The Joy of Print

I originally planned only to publish my books electronically but at the last moment decided to go for a print version too as several friends requested one. I am so glad I did. For ages I've been primarily reading via electronic devices (often my iPad mini rather than kindle - so I can read in bed without the lights on) and I've been an ebook evangelist - and a very early adopter.  I still love proper printed books - but the house is bursting at the seams with them - despite several clear outs and Oxfam donations. Having decided to go down the printed route too, I can't tell you how glad I am. The feel of a real paperback is a million trillion times better than seeing a listing on Amazon. And it's not just me the author - as soon as I produced the physical copy people who had been aware of the book on Kindle were congratulating me again and saying I should feel really proud. It was almost as if the book didn't really exist until it had manifested itself in the real world. I think the book looks really fabulous (thank you Jane Dixon-Smith - who is brilliant and very reasonably priced) and could hold its own in Waterstones! I used Create Space (another Amazon owned company) and the process was easy and cost nothing until I ordered the proof. You will of course need to pay for artwork for spine and back cover whereas ebooks need only front - in my case it was a small additional cost - and many people go DIY anyway (not something I'd recommend). So fellow writers - even if you intend to market your work exclusively through electronic outlets (and there are many more than Amazon!) do at least set your book up as a print file and even if you only order a single proof copy do it! There's nothing like seeing your own real book on a real shelf.