The hardcovers are in. Yes, after traveling all across the continent, including quite a trip around Moncton itself, the hardcover author copies are finally in. And guess what? They'll soon become a rarity, as the new copies will be about 60 pages thinner. I’m making some tweaks to the formatting, trimming the margins and reducing the print. (Instead of using Cambria 11 for paperback and Lora 11 for hardcover, I'm making it Lora 10 and Cambria 11, respectively.) That will save about 75 cents US per copy in printing costs. I should have thought of that earlier, but I guess it comes with experience. A PDF on the computer screen doesn't look quite the same as a printed copy.
Meanwhile, I'm still exploring options for the audiobook. As I understand it, ACX is a subsidiary of Audible, which in turn is a subsidiary of Amazon, and I'm still trying to figure out how it all works. Again, if I can't afford a unique voice for each major character, let it at least be a dual-narration; a male voice for his perspective, a female voice for hers and, hopefully, both voices in their dialogues. Yes, it's going to be quite costly (my budget is $3000 US), but at least an audiobook can be replicated at no cost, except for the distributor fees. And, yes, I hope to win some new customers among those who don't typically read but like being read to.
By the way, have you watched this episode of The Simpsons? I think it really speaks to us, the indie authors, doesn't it? I'm so glad we live in the days of e-books and print-on-demand (and it's an actual book, not a letter-sized printout with a spiral binding like 30 years ago), so we don't have to be at the mercy of the publishing industry. And, yes, if you wondered why I added this weird warning to my book - here's why. I don't want this done to any of my characters. No. Never.
Speaking of adaptation, here's quite an interesting way to turn your book into a movie. According to their calculator, my book (97500 words) will make a 130-minute movie. (750 words amount to one minute on screen.) They have different prices based on the number of edits you make, and overall costs range from $5200 (medium editing) to $9750 for their "done for you" service. (All US dollars.) That's not something I can easily afford, probably not even after another busy season at my 2nd job. But a 5-minute trailer could be just the right tool to draw in some new readers. If anything, it sure beats Facebook ads (another FB service I'm not welcome at.)
These are the news. As always, I’ll end my weekly recap with a call for more book reviews. Yes, let’s make it at least 20 by the end of 2025.
Have a wonderful week.
Leonard.