Onto Publication
Dear friends & Kickstarter backers,
January has been a busy month. Ever since the Kickstarter closed successfully, I've been driving hard towards the finish line. Now, it looks like there's light at the end of the tunnel.
I say that because, just over this weekend, I sent the finished novel's copy to my copy-editor for one last final proofread. This is the self-publishing equivalent of receiving a "proof copy" in the mail—essentially a physical copy of the novel, cover-to-cover for one last check before it goes to print.
I had to finish a number of publication pre-requisites to get to this point. Many of them have been specifically enabled by my Kickstarters' generous backing. They include:
• ISBN acquisition for each format (paperback, e-book, etc.)
• Acquisition of typefaces for front & back cover
• Formatting, typesetting, and dealing with errata
• Designing the covers, the Page of Backers, and more.
There are only a few tasks left to do while my editor ensures every "i" is dotted and every "t" is crossed—things like taking my author picture. I rarely take selfies, so that one might be a challenge.
But in all seriousness, I plan to wrap up those and related details over this next week as January comes to a close and February dawns. If there are no further changes from the editing process, then I could be handing the novel off to printers as soon as February 1st. After that, the last step is to order the first batch from the printers—and then they head into your hands.
I'm so thankful for my backers, and it's a relief to be at this stage in the process where the task list is starting to dwindle. It ain't over until it's over, though.
So close! Onto publication.