Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Today I Pushed "Send"

Today, I sent the cover and interior files to Lightning Source. As soon as I got the confirmation the files had successfully uploaded, I felt like crying. This whole crazy, Medusa inspired dream is coming true. Every step brings it closer to reality and very soon, I will be able to hold the real, page turning, beautiful book.

My Muse sat quietly beside me as we watched the little spinning pinwheel whirl around on the screen while the upload process advanced. When it was all done we just sat quietly together for a moment, both smiling, enjoying the feeling of excitment and pride. She didn't have to say a word; I knew she was proud of me.

I can't wait for the book-proof!

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Licenses, Numbers and Other Details

It's down to the proverbial wire, and now all those little details have to be figured out. Can't put off the business decisions anymore, so on September 11th I filed for my business license as a sole proprietor. Then I filed a fictitious name statement with the county clerk. No turning back now, I'm official. Of course, signing the contract with Laura made the press official, but now the tax collector knows I exist and once the "doing business as" is posted in the local newspaper, I'll really be in the public eye. Before, this press was a dream of mine which Jane decided looked like fun, and then Laura joined on. It was a fun idea. Now it's a real business.

So many details as the publication date gets closer. The next business thing to do is open a business account at the bank, then get a resale license so I can sell books directly. Set up a pay-pal account for the website, find an accountant to help Jane with the tax stuff, and hope I haven't forgotten something important as I create a formal business structure.

Beyond that, I got the library of congress control number, which has to be added to the copyright page. I sent the contract to LSI to set up a printing account. Rick and I are finalizing the interior of the book through guess work, comparisons, and a book by Pete Masterson. Luckily Rick already knows InDesign or we'd be completely lost. It's been weeks of reading and re-reading the text, finding the problems, balancing the text, looking for "orphans" and "widows" and then handing it off to Laura to double check. Of course she found things we missed. But this is good; creating a book is a collaborative process. More polish and rearranging in the text. Should the word be hyphenated or not? What about the spacing on page 112? Is that how you spell audacity?

And then there is the back of the book info. What can I say about the book that will relay what it is about and why someone should buy it? Why is this book important? What will compel someone to plunk down $16.00? What will they get for their money? All I can think of is "this is a really good book and you should buy it." Great! Where's my Muse when I need her?

More details: Where does the price go on the back of the book? Should we use the BISAC catalogue number, and if so, which category does it go under? Memoir, yes, but what kind of memoir? How much time do bookstores need to order the book before the actual release date to have it in stock? Who do I talk to about setting up readings? Wait a minute, why am I doing that? Shouldn't Laura do that? No, I should help, so what do I say? Is there a procedure for this? What if the resale license doesn't arrive in time? Can I still sell books at the conference, or will I get in trouble? Where did I put those receipts? Why doesn't the back of the book info actually fit on the back of the book? How many books should I pre-order? How many books come in a box? How many books do we need for gifts? Do I have all the permission forms? Where can I find a good accountant who knows something about the publishing business? Did we send out enough press releases? Has anyone called us about it? Do we follow up with calls, or is that being pushy? What am I doing? No really, WHAT AM I DOING?