Tangibility is a heck of a thing. Holding the proof copy of the paperback edition of Unsecret Identity: Eric Icarus - Book One stirred surreal reactions. Despite the ebook/Kindle edition having been released in the fall of last year, unboxing the printed copies of the book made it feel real. That being said, it’s not like the digital version didn’t find any readers - I’m appreciative of anyone and everyone who downloaded the novel or read pages via Kindle Unlimited. To tell the truth, I am a mix of being floored and thrilled by the fact that there are humans who gave my story a shot. Now that the book has finally entered the physical realm, this YA sci-fi superhero adventure has been given new life. But just because there will be a material item available for purchase, will anyone else pick it up?
At the time of this writing, the review process of the proof copy is only beginning, with the final edition intended to be released in August. The secret origins of this story, though, was initially conceived when I was a young child. Like many other writers, this passion project sparked within me and floated around in my brain for several years. From a childhood fantasy, through on-and-off-again revisits in my teenaged imagination, and into adulthood ambition, this book was going to be materialized one way or another. All those concepts and early incarnations of the characters swirled in my mental periphery for decades, but in 2018, the first set of preliminary notes started.
Outlines, ideas, sketches, and various details took up numerous pages in different document files until one day I made the decision to actually create content. Working on a fiction novel can easily consume every waking moment of your life, and as any author could tell you, there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to commit to writing. It’s a lengthy process, and it can also be a lonely journey at times. Typing across different devices, copious copies saved, and round after round of editing resulted in going live with the online version of the manuscript. Seeing the fully realized cover art and text uploaded as an ebook was a rewarding experience. In a perfect world, a print and audiobook edition would’ve launched at the same time, but at that point, I was happy just to have released a product. Print plans didn’t stop, however, and it would be nearly a year before I would be prepared to order my first proof copy.
The sensations from flipping through the pages of my book were almost overwhelming. While awaiting the delivery of the “test” copies, I tempered my expectations, accepting that this print would undoubtedly be imperfect. Yes, the proof has errors, but all are easy fixes. Even so, I allowed myself to feel the swelling pride of a years of hard work paying off. I never expected to make a lot of money from self-publishing books, and like I stated previously, the proofreading process isn’t complete. Above it all, that tangible object has brought immense satisfaction. Part of me wanted to not make too big of a deal of the whole thing. It’s just one book, hopefully the first of many, and there is still a lot of work left to be done. It’s maybe even a little embarrassing to get too excited over my little novel. I’m glad to say that while I acknowledge that there are more challenges up ahead and I’m nowhere near finished, getting the first printed copy of my first book is too cool. Tangibility is indeed a heck of a thing.
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Unsecret Identity: Eric Icarus - Book One is available now from the Amazon Kindle store.
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