Is it too late to wish everybody a happy 2022? Surely it’s never too late, right? I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and here’s wishing you all a wonderful new year. Let’s face it, it can’t get much worse than 2020 and 2021… or can it? Let’s not go there!
December saw my debut novel, Dr. Sharma’s Fantabulous Fantasies hit bookshops. It was supposed to be out on Amazon and available as an ebook on 20th December, in time for Christmas. Alas, certain people forgot to send certain files to certain places, so the ebook only became available after Christmas.
Meanwhile, the print book is still not yet available for purchase online. Instead, they’re apparently still with the printer. They’ve been printed. The publisher has received theirs, I’ve received mine and I’ve extra boxes under the stairs at home.
The issue is getting the print books from the printer to the distributor. I’m sure the lorry driver shortage hasn’t helped. Suffice to say, if you have been trying to get hold of a print copy of Dr. Sharma’s Fantabulous Fantasies, I thank you for your patience and apology for any frustration. However, the ebook version is available via Amazon and other online shops.
It has been a thrill going through the process of having my debut novel published with a real publisher as opposed to self-publishing. It was definitely a journey going through the quality assurance process, and then working with the typesetters to settle on how the text looks on the page, the different fonts used and producing the different images.
The cover design was also a real blast. I was very pleased with what they sent me back in October. That was when it truly hit me that my debut novel was actually being published! By a real publisher! With a real cover designer! Take a look at the original design ideas that I shared with the cover designer and compare them to what they eventually produced.
I feel lucky to have found a publisher that allows me true autonomy with regards, for example, to how long the novel is and what the cover looks like. Most publishers would insist that I cut the book way down and wouldn’t give me a say at all on the cover. In this case, I pretty much put the cover together myself and it was refined by the designer.
2021 was a wild year in which I worked hard to get Dr. Sharma’s Fantabulous Fantasies published, but of course, it was also very difficult for everyone continuing to deal with the effects of Covid-19. I was excited to be publishing my first novel, but my heart also went out to those truly impacted by the effects of Covid-19.
I know that we have all been through a challenging time. Many of us have been separated from loved ones, or had Covid-19, or lost people to it. There are many other ways in which people around the world have been impacted by Covid-19. The important thing is that we remain positive - even when everything is screaming at us otherwise.
It’s tempting to be cynical. But let’s save our cynicism for politicians. Some may protect themselves by being indifferent, but they say indifference is the true opposite of love. It may appear more difficult, but let’s remember that better times are ahead and treat each other with more compassion, patience and love.
I mean, better times have to be on the way…
Right?
P.S. Just did a quick search to check whether I should be writing COVID-19 or Covid-19 and came across this fascinating article that explains why it’s written differently depending on where you see it.