3Ts: book updates!
a cover, a soundtrack, a release update
Oh, hi. It’s been a minute. I’ve been nose-to-the-grindstone on getting this book over the finish line, and haven’t had much time for the ramblings that make up the 3Ts. But at last I have enough to share about Strangers to make up a whole 3Ts, so here we go!
ONE. the cover!
The biggest win so far: getting a cover I’m proud of. This was, uh, quite the process, but at least the final product fucking rules.
It felt great to collaborate with a bunch of people: my Discord server of creative friends helped me narrow down which version to go with, my friend Lauren helped me write the bio, my friend Dani made the asset of Wu Yukying for the cover, my brother Jeff took the author photo of me. It felt great to involve my friends because I’m so sick of my own opinions, and decision fatigue is real. Involving the Discord server especially helped — seeing it through their eyes reminded me that I should probably be excited about all this.
I’ve never been more appreciative of my crew, nor have I had to rely on others so much in my life. I haven’t been very graceful about needing all this help, but I think at least I’ve been grateful. But I definitely owe people some Edible Arrangements.
TWO. the soundtrack!
From the very beginning, this project had a soundtrack. This has been one of the things I’ve been most excited to share.
Read liner notes here
Listen on Spotify
Listen on Youtube
Listen to the lofi version with rain sounds (a la “records playing from another room” if you know that trend)
THREE. the release date.
I saved the bad news for last. Well, it’s not bad, just… it’s been a journey, yall. I’m going to write a much longer piece about it later, but suffice to say: we’ve pushed the publishing date once already, and I still don’t have a final proof in hand because of typesetting issues around the Chinese characters. I’m hoping we’re able to stick to this second date, but I’m also not holding my breath. Better to be realistic than disappointed, IMO.
But I was talking to my stepmom in a moment of frustrated angst, and she rightfully pointed out that it’s better to have a product that reflects my standards than it is to meet some arbitrary deadline — after all, I haven’t announced the timeline anywhere, so nothing is riding on us hitting the date. There won’t be any domino effect. Me wanting it to be over isn’t a good enough reason to rush. So. No release date for now. If you’re already subscribed to this newsletter, you’ll be the first to know when I get one. If you aren’t already subscribed, hit that button down below so you can get those updates to your inbox.
The book publishing process is a very boring, frustrating, detail-oriented one. So instead of droning on about how I created a scrum board, or all the facts I’ve learned about Adobe against my will, I’ll leave you with a really kickass mix that’s been getting me through some long work days:
Enjoy the tunes, let me know what you think of the cover and soundtrack, and I’ll see you on the other side of this thing!
I agree that a little patience is worth a final project that meets your higher standards, and your final cover is a great example of what high standards can create. A prospective reader will be drawn in by the art’s beauty and then intrigued by how it’s simultaneously illustrating the creative depth and adventure that awaits inside that cover. Thanks for the links!