Dear Supporters
Well, what a whirl the last month has been!
In my last update, in mid July, I announced that the manuscript for Trans Britain had been completed and sent off to Unbound. For a couple of weeks I had a much-needed rest. But Unbound didn't hang about: they had a copy editor sitting ready to go through the whole thing and find the spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes, along with the occasional inconsistency. That meant I got the manuscript back after two weeks with more work for me and the contributors to do, so the book is the best it can be for you.
Now, with corrections agreed, the words are back with the publisher once more and the project moves into the next production stage: typesetting and layout.
Over the next two weeks a professional team will be trying out different designs to help the book look its best on paper. At the same time they will start setting the whole thing out so that their proof readers and I can check the whole book again. Later, it gets proof read yet again to make sure any corrections have been done properly and spot any howlers we all missed previously. This is the difference between professional publishing and knocking out a self-published eBook!
The move into typesetting and layout means that one milestone is fast approaching and the window of opportunity for new supporters is about to close...
The fact you are reading this update at all means that you are already a supporter. It is your pledges that are funding the months of professional development that the book is now going through. Your place in the special first edition -- one of the benefits of pledging -- is secure. Last week you should have received an email asking you to check (and if necessary, edit) the way you want your name to appear on the list.
But I want to make sure that your friends have a chance to get their names in the book too, and be sure of getting the first edition weeks before everyone else gets to read it. So, please tell your friends about Trans Britain and encourage them to pre-order a copy themselves before 31st August.
People can still pre-order after 31st August of course, but then they won't get to have their names included. That's because Unbound will then be on the next stages of production as we rush to get the book to you as soon as possible.
So, that's your mission: Please let your friends know. They might have been waiting until closer to publication before ordering. They might have been unsure how they want their name to appear. They might have been in tighter financial circumstances six months ago. Who knows? But if they'd like a mention in this absolutely unique record of how Britain's trans community formed and grew then they've only got days to act.
More updates soon. ... Hopefully a sneak peek or two at some draft pages!
Best wishes
Christine x