Publishing: The Good, The Bad, Your Perspective

You have a contract. Yay!

Plans and dates change…Crud.

My debut picture book was scheduled to publish on April 2^nd. Due to some issues with the actual printer (no fault of the publishing house, machinery was being replaced) the date was pushed to the 16^th and now to May 7^th.

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.