It only took me several hours today to get "Mesa" ready for production. I had to go through it ONE MORE TIME as I usually do, and I will go through it again once I've approved it for print. I'll order one copy, go through it as I read it (in my hands as opposed to on the screen) and I'll take a pen to it - marking all the mistakes. Then, I go back to the PDF make the changes, and upload it again. If I do this within 60 days of the original upload I'm not charged.
Ingram Spark is a good place to publish, but they don't help you whatsoever when you need help. You have to email every time and hope you get someone interested in doing their job. I get that they're busy, I do. I know I'm not the only problem they have, but to say "The file can't be loaded" because of font embed issues is insane!! I take extra care to download them, flatten them, embed them, and print them as Adobe PDF files - - it's so aggravating when they don't take the file because I keep thinking it's something I did or didn't do. Then, on the 11th try - bam! They take it.
In a few days, they'll write to me and ask if I approve it. I'll approve it so I can get them to print one copy and send it to me. If there are issues I'll let them know, and re-up it, and reapprove it. It's a hassle, but it's free and it's the best way I can do the whole process. I can't find the mistakes on my own when I just skim over or even go through the file manually. My eyes won't see all of my mistakes until I've been away from the manuscript for at least two weeks. That's why I go ahead and print it but I don't put it up for sale.
"Mesa" is coming out on June 22, which is my best friend's birthday. I dedicated the book to my daughter Laura, but I know I won't have the thing 100% done for two weeks, why not make it three and celebrate its print at the same time I celebrate my buddy!! Woo Hoo! It's a plan. It's a good plan too. I like this plan.
I sent the cover-up and the interior today, and it came back with the embed issue. Naturally, like a dummy, I thought the problem was me and I tore into the cover thinking I hadn't flattened it when I downloaded it. I did it a 2nd and 3rd time, then when it still wouldn't upload, I called Adobe and they helped. They couldn't get Ingram to accept their downloads either - - and then it hit me; it wasn't the cover! It was the interior file. I must have uploaded one that wasn't saved as an Adobe PDF...just a regular PDF.
OMG!! I hate the number of hoops you have to jump through, but OK, I do understand their need for it to be precise. I downloaded and saved it as an ADOBE PDF this time, and they took it - - yes, yes, yes. I am very happy. It will cost me $5.70 to order one copy. I can't do that of course, until they set it up and have it approved by me - - that will be Thursday or Friday and then it will take another two weeks to get me that copy. I can read it in 2 days, but I do have to wait for a weekend.
That's going to be June 14-16 and then I can upload the new file with any and all corrections, and the thing will be instantly corrected and on sale June 22, 2024. It will cost about $19.00 for the printed version, and I'll have the eBooks out soon too. That's the next project -- I will take the next two weeks off and start reading on how to do that exactly - - and I need to find out how to do the whole audiobook thing. I think I'm going to do that as well.
"Mesa" is done! That makes me so happy. I'm hoping to write the next book in about 3 or 4 weeks, so I can get it out by August. That's the plan, and then the next by October, and "Cask" will be out by Christmas. Looks like I'm only writing five books in 2024, but that's nothing to sneeze at, right? Five books: One blog book, two dramas, and two Posh thrillers. It's a good plan -- again, I like the plan. Now, if I can only get them sold!! That would be awesome. I have a plan for that too - - prayer. (that and promotion)
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