Blogflux directoryIt's gone to the printer, and I shall never see it more, alas, but really, hooray!!
There have been so many "finishing" moments in the process of getting the manuscript finished that it's been almost ridiculous at times, but today I guess I've got to say it was the real, final, finishing moment.
There have been moments when I "finished" the manuscript and sent it off to someone to read (an editor, for example), and there was the moment when I had "finished" revisions and sent it off to the designer to lay out.
But since that "finishing" moment, I've had to proofread in at least six ways -- for italics, bold, hyphenation, paragraph indents, index page numbers, etc., etc. I've redone several of the pages that were added at the last minute -- the aforementioned Index, the About the Author page, the testimonials that go inside the front cover, so there have also been "finishing" moments followed by "oh, one more change" moments, followed by still more "finishing."
Today, I made the very last change to contents and layout after about 3 days of making changes to contents and layout.
Today I mailed a check to the printers that covers everything but freight and any little problems that could arise.
Tomorrow Nick (Nick Zelinger, my layout guy) will mail a hard copy of the manuscript, along with a CD containing the electronic version, to the printers. And we're finished! I think!
And thus begins the magical period I've been thinking of for so long, "while the book is getting printed." And my mind is so tired from the process of getting it finished that I'm not sure what to do with myself! I feel as if my brain is made of scrambled eggs.
Often at times like that, I feel as if I need "resetting" like a computer and wish I had a Reset button. The closest thing I've got is eating breakfast in a restaurant followed by a hike in the mountains, so I may do that tomorrow, though I've got a lunch appointment in Boulder and that would mean I'd have to start out pretty early in the morning.
Ah -- and there will indeed be one more "finishing" moment, when I receive a proof from the printer and have to quickly review it and sign off on it.
There have been moments when I "finished" the manuscript and sent it off to someone to read (an editor, for example), and there was the moment when I had "finished" revisions and sent it off to the designer to lay out.
But since that "finishing" moment, I've had to proofread in at least six ways -- for italics, bold, hyphenation, paragraph indents, index page numbers, etc., etc. I've redone several of the pages that were added at the last minute -- the aforementioned Index, the About the Author page, the testimonials that go inside the front cover, so there have also been "finishing" moments followed by "oh, one more change" moments, followed by still more "finishing."
Today, I made the very last change to contents and layout after about 3 days of making changes to contents and layout.
Today I mailed a check to the printers that covers everything but freight and any little problems that could arise.
Tomorrow Nick (Nick Zelinger, my layout guy) will mail a hard copy of the manuscript, along with a CD containing the electronic version, to the printers. And we're finished! I think!
And thus begins the magical period I've been thinking of for so long, "while the book is getting printed." And my mind is so tired from the process of getting it finished that I'm not sure what to do with myself! I feel as if my brain is made of scrambled eggs.
Often at times like that, I feel as if I need "resetting" like a computer and wish I had a Reset button. The closest thing I've got is eating breakfast in a restaurant followed by a hike in the mountains, so I may do that tomorrow, though I've got a lunch appointment in Boulder and that would mean I'd have to start out pretty early in the morning.
Ah -- and there will indeed be one more "finishing" moment, when I receive a proof from the printer and have to quickly review it and sign off on it.
Congratulations! Breathe deeply, and have that breakfast and that hike and celebrate your accomplishments to date.
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