Printastic!

Well, last week marked several milestones in the life of my little book. It's cover is officially complete and looks great (see image, right). The bound galleys arrived and have been sent out for review, and I met my deadline to apply for IPG, the distributor for self-publishers (wish me luck!) The galleys are "printastic;" all of my hard work now looks and feels like a real book.

Finding the right printer hasn't posed as much of a challenge as I imagined. In fact, all the folks I've corresponded with so far have been more than helpful, and I'm learning something new everyday.

Once I decide on a printer, it looks like the smart thing to do is a run of 500, and see if those bad boys sell. Then, I will do a larger run of 3,000 or 5,000. I understand this is pretty much standard for a new book, especially a first-time self-publisher.

Next comes the scary part...sharing the book with other people. Yes, I do recognize that's the whole point of writing a book in the first place, but I do feel vulnerable - putting my ideas out there for everyone to see. Vulnerable...and excited.