The Moment

There’s a lot to say for finally having a physical, finished copy of all of your hard work and efforts sitting in your hands. The joy. The tears. The amazing feeling of seeing your name in print and your story in a book. It was all worth it. Worth the late nights, grueling hours, the numerous rereads and revisions, and all of the highs and lows that come with publishing your first book.

As a writer, all I have ever wanted to do was write. So, for the last 14 years, that’s all I ever did. Embarking on publishing your writings has been challenging and rewarding but a wonderfully exciting experience for me. Just this month alone, I received the eProof of my book, made revisions, ordered my author copy, made more revisions, and ordered another author copy of my book. In addition, I received my copyright certificate, Library of Congress Control Number, and I hired an actor to do my reading at the book launch party.

The lessons I have learned so far is to pay attention to your cover, spine, margins, indentations, and to give your book another read through when you have the physical copy in your hand. Of all the errors that can and will occur, which are not quite as noticeable on the digital screen, become apparent when they are printed with ink on paper. Mark up that book with red as much as possible to ensure you end up with a pristine printed publication of the finest quality.

Looking ahead, I will be ordering what I hope to be the final author copy of my book with plans to move forward to ordering my ARC copies. I also plan to set up a Goodreads giveaway and a pre-sale order for those who wish to reserve their copies before the book’s release date. If you would like to put your name in for the giveaway drawing, sign up to Goodreads and follow me.