THE REFUSAL PAPER VERSIONS
Well, the final print editions, the paper versions we’re genuinely happy with and proud of, have been a long time coming.
It turns out publishing a paperback isn’t nearly as simple as it sounds. There are countless small details that only become obvious once you’ve gone through the process yourself.
First, there’s the spine. The number of pages affects its width, of course, but so do the paper type, paper weight, and coating. Even a small change can alter the spine enough to require adjustments to the entire cover layout.
PAPER VERSIONS PDF REQUIREMENTS (NO AGREED UPON BASICS)
Then there’s the world of PDF requirements. Every print-on-demand provider seems to have its own standards. Some make the process straightforward, while others try to simplify things by requiring PDF formats or specifications that feel outdated. Some offer excellent verification tools and realistic digital proofs. Others make the review process more complicated than it needs to be. Some platforms are intuitive (Bookvault, for example, best so far both in terms of printing quality and ease of use of their system- in my humble opinion) while others have a much steeper learning curve.
PAPER VERSIONS PRINTING ISSUES
Printing itself is another challenge. Every printer compensates for trimming and bleed differently, which is why they provide templates in the first place. Some explain these requirements clearly, while others leave much more to interpretation. And perhaps the biggest lesson of all: a cover that looks fantastic on a calibrated monitor can look surprisingly disappointing once it’s printed on paper. Colors shift, contrast changes, and fine details don’t always reproduce the way you expect.
By now, you’ve probably guessed that this comes from firsthand experience.
CHALLENGES OF THE PAPER VERSIONS
Those lessons are the reason the print editions have taken longer than expected. We’ve just finished the final touches on The Refusal, and the paperback should finally be available worldwide within the next couple of weeks. The Exodus will follow shortly afterward.
The good news is that we’ve climbed the learning curve. Now that we’ve worked through the pitfalls, future print editions should reach readers much more quickly.
Such are the joys, and occasional frustrations, of self-publishing.
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Stéphane Roy is a lifelong reader and writer with a deep love for science fiction, apocalyptic worlds, and tightly constructed mysteries. This is his first novel. He lives in the Yukon with his dog and his aquarium, where long winters, silence, and wide, sometimes glowing, skies leave plenty of room for imagining the end of the world, and what might come after it. He is also waiting, with cautious optimism, for the aliens to finally reveal themselves and straighten us all out.