The Prints and the Paper
Status update for the paperback process
I am excited to bring you an exciting update about the forthcoming paperback edition of “Unsecret Identity: Eric Icarus - Book One.” I have been carving away time to work on the project and am happy to share some insights on the newest, tangible version of my debut full-length young adult science fiction superhero novel.
The Journey from Digital to Print
Until now, the digital realm of Amazon Kindle has served as Eric Icarus’ only home. then. In the coming weeks, the adventure is about to transcend the virtual world and materialize into a physical copy you can hold with your own hands and read with your own eyeballs. Having a “real” copy of my book has been a goal of mine, and the process has been long, but soon enough the story will fly onto bookshelves everywhere.
Crafting the Perfect Cover with Adobe InDesign (and Illustrator, and Photoshop, and hand-drawn sketches)
One of the most crucial aspects of any book release is the cover—a visual gateway to the world within the pages. For this print edition, I have meticulously used Adobe InDesign to get down to the fine print, so to speak. To paraphrase a certain streaming service tough guy, in a creative project, details matter. The transition from digital to print demands attention to many such details, and these intricacies involve delving into (heavy sigh) math. As a designer, my profession often calls for fine-tuning layouts with precise measurements. It is no different when it comes to modifying the ebook cover of “Unsecret Identity” for the paperback edition. The majority of the design elements have remained - the flying dude, the big “up” arrow - but it has expanded into having a back cover. Also, I suppose you could say Eric Icarus grew a “spine.”
The Manuscript Takes Shape
As the cover design reaches its final form, the manuscript is undergoing its own transformation. I had a few choices of what software to use when taking the leap from Microsoft Word and Google Docs - which led to converting the text to be Kindle-ready using Amazon’s Kindle Create. I considered Scrivener, but my training as a designer easily directed me to InDesign. For both writing and anything illustrative, it is a never-ending learning process, with a lot of steep curves. In both my work as an author and artist, I have made great strides, but I still have much to learn before I can go around claiming to be an expert at either. That being said, InDesign was the more natural choice for me. Other designer programs are used as well, such as Illustrator and Photoshop, and they all are used in concert to produce what will eventually be a stellar-looking PDF.
It’s thrilling to see it become a reality, but those details emerge, ruining the fun. Configuring correct margins, determining the order of front matter, back matter, all kinds of matter, along with color modes and bleeds. Fun fact: apparently, the half-title page you typically see at the very beginning of a book, which simply displays the title, is sometimes referred to as the “bastard page.” That’s about as hardcore with swearing as I like to get.
Mark Your Calendars
The print edition of my young adult sci-fi novel is scheduled for release very soon. Get ready to hold a physical copy of the adventure, to feel the texture of the pages, and to lose yourself in bookmarks, reading lamps, and the satisfaction of placing this paperback alongside your other literary trophies. Well, that last one is definitely something I’ll probably do!
Stay in the loop for more details by following Jonfcition Blog on Substack and be sure to check out jonmcbrine.com for more info about this and all my books.
Unsecret Identity: Eric Icarus - Book One is available now from the Amazon Kindle store.