We’re picking up where we left off on the third last day of the pre-launch extravaganza! Where have I been all month, you ask? Well, there was a hiccup with the printer that resulted in a three week production delay. It was disappointing to have the Dozen Days interrupted and my concocted-on-the-fly plans put into limbo, but all in all it was a positive thing—the three week delay gave me space to slow down and look at my to-do list and catch up with some unfulfilled donut rewards and (gulp!) untallied campaign receipts. But that’s old news! We’re back on track, books have been rolling out and people have been receiving them. Twitter and Instagram are a-buzz with pictures of books in homes across the US (and as of tonight, Canada), so let’s jump back to the matter at hand.
If you remember the original schedule, the plan for today’s post was a discussion about some of the practical decisions that went into printing my book.
I decided early on that I wanted my book to be printed in an environmentally sustainable way. This meant, for me, not just the highest grade recycled paper and least toxic inks, but a company that is as local to my area as possible. Fortunately, I have this option in Greenerprinter, an eco-conscious print house located a mere forty minutes from my front door. They do good work. The paper stock is an 80% post-consumer recycled paper that has the warmest matte feel. The colors, printed in soy-based inks, do great justice to the originals (color fidelity was, in fact, my number one printing concern). I honestly couldn’t be happier with the final product.
I mean, look how good these look!!!
I thought I might talk about my decision to go with softcover, there’s something to be said about how publishers in other countries often print paperback editions first, then, if there’s demand, issue a special edition hard cover and how maybe, ultimately, going with hardcover is a vanity thing. I don’t know enough to know if that’s true across all creators, publishers, and countries. I can say for myself personally, I had been hoping to go with a hardcover book.
From the first moment I decided to make the donut book I planned to do it in the style of CHARLIE HARPER’S ANIMAL KINGDOM. That book is a massive 288-page, 12 by 18 inch coffee table tome. I was willing to make DONUTS FOR EVERYBODY a bit more modest in size and scale (I aimed for 144 pages and 9 x 12 inches) but I wanted to stick with hardcover. This is where things got a little complicated. Greenerprinter doesn’t offer hardcover, and places that did, don’t offer the best recycled paper choices. The difference in cost, as it turns out, wasn’t all that great. The decision would come down to the paper I wanted to use.
As you can see in the picture above, DONUTS FOR EVERYBODY is to be held close and appreciated in the way you’d hold close and appreciate a warm donut. I wanted the book to feel as good as it looks and I didn’t want any crinkly, plasticky, coated papers. Don’t get me wrong, I still liked the idea of having a hardcover book, both for my ego and for the book’s durability (I also hope the book is something people return to when they feel the need for a creative pick-me-up). But only after a short battle between my hard head (and vanity) and my soft heart (and love of trees and kids), I made up my mind. I decided to go with softcover.
No regrets. Because, honestly, doesn’t this book look good?
Want to know what this paper feels like? You can order your own copy here!