Camp Half-Blood T-shirts and give them away to some of the kids in the audience. I don't do that anymore. The size of the crowd makes it impossible, and I found that some families obsessed about how to get a t-shirt so much they forgot they were there to get a book signed. They got really upset if they weren't chosen to get a t-shirt. Now at my events, kids come in camp t-shirts or other costumes that they've made themselves, and it's awesome to see their creativity at work! Much better than parents worrying if their child doesn't get a particular piece of swag. There might be small giveaways at the events as provided by the publisher (not t-shirts) but try not to focus on those. That's not the important thing. The fact that your child got excited about coming to an event for books -- that's the important thing!


Okay, I'll take off my teacher's hat now. I hope that didn't sound like I'm grumbling, because I don't mean it that way. I love, love, love meeting my readers, and I've got the best job in the world. I just don't want folks showing up with false expectations about what they can expect at an event. We will have a great time, but as I said above, there have to be limits when you're dealing with crowds of this size. Part of me wishes I could have those intimate little signings like I used to have, but part of me thinks, "How awesome that so many families want to come celebrate my books!"

If you're coming to an event, I'll see you there! If I'm not visiting a city near you, that's okay, too. As I often say, the best way to get to know me is to read the books. That's my conversation with my readers, and the real quality time we can spend together.

Olympian Week Begins!

I had a wonderful weekend with the young demigods of NYC and LA. Thank you to everyone who came out for the events! Saturday, we gathered at Greeley Square, with the Empire State Building (and thus Mount Olympus) looming above us. Seven gods hosted the festivities, and we had a standing room only crowd of costumed kids and parents. In LA it was much the same, but in the Grove shopping center. As you can see from the photos above, we had lots of fun. If you'd like to see more, check out my Facebook album.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, October 4, The Son of Neptune officially arrives at long last! I hope you all enjoy it. I'll be visiting seven cities in seven days, starting with Columbia, South Carolina. Be sure to check all event details at olympianweek.com. Twelfth Legion Fulminata for the win! (You'll know what that means tomorrow.)

SAN ANTONIO FANS: I don't have a hometown event scheduled for this tour, but if you want a signed copy, Barnes & Noble at La Cantera will have plenty starting Tuesday, 10/4. CostCo customers: the Stone Oak Costco at Loop 1604 also has several hundred signed copies.

AND for fans anywhere, if you need to buy a *personalized* copy and aren't able to attend an event, you can contact my hometown independent bookseller: The Twig. I will be stopping by their store after the tour to sign any orders that come in. That means the books will not be ready for immediate delivery, but the Twig will ship them to you as soon as I can make it in to sign your orders. In the past, they've been able to ship orders just about anywhere!

And in other big news as reported today by the Associated Press, my next series will feature Norse mythology. This won't come as a huge surprise to anyone who's heard me talk about my background. I've loved Norse mythology for as long as I've loved Greek & Roman. The idea for the series has been around since even before the Lightning Thief, so I can't wait to get going on it at last! But, of course, it won't happen immediately. I need to finish up with the Kane Chronicles and Heroes of Olympus first. The Norse series is tentatively scheduled to launch in 2015. If that changes, I'll let you know.

Happy reading, everyone!