What is a galley, you ask?
In this new world of getting a book out into the big, bad world, I learned a few new things this week.
Number one: When an ARC copy says it's not been proofread, it's just saying that. It's still the nice, clean copy you sent over to your publisher, the one you and your editor sweated over for months. Do not hyperventilate. It does pay to have a very kind and patient editor to help you through this anxiety attack.
Number two: A galley is the beautiful interior of your book, all ready to go to the printer. It looks real. It's insanely fun. It even has the page with all the Library of Congress gobbledy-gook that makes no sense. It has the dedication page. It might make you tear up and get all sniffly.
Number three: It's time to prepare for your baby to go out into the world. Some people will love it, and for some, it won't be their cup of tea. And that's okay. Books are a marvelous place for people to have opinions, to love or not love things and have it NOT culminate in a war. One of the last bastions of agreeing to disagree and not having it turn into a fist fight.
Hopefully, people will get passionate about your work. That's when you know you've done your job (I'd reference the twitter brouhaha over the casting of FSOG if you doubt that people get fired up about books). That's it! I'm getting excited and terrified and teary all at the same time. Have a great week, peeps.