Countdown to Publication: 5 months & 8 days.
As you can see, I like to keep track of some sort of data. Whether it is the number of words written for a book, queries versus rejections (72 queries / 45 rejections), or now, a countdown to the publication of my first book. I decided my official publication date will be July 16, 2021.
How did I choose this specific date? Well there were many factors. I wanted to give myself time for any last minute adjustments, so I had to pick a date in the summer. Since I work for the local school system, summers are a guaranteed time without that aspect of work. It had to be prior to August, because teachers and staff go back to school long before students do.
I also needed to push the date off long enough to send my book to reviewers. From reading about it, I believe the reviewer time-frame is about 4 months. This will allow the reviewer time to read the book and write a review prior to publication. The 5+ month date also gives me time to get a long list of things accomplished, so the book launch will be successful.
Let us take stock of recent tasks:
1. Purchased ISBNs – I purchased 10 ISBNs from Bowker. You need multiple identifiers to cover the different versions of your book (hardback, paperback, ebook, audiobook).
2. Applied for a Library of Congress number – As someone who worked in a college library, I believe a Library of Congress number is both required and proves my book is legit.
3. Remove my personal information from the internet – This is a full-time job. Several times, I have patted myself on the back for successfully opting out of all the websites, only to find more. I don’t have a great link to share for this task, but I will say be diligent. It is not something you can do in one day, so plan accordingly.
4. Update the interior design of the book – As I mentioned in a MUCH earlier post, I have a degree in Multimedia and Web Design. This means I am pretty good with most Adobe products and have enough confidence to continue learning more. Normally, you would hire out the paperback/hardback book design, but I feel comfortable doing it on my own. Since there were many updates to my book, I needed to go in and ensure the flow was still visually pleasing.
5. Cover art adjustment / text update – There was one aspect of the cover art I was unhappy with and felt it needed to be addressed. I am so delighted we did! The cover art is AMAZING, and I cannot wait for readers to see it! The cover design and text also needed to be updated. Again, this is something that is normally tackled by a professional in the field.
Next steps:
The next milestone is creating an ebook out of my paperback design.