Exciting!!!

So I’m breaking one of my own rules by posting this.  (I’m supposed to be doing an orthophosphate paper for my science research class.)  HOWEVER – this is definitely too exciting to pass up.

The tentative publishing date: December 2008.

This has been in the works for a few months now, actually, and it’s been pretty sure, but there hasn’t been anything completely set in stone until now.  We’re looking at a December 2008/January 2009 release date.

I’ve been looking like this all day.

In a few weeks, I’ll have a tentative cover design to share with you all.  In the meantime, I have a ton of edits to do…

=D

Ah!

My favorite author just released the covers for two new editions of her books (one upcoming release, plus its prequel) on her blog.

My faithful readers (who am I kidding?  Faithful READER) will remember my last post about Tamora Pierce’s blog.  The covers are for Beka Cooper: Terrier, and Beka Cooper: Bloodhound.  Check out the post.

Book Binding

Some people are really into DIY.  Seriously.  They really are.

There are tons of web sites out there devoted to DIY.  Some of them are about book-binding.

While conducting research, I discovered one web site that sells the machines that make hard covers.  It’s called Fastbind.  At www.fastbind.com, an interested company (or private citizien, I assume) can find all sorts of products to help them bind their own books.

If you just want to make some paperbacks by hand, whether for fun or profit, I’d suggest checking out DIYBookbinding.com or No-Media-Kings.  Both sites offer tutorials on binding paperbacks.

If you’re more into the whole classic-bookbinder image of ancient leather tomes, try this site instead.  It shows you where to find free book-binding resources, as well as giving background and history on bookbinding.

(Just a short article today, dears.)

I’m not Crazy, I’m just a little… unsure

Okay.  I have several dilemmas.

The first of which being that my… person… is confusing me to the extreme right now.  (Although I did get five pages of writing out of pure anxiety.)  I don’t understand him.  I’m not entirely sure I understand what kind of relationship we have right now.

Translation:  Angst angst angst *write* angst angst angst *bestseller*

My second dilemma is about school.  I just changed my plan, which involves a double major in Communications and English-Creative Writing.  Meaning that I need an internship that covers one of the two.  Hopefully Communications, because I’ve decided that I should go into advertising.  I get really enthusiastic about things, so advertising wouldn’t be that difficult for me.

Translation: GYAAAAAAAH *rip hair out*

The third dilemma stems from the second.  I’m debating with myself over whether or not to keep trying to get The TECH Project published traditionally.  I’m highly considering self-publishing.  Why, you may ask?  People hate self-publishers!

Well, for several reasons.  The TECH Project was never intended to be finished, much less sold to an agent.  It was a pet project that was just for fun, mostly intended to make me stop paying attention to people I was feuding with.  (I’ve reconciled with them, so apparently I succeeded.) 

Originally, I was going to self-publish, because I just wanted to see if people liked my writing and my style.  Then my mom and a lot of other people told me that I should try to get it published.  I just sort of said “okay” and went along with that plan.  But I’ve gotten rejection after rejection after rejection, and they were all imperson rejections as well.

Here are the pros and cons of self-publishing:

• I won’t have a wide-scale base of people to sell to, since I probably won’t be picked up by a major publisher if I self-publish.
• Then again, it’s not like I’m the next J. K. or Stephenie anyways.
• I’ll be able to control the cover art.
• I can use the experience to learn how to advertise, including things like making a budget, creating promotional materials, organizing events, and blurb-writing.
• If I go the traditional route, my publisher would be in charge of that.
• The publisher usually doesn’t do that, anyways.  Authors are in charge.
• I’d have to pay for everything myself.
• I wouldn’t have the experience of walking into a bookstore and saying, “Look, it’s my book!”
• I can wait for that.
• This could be a learning experience.
• But there wouldn’t be a movie!  I love movies, and my writing style reflects the fact that I see my story very clearly, as if I’m standing in the middle of it.
• No chance to break into publishing at seventeen or eighteen.  (I’m sixteen, but my birthday is in EXACTLY a month.)

As you can see, I have arguments with myself because I am so conflicted.  This causes Emoness.  Do you have any advice or suggestions?  Mind all my different points and the purposes I’ve pointed out for self-publishing – so I can learn, not just to satisfy my need to hold a book in my hand.