The Joy of Paper

I know. For years, I’ve been extolling the virtues of eBooks and electronic reading. I’ve worked in the industry. I’ve produced eBooks of my own and others works. I’ve filed patents. I’ve designed defaults. I’ve done everything but digitize myself and live in the computer.

But even I succumb to paper.

Holding my new paperback proof of Steven George & The Dragon that arrived yesterday is an unfathomable experience. Granted, two of my novels were included in After Hours anthologies that were printed. One of my books came out in eBook three years ago and paperback last year. And they are all exciting. But this one…

I think it is part of the “launch” concept. Remember when Microsoft launched Windows 95? There was so much pre-launch buzz that my 80+ year-old father-in-law who had never touched a computer in his life was asking me if he needed to get Windows.  Now I’m sitting here with a copy of my book in hand thinking of all the things that need to be done before the release party on March 25th.

What do you mean the invitations haven’t gone out yet?????

Everything is so real now that there is paper in my hands. I’ll be ordering the first print run today. The evites will to out today. Paper invitations will start going out this week. (If you want one, let me know your address!) The poster will go up this week. The ePUB version will be finished this week and checked into Barnes & Noble and Amazon. The deluxe PDF on CD-ROM will be designed in the next 10 days and a special sample will go out.

And it’s all because of this little stack of paper that I hold in my hands. The word "proof" has so many meanings!