One Author Copy, Two Author Copy… More?

How many Author copies does one need to order?

As many as it takes until you get it right.

Due to the surge in self-published authors and AI-generated reading materials, there has been a call for authentic quality written and produced books. With that in mind, I have been a little bit more particular than usual in the quality of my debut novel.  Yes, I want it to succeed, but I want it to succeed well.

Needless to say, frustration has been the keyword here. I knew the first author copy would need revision and some work. When I saw the second author copy, I thought, “Easy peasy. I just need to change the format of the cover from jpeg to pdf for a crisper cleaner look, and I’m good to go.”

Something must have been off at the printers that day. The third copy was thicker than the others and a tragedy to the spine and back of the book screamed its subtle death. I counted every single page and went back through the proofs to try and figure out what I did wrong. Printer error or not, that line should never have appeared on the spine, and I needed more bleed to the length of the book. I nixed the idea of a full back cover transparency and went with a smokey haze instead. I also centered my spine once more.

The fourth book came back at the size it was supposed to be and with the title centered on the spine. But the graphics on the spine weren’t centered. One final adjustment to the graphics, and I finally ordered my last and fifth author copy. Today, I am happy to say that I plan to place an order for my ARC copies this week.

Lesson Learned: Pay attention to your leader lines in the proof copy.  It could save you a ton of money.

For my e-readers, I was able to upload Wandering Through Meadows Volume 2 to the Kindle store last month while I painfully waited for my author copies. I plan to round off my Wandering Through Meadows series in the Kindle store by uploading the third volume before the start of summer this year.

Looking ahead, my next step is 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.

In the meantime, Registration is now open to the public for Grandfather’s Whispers Book Launch Party on Thursday, August 22, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. We have a special guest actor who will be narrating Grandfather’s Whispers at the time of the event. Michael O’Hair was recently featured for his performance on ABC’s Shark Tank last month, and he has graciously agreed to read an excerpt from my book. Details can be found in the Upcoming Events section of this newsletter. There is limited seating. If you haven’t done so already, make sure you reserve your spot today!