Course Correction

So...a thing happened. A good thing. In fact I will go as far as to say it is great!

Well, there are several things actually. The Coles Notes / Readers Digest version follows:

  1. The print version of my book [should] be published in just over a month
  2. My e-Book version is essentially ready to go, but I am planning to release both formats at the same time
  3. My book is now being self-published

Why the change in my publication strategy? The short version - the publisher I had retained has gone out of business. That in large part contributed to the delay which has transpired over the previous months. 

I have no way of knowing what may have brought about the demise of the publishing company. It was unfortunate, yes; frustrating and disappointing, definitely, but probably just as much for those who were employed there. My hope is they were not too adversely affected. I know in these days it's difficult enough to manage life without the added burden of worrying about your job and how you're going to pay your bills.

I have discovered just in the last 7 to 10 days,  that I have been able to get more work accomplished in preparing this book for publication, than in all the time since I started on this journey. So I'm now looking at this change in direction as a good opportunity. One which I never anticipated since this venture started over five years ago. I have come to a better understanding about what it takes to prepare a book for publication, and interestingly, also discovered the process can reveal a lot about yourself – some good, others not so much. Regardless, the acquired information has proven beneficial and has been an integral part of how I will steward this process moving forward. 

This is my first book to be published and while it is not a large book - certainly not on the same level as War and Peace - the different facets of preparation have provided invaluable insight  for my next writing projects, which will be focussed on fiction.

I now have approximately one month to formulate a plan of action for the public dissemination of my book. Ideally most of this would have started months ahead of time, and to a certain extent it has. However, due to the aforementioned unforeseen circumstances, this necessitated a change in direction for this new mode of thinking.

While the process has been challenging at times, it has been enjoyable for the most part. At this juncture the anticipation is starting to build, and while my personality does not usually lend itself to overt expressiveness, I cannot wait to actually hold the physical copy of my book in my hand. That too is my desire for anyone who wishes to acquire a copy for themselves.

Now that I've aligned myself with this new self publishing workflow, I will endeavour to ensure the final product has been worth the wait. I cannot thank you all enough for your patience over the intervening months and years. My hope is that my next projects will take significantly less time to come to fruition. And as a final note, for those who had  previously signed up for this newsletter subscription, the e-book copies that were promised will be provided for you in due course.

Here is to a productive, and engaging month to come. 

Once again, thank you all!