My journey with Draw Like a Boss 3 has been like a mountain ascent. An appropriate metaphor since this particular project has been a massive and incredibly ambitious endevour... with plenty of knockbacks and pitfalls, all overcome.
That said, the project is currently experiencing an unforeseeable delay due to an unfortunate change of circumstances with my book manufacturer. Here’s what happened and what we had to do to resolve the situation:
In early February, I had ‘Hardcore Peak’ well in view and pretty much bagged—the book was written, the proofreading complete, and everything in a perfect state.
All the design files (cover, endpapers, jacket design, etc.) had been sent to the printers, leaving only a few more steps to take while savouring the view with a lovely glass of Malbec… then pressing that splendid print button to get those 408 pages formed into a book. However something was up with my book maker...
Delays, delays and then this sign saying...
Even worse was the fact that they had behaved like there was nothing wrong for weeks. The biggest red flag came in the form of the proofs being constantly delayed, and Joe (not his real name), my book maker contact, constantly 'going on holiday'.
Looking at the email exchange between myself and my project manager, it's quite clear that they've known this was coming since January.
After realising we had wasted a full month on empty promises, we licked our wounds and came to terms with the fact that we had to find a new book maker. That process went like this...
After the dust had settled, we took a moment to look around and assess the damage... That’s when we saw it...
It was the most beautiful thing we had ever seen. A symbol of resilience against impossible odds. Organic, capable of adapting into numerous shapes. Strong, determined... slowly we approached it.
We found a new book manufacturer who can not only match the quality of our books but also operates on 100% green energy!
Having secured this new ally in bookmaking, we’ve gone through a phase of calibration, restarted the entire production process, and are now waiting on proofs, which will be ready next week!
This obviously affects the book’s delivery, but once we’re certain everything is in place to press print, we’ll put out an update with the new delivery date.
Thank you for your patience and support along this journey!
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Ash & family