Proofs
This is what the last day or two has looked like (with the cup of tea being refreshed as needed…I’m not still on the one from Tuesday).
These are the proofs for the book. Proofs are sort of a trial run for the finished thing. I send the files off to the printer, the printer runs off a version of the files using their printers and their inks and their paper, and then they send them back to me. I look them over to make sure what seemed like a lovely golden yellow on my screen didn’t turn out to be highlighter bright on their equipment. (Don’t worry, those rainbow bars on the bottom won’t be in the finished book those are just there for making sure the color is playing nicely.)
It’s also my last chance to do one more check for errors. It’s not precisely easy to fix things now (I likely wouldn’t bother for something like two spaces after a period rather than one), but it is possible (I would fix something like an incorrect chart). Which means a few more obsessive readings of the whole thing from cover to cover. Barry graciously supervises. I need more tea.
Ooh, exciting! Best of luck with the proofreading 🙂
Thanks! In theory it’s all perfect at this point, and I haven’t found anything so far, but still it’s worth checking (and checking and checking and checking) just to be safe.
Glad to see that the Kitten Overlord is keeping you on track!
Good luck! We’re excited for the results 😉
I’m a retired editor with a lot of years of proofreading, and it looks like great fun to me! As long as you can live with the absolute surety that the first time you open the published book, the page you open it on will have an error.
At which point you mutter that only god is perfect and you left it on purpose (while grinding your teeth).
Yup, Gaiman’s Law:
I’ve steeled myself against the inevitable though. I (and lots of other folks) have checked it as much as is humanly possible. I’m sure there’s something in there, but whatever it is is sneaky enough it deserves to slip past!
Do you – okay, no – how often do you just stop and go OH MY GOD I MAKE ACTUAL BOOKS! I have that reaction on your behalf every time, so I figure it must be much worse for you, the actual maker of a book.
It’s been known to happen every now and then! Especially when the first finished one arrives from the printer. There might be a bit of a dance when that happens.