I didn’t spend the last 20 years just wishing and waiting and twiddling my thumbs until the time and opportunity presented itself to finish my book. I did research.
And all my research led me to Gorham Printing, in Centralia, Washington. On my first visit to their plant last spring, I took note of the posters on their main reception wall promising “Careful Craftsmanship,” “Helpful Service,” and “Artful Design.” I spent considerable time perusing the shelves of books on display, and asking lots of questions.
Yesterday I made my second visit to Gorham, with manuscript in hand, and also on disk. I sat down with one of their graphic designers and she patiently answered all my “new” production questions, anticipating (and easing) every concern.
I got as much time and attention as I needed, walking step-by-step through the processes of cover selection and design, text layout, pagination, headers, chapter title borders and so forth. I am confident that “we” will all end up with a book to be proud of.
Yes, I know, I ended that sentence with a preposition. And I suspect there might even be a few grammatical errors in my book, too, but it won’t be the printer’s fault! If you are thinking about self-publishing, I suggest you check Gorham Printing out for yourself by clicking on the link in the sidebar. Tell them Jan sent you!
Meanwhile, I’m just really, REALLY excited to be “in the process” of holding my baby in my hands in just five to seven weeks. I’ll be using this space to send out the birth announcements, so stay tuned!