Monthly Archives: April 2014

It’s Out of My Hands Now

Today, I submitted my files to the printer. Like anything creative, the work is never complete; it can always be improved. But there comes a time when the painter must put down his brush to signal that the piece is finished. Finished is not the the same as complete, which implies that nothing is lacking. Since my last blog post, two proofreaders read my manuscript for errors. During this time, I reread it and made a surprising number of changes, including the addition of a final chapter.

In the days before self-publishing, the author would hand the manuscript to the publisher. In my case, I uploaded my text and cover and clicked on a button. The action had as much fanfare as submitting my taxes electronically. Not the sort of thrill to mark the culmination of seven years of work. I do feel accomplished and excited for the future, wondering how well the book will sell. When I hold a printed book in my hand, then I will have something tangible to testify to my labor and my excitement will peak and I will celebrate. But I will rest on my laurels for only a moment because there is more to be done. I must begin marketing my book. I plan to create discussion questions for my book as a downloadable PDF file. And I already have a concept for my next book, which I am eager to start working on.