Welcome to the official website of Joyce Rochelle Vaughn author of Thirty Pieces Of Silver: The Betrayal Of Elvis Presley ENTER MEET THE AUTHOR ABOUT THE BOOK EVENTS CONTACT THE AUTHOR TOPICS PRIVACY POLICY Meet The Author CLICK HERE BACK TO DIRECTORY JOYCE ROCHELLE VAUGHN author The Book - Click Here Joyce Rochelle Vaughn was born and raised on Chicago’s Southside where public school teachers discouraged her from writing during her formative years. It wasn’t until many years later when she penned her first book. "Thirty Pieces of Silver: The Betrayal of Elvis Presley" is that first book. BACK TO DIRECTORY Ms. Vaughn served Honorably in the United States Navy as a Cryptologic Technician. She now resides in Southern California. THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER THE BETRAYAL OF ELVIS PRESLEY BACK TO DIRECTORY BETRAYAL Click Here To Learn About The Book SHOP FOR BOOK HERE EVENTS Events CLICK HERE BACK TO DIRECTORY August 16, 2017 Thirty Pieces Of Silver: The Betrayal Of Elvis Presley Goes on Sale! January 25, 2019 Thirty Pieces Of Silver: The Betrayal Of Elvis Presley Unveiling the Showcase: 53rd Annual Local Author Reception BACK TO DIRECTORY For Authors & Publishers Editors: Problems and Solutions Book Restoration BACK TO DIRECTORY Those who are new to writing and the wide world of publishing may have run into the same obstacles I experienced. My expedition began with learning InDesign’s temperamental boundaries, international copyright laws, discovering the pros and cons in the self-publishing industry, setting up my publishing company, website designing for the first time on user-Unfriendly WordPress, and finding a reasonable printer who wasn't trying to jack me (rip me off). Albeit difficult, this has been a journey like no other. Hardships of Picking an Editor Continued Directory As demanding as the production of my first publication was, my biggest obstacle was trying to find the right editor. Now granted, I wasn’t one of those types that felt I knew all there was to the English language. I wanted and felt I needed an editor. I was not going to publish my 756 page book with hundreds of grammatical errors. On my low income, I was able to create a budget for my book because I knew a good editor would not be cheap. Editor Number One My first editor came from one of the universities out here in California. The day came and we met. She didn't have a clue. She spent most of the week telling me the facts from court cases I acquired from the Law Library should be kept hidden. She didn't like the direct approach in my writing where it pertained to my Black experience (she happened to be a White millennial). The last straw was when I walked in on her snapping photos of my manuscript with her phone. Okay, I was done. A few dollars more than I had hoped to have lost, but at least I didn't lose the whole bundle. CONTINUED Directory Previous The first mistake I made was not recognizing how editors attempt to change your words to fit the status quo, or what their life experiences just so happen to be. My second mistake was believing that finding an editor would be a cinch; how I would be among honest individuals making the "I'm an editor claim" to be true. All I had to do was inquire at a few universities, look online for professional editors, and/or scoop out a few editing departments of magazines and newspapers. BOY! Was I wrong. What people tell you they are, Cab Calloway coined perfectly, “Ain’t Necessarily So.” Editor Number Two My second editor came highly recommended. She received her Master's Degree in English Literature. However, she didn't know how to use a semicolon. More of the editing budget gone down the drain, and to top it off I had to go back and correct her grammatical errors. Editor Number Three My third editor was lazy and attempted to negotiate payment upfront. This was a no-go for me. He held onto the first two chapters of my manuscript for two weeks before I was able to reach him. He said it was taking him too long to finish what he started. When I got to his house to pick up the manuscript, I saw he only managed to read through part of the Introduction. Later I discovered how he charges for editing manuscripts, but hires others at a low rate to do the editing which explains why a couple of chapters hadn't even been edited. Editor Number Four Fourth, couldn't handle historical words such as "Colored" and "Negro," and felt African Americans should be confined to writing only about topics that White liberals say we can write about. She thought I should have been writing about Little Richard and not Elvis. In addition, she wasn't reading the manuscript. This was quite noticeable when she left unnecessary inquiries in her edits, that if she had been reading the manuscript, she wouldn't have inquired. When I pointed out her unnecessary edits all she could say was, "Oh, sorry, my error." CONTINUED Previous Directory Editor Number Five The fifth editor was interesting. Lucky for me, it didn't cost a dime. You see he neglected to tell me over the phone that he had never heard of Elvis Presley. When this little fact became evident during our first (and last) meeting, I didn’t bother any further. Editor Number Six The sixth editor was the worst of all. Any indication referencing any Black man in my manuscript he wanted to be deleted, stating it was not important. He crossed out Otis Blackwell, who wrote "All Shook Up" and "Don't Be Cruel." He was also offended by the detailed definition of envy in my second introduction called "The Faces Of Envy." After our bitter encounter regarding his edits, I kept ALL references to ALL Black men in my book, right down to the corny comparison of Aesop's Fox and Michael Jordan. Continued Previous Directory Lesson Learned Trust your own words, because there isn't a soul on this earth who can speak for you. After all, was said and done, after most of the editing budget was spent, I'm glad I had that experience. To edit someone's work, you need to be familiar with their life experiences. Unfortunately, most editors in the United States are White liberals with tunnel vision concerning what African Americans should write about and what they believe we should be allowed to write about. These same liberals speak about a great many subjects they know nothing about (one of the big problems with professors at American universities). However, the most important lesson this experience taught me is that had I gotten a really good proofreader and not wasted time and money on editors, I would have been well ahead of the game. Back To Directory Previous --- Joyce Rochelle Vaughn