You have a contract. Yay!
Plans and dates change…Crud.
My debut picture book was scheduled to publish on April 2nd.
Due to some issues with the actual printer (no fault of the publishing house, machinery
was being replaced) the date was pushed to the 16th and now to May 7th.
Luckily for me, the publisher is on top of things and we’ll
still have books for all the events already scheduled.
As I told this news to friends and family, they got loud and
frustrated on my behalf. But to all my authors and illustrators out there I
have a word of advice.
Chill.
Sure, plans changing stinks, but my book is still coming
out. Shaking my fist at the sky and cursing the book gods won’t get it printed
any faster. Getting upset doesn’t fix anything (although at times it is easy
and even stress relieving to stomp your feet and grumble).
Publishing will be full of delays and changes. At school
visits there will be technical difficulties. There may be bookstore visits with
only one customer or festivals that get rained out. Things happen and you need
to know this going in.
Roll with the changes and mishaps as best you can.
Now I have the opportunity, for all of my April visits, to
let people know they are getting an exclusive.
They can see and purchase Odd Animal ABC’s a month before anyone else. So those
children at the school visits get to feel special. Those bookstore shoppers get
the jump on the rest of the world. That is pretty cool.
It is all a matter of perspective.
