Submitted for Printing

Remember, patience is a virtue (and we’re testing yours once again).

It’s been an interesting week here at The Dog Food Detective. What I thought was a sprint to the finish line took an unexpected detour into a new dimension of the design world. Here’s a recap of this other-worldly trip. 

The front cover design for the book was completed late last year. The back cover design was completed earlier this year. All that remained before submitting the completed paperback cover for validation and printing was a last minute adjustment to the spine width to reflect the final page count. Or so I thought.

Turns out we were working in the wrong “color space”

Now, I’m certainly not a color expert. I like to think I’m firmly grounded on this planet, although an occasional vacation or celebration can introduce a different world. But two different worlds of color, RGB and CMYK took me completely by surprise this week.

Apparently the colors we’ve been working with for the past year (RGB) do not “exist” in the print world (CMYK), at least not without considerable added cost. They are only visible when displayed through electronic means, like screens and other monitors.  Without boring you with the technical details, these parallel worlds brought our progress to a screeching halt. 

The new color space meant a radical adjustment to the current cover design was needed to make it acceptable for printing. The first draft was drastically different than what we’ve been using as the pdf cover and for publicity images. After another few days, our design wizard managed to recreate the original colors, and the final files were submitted for printing today (June 12, 2014).

The last few hurdles are ahead

Now that the files are at the printer, they must be validated to make certain there are no errors which could cause printing problems. Once validated, a proof will be printed and sent to me for approval.

When the printed proof is approved, the paperback will “officially” be published and available for sale on both the book’s website and Amazon. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet.

Every effort has been made to ensure error-free files

I don’t expect any errors to prevent validation. We’ve been quite diligent in editing and proofing everything before this stage. But there is always the chance that “unknowns”, like alternate color spaces, may suddenly appear to introduce another delay.

One unknown is how long it will take to receive a printed proof. Once it arrives, it will take less than 24 hours to review. Assuming there are no errors, the proof will be approved and the book will become available within a few days.

So we’ve inched forward once again

While I had hoped this week’s update would be the official publication announcement, we’re very, very close. A few more housekeeping tasks to complete and you’ll be able to hold a copy of the book in your hands.

Thanks again for your patience!

P.S. In case you missed the previous announcement, The Dog Food Detective eBook is now available for sale!