Sunday, April 27, 2014

Ordering the Proof...
     Well, the proof is on its way. I completed the initial process through CreateSpace and have ordered one proof of The Falls: In the Dead of Winter. It should be here in less than a week. That's a big step in the publishing process. I'm excited to get it, but optimistically cautious and wary of what more I may have to do before it's ready for publication.
     Since placing the order, I have already revised the cover twice. It still has some flaws, but I will deal with those once the proof gets here. By the way, I wonder who came up with the term 'proof' anyway? Is it because it's actual proof that you've been slaving away at your craft? Or is it proof that you need to get busy re-editing? Might not draft copy have been a better term? Ah, well, it was probably given the term by the guys who used to turn out the first copies of books when it involved typesetting, ink and reams and reams of paper stretched out on noisy, massive machines.
     I guess that means that I'm shoring up the ramp to get myself out of my hole, perhaps even taking a peek or two over the top to see what's on the horizon. Of course, at the same time I've just finished volume 14 of The Falls small town mystery series, The Falls: Brotherly Love, and I have already begun the 15th book, The Falls: Boneyard. And, at the same time, I'm re-editing the 2nd book in the series, The Falls: Summer Nightmare, getting it ready to be published on Create Space, while beginning the artistic parts of creating the cover for it.
     I guess that tells you where the majority of my time is going. I have ramped up the pace to have both digital books and paperback books coordinate and overlap. CreateSpace has been an excellent choice for a beginning foray into the world of paperback publishing. If any of you are still hesitating about putting your ebooks out in paperback, CreateSpace is certainly a viable, affordable and excellently crafted step to doing just that. I recommend it highly. I'm an old dog, who is learning new tricks. If this stubborn old Scotsman can do it, so can you.
     As the ramp is nearing completion, I'm not fooling myself. There are, as it was phrased so wonderfully, "...miles to go before I sleep". But I can peek over the edge, see the promising horizon and I am, for perhaps the first time since starting all this, certain that it will eventually happen. I still have my shovel gripped tightly in my rather sweaty, earthy and anxious hands at this point, but I am optimistic.
     Never fear, I'll tell you all about the proof (draft copy!) when it arrives. Until then, may your day be filled with small pleasures and may the dragons watch over us all... 

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