Closer to book launch
Closer to book launch
Monday is off to a good start. I just received word from my editor that he has finished his edits on the manuscript. He plans to send me an editorial letter tomorrow (Tuesday) that will outline what he's done, suggests next steps and explains what I need to address as I incorporate his edits into the final "Midway Bravery" manuscript.
When those tasks are finished, I'll need to incorporate a photo gallery and index the content. Then it's on to production: preparing the book for release, first in hard cover, followed by soft cover and e-book formats. My plan remains to launch the hardback version sometime during the first week of June, followed by the other versions later in the summer.
Originally, my wife and I planned to travel to Washington, D.C., during the first week of June to launch the book there at the annual gathering of the B-26 Marauder Historical Society. However, health issues -- my wife recently had surgery for brain cancer (glioblastoma) and is undergoing radiation treatment and chemotherapy -- required us to cancel the trip.
Still, we (my wife and I, and we're a team on this project) envision a virtual book launch in Washington. We'll create a video about the book and get this to the society for showing sometime during their gathering. Also, I plan to order ample copies from my hardback publisher, Ingrim Spark, for shipment to my home. Then, I'll get out my trusty fountain pen, pre-sign several dozen books and ship them to DC in care of Jim Muri's daughter, Sylvia Saadati. She has kindly agreed to be my selling agent, if you will, to handle sales there, possibly with the help of her nephew (and one of Jim's grandsons), Joschua.
Kudos to my editor, Craig Lancaster, for again taking on the task of wordsmithing my work. He served in the same role for my first book, "Win 'Em All." Craig, I should add, is an accomplished novelist (with his books available on Amazon and other outlets) and a fellow journalist whose career stops across the country included the primary newspaper of my career, the Billings Gazette.
Craig's message included these kind words about the manuscript: "It was a pleasure and an honor to read. I wish I'd met Jim Muri. What a great man." Yes, he was. Thanks, Craig, for helping move this true labor of love further down the road to reality.