Care of a Cover
/I meant to post this a little while back but things got a little hectic, so now this is slightly delayed but still very pertinent.
I got by paperback copy! I have to admit this was THE dream come true. Publishing an ebook was one thing, but whenever I would read it in iBooks or on a kindle, it still kind of felt like a college essay (which of course I would get graded A+ with an amazing comment from the professor...which by the way...where are all the reviews from everyone!!!).
The day I opened Dragonlyst and pulled out the first copy!
But when my paperback arrived that was something else. Part of the reason it was so poignant was because I had ordered 50 copies, so that was a little intense by itself. But opening the box and seeing my name and the words I had penned come to life on a page was pretty amazing. This was a dream come true!
I immediately took a handful of the copies and put them on my bookshelf right next to some of my favorite authors: Terry Brooks, Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson, Raymond E. Feist, and others. My one book (and a short novel at that) looks tiny in comparison, but hopefully in the coming months--I promised Spring which I'm holding too--Dragon Born will be shelved next to it and soon I'll have a small footprint on my bookshelf, and hopefully the bookshelves of others!
The one question I had in my mind as I carefully held and turned each page of my book was how I was going to treat it. I kept a pristine copy(ies) for myself because I can't stand when there are creases in my books! I have often been known as someone who is slightly anal when it comes to my books, but I just love holding a crisp copy of a paperback. Some of my friends and family growing up would make fun of me because I would barely open it all the way (my books never have creases when I'm done) but that's just the way it is with me.
In fact, I'm so anal about reading my books that when I agree to let someone borrow a book I have them promise it will return in pristine condition or they'll have to buy me a new one (sarcastically I might add--I just pretend to be that tough). I've never really enforced this, but I have had a few people give me a brand new book back when they "return" the book they've borrowed.
Here is my list of pet peeves when it comes to paperback books:
- Leaving the book open and setting it down on a hard surface, only to put something else on top of the book
- Don't you love it when you open a book and then it opens itself to a different page? You end up fighting the book the entire time you read it!!!!
- Using massive bookmarks
- Thank you for the random wide spaces in my book. Makes it super helpful when I'm turning pages
- Folding down pages as bookmarks
- This is an insult to me...
- Opening the book as wide as it can so that it stays open without hands
- Don't we have hands for a reason? Like point one above, this is useful the first time you read it on the page that you are on, but once you are off that page you end up fighting the book the rest of the time you read it....
I could keep going on and on but I'll stop there. Yes, I know I'm strange with liking pristine books, but...it's the way it is. I will definitely have a few copies of Dragonlyst that will never be touched. For you, read it how you'd like! Just don't show me if it's destroyed! (And this implies buying a copy first to begin with :)!)