Paperback Update

Trials and Tribulations

After a tense two week wait, my proof copy of The Caves of Tavannar arrived this week. Initially, I was overjoyed to finally hold ‘my precious’ in my hands, but once I stopped bouncing around like Tigger and set about checking the proof for any printing and grammatical errors, I discovered some of the interior pages were squint. Argh!

I immediately contacted Createspace about this quality issue, who reassured me that it was a one-off manufacturing error and would send out another proof for me to check. Unfortunately, I haven’t been given an estimated delivery date, but I would expect the turnaround to be slower due to the additional pressure of Christmas postage. As you can imagine this has left me very frustrated as I don’t want to disappoint my readers. I was hopeful that the paperback version would be available on the Amazon store in time for Christmas, but time is now running out. However, I can’t let a quality issue slip by unchecked, especially when customers purchasing a copy expect it to look as it should.

Matt versus Glossy

The proof copy has highlighted another dilemma regarding the finish of the exterior cover. I opted for a glossy finish as felt this would give the cover images a more vibrant appearance, but the black/ darker colours look much darker in places, and some of the subtle light rays/ detail of the bird’s wing have been lost. It also shows up fingerprints very easily and has a slippery feel to the touch. I’ve requested a matt finish for the second proof in order to compare both finishes side by side. The main disadvantage of the matt finish is that the colours are likely to look duller and is less durable without a laminated coating.

As a reader, do you have a preference as to how the cover looks and feels?

Fellow writers –  What are your thoughts? Have you opted for a matt or glossy finish for your novel?

A Final Note

If the gods should decide to smile upon me and grant my Christmas wish, I’ll update you with a release date as soon as possible. If not… the paperback version will definitely be available to purchase after the New Year. I will also be running a giveaway over January, where you can win a free signed copy of The Caves of Tavannar. What better way to forget the cold and gloom of January than to start a brand New Year with an epic journey to Galidom? 😀  I’ll post details of how you can enter on the website and social media before the event.

Please feel free to share your thoughts and leave me a comment. Thanks!