Hi Everyone,
It's time for an update about The Dark Thorn. I believe in one of my last updates, I shared that beta readers had finished their work and their recommendations ...
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Shawn Speakman
2 months ago
Tarot Cards Have Arrived! Plus Signature Pages!
Hi Everyone,
Just a quick update here to share that I have received all Tarot Cards. And I have received the signature pages for all editions. I'll be mailing the signature ...
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Grim Oak Press
4 months ago
Arrived: Map of Annwn, Coin, and Bookmark: Richard
Hi Everyone,
A quick update. But a fun one. I'm excited to share that I've received three of the merch goodies for The Dark Thorn Preferred Edition crowdfund that I ran on Ba...
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Grim Oak Press
4 months ago
Bookmark: Richard & Ordering Other Merch
Hi Dark Thorn Backers,
Just a short update to share that I've received the Bookmark: Richard. Which is kind of fun because Emerald City Comic Con is this week so I'll hav...
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Grim Oak Press
4 months ago
Finishing Up the Edits for The Dark Thorn Preferred Edition
Hi Everyone,
On Saturday, my family and I flew to SoCal to enjoy two nights at Disneyland to celebrate my wife's birthday. The kids had no idea. It was fun watching their fa...
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Grim Oak Press
6 months ago
End of Year Update: The Dark Thorn & The Green Lake Witch
Hi Everyone,
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I can't believe the end of 2024 is nigh. Where did the year go?
I figure while my kiddos are building new Lego sets and pla...
It's time for an update about The Dark Thorn. I believe in one of my last updates, I shared that beta readers had finished their work and their recommendations came back to me. I had also edited those changes to make a stronger book. Since then, the copyeditor did another quick pass over it -- and found some extra edits. I completed those yesterday and turned the entire book back over to my book designer.
What does this mean? It means this morning I woke up and worked on getting estimates done for The Dark Thorn Advance Reader Copies (ARCs), both for the hardcover and the trade paperback. In short, I designed both of the editions. Now I'm waiting on the dust jacket and cover templates for those editions from the printer, I'll send those templates to my book designer, and she will complete the files for the ARCs.
I expect on Monday or Tuesday, files will go to the printer. And since it is a quick printer, I expect to have those books within two weeks. I'll ship those books out once I receive them and sign them. One major step done. For those people who ordered extra merch with the ARCs, I'll likely ship those merch too since I have it.
I'll then read the physical copy of the ARC ONE LAST TIME, to catch anything I missed. A page proof time. Should take me about a week. And then any final changes will go to my book designer and FINAL FINAL files will be done for the trade hardcover and the special editions. I'll also create the new EPUB/Ebook of The Dark Thorn at this time and get that sent out to all of you.
In other news, Magali Villeneuve has the signature pages in France and is slowly signing them. I'll have her then send them to artist Don Maitz for his signing. Then they will come back to me!
Really excited about getting all of this completed. Thank you SO MUCH for your patience. It means a lot!
In care, Shawn Speakman
PS: The ARC cover for The Dark Thorn. I do love white ARCs!
Just a quick update here to share that I have received all Tarot Cards. And I have received the signature pages for all editions. I'll be mailing the signature pages to artist Magali Villeneuve in France for her to sign first. Then the pages will come back to me. I'll sign them. Then they will head to artist Don Maitz in Flordia where he'll sign. Map cartographer Jared Blando will sign the Rare edition sheets. Then they will travel onward to the bindery!
When it comes to printing, that hasn't started yet. I've almost completed my re-read to fix those geographic travel timeline issues. I'm around page 350 out of 550 pages. It has required a bit of rewriting but should make for a better read. Where Richard, Deirdre and Snedeker travel will be clearer when compared against the map. I will be done with this by Monday.
If any of you want to do a beta-read on the final manuscript with all new art included in it, let me know. I request only those people who can read the book in two weeks apply. Because I want to get this thing wrapped and off to printing/binding!
All of the other merch I have in stock already. Just waiting on the books.
Thank you ALL for your patience. I think this will be a gorgeous edition to add to your collection, and it will be a much better read for it!
A quick update. But a fun one. I'm excited to share that I've received three of the merch goodies for The Dark Thorn Preferred Edition crowdfund that I ran on Backerkit last year. The Map of Annwn by Jared Blando turned out beautiful. I've signed them already, and I'm gearing up integration between Backerkit with my Shopify store so I can begin fulfilling them.
The coin turned out nice too. I did some extra embossing and the black color on them to make them truly pop. And of course, the Richard bookmark is in. Some of you may have already seen it if you attended ECCC.
Concerning The Dark Thorn edit, I finished shipping 700 copies of Galaphile by Terry Brooks customers of The Signed Page last week. Then this week, I ship 800 copies of The Gate of the Feral Gods by Matt Dinniman. Once those books are in the postal system, I turn my attention fully to The Dark Thorn and wrapping it up for printing/binding.
Things are moving! And yes, I still owe you a short story. Working on that in the morning before heading to the warehouse.
Whatcha reading? Anything good right now? I just finished Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. Was super fun and needed!
Just a short update to share that I've received the Bookmark: Richard. Which is kind of fun because Emerald City Comic Con is this week so I'll have a few of these there in case you are going.
I also ordered the Map of Annwn, the Celtic/Templar 1.75" challenge coin (I'm really excited about it), and the Metal Bookmark: Celtic Cross merchandise. I will order the tarot cards tomorrow. And that should be everything I need to complete orders other than the books!
I finished reading my omega read of The Wounded Land by Stephen R. Donaldson last week. I have about 100 pages left to read in Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (I'm reading it because I'm moderating a panel at ECCC with Travis on it and I need to know what the hellfire I'm talking about). So when I return from ECCC, I'll jump into my omega read for The Dark Thorn, make any final changes to the book, and then that will be done.
What then? Well, the first thing I'll do is have my book designer complete what I'm calling The White Thorn, the white hardcover ARC of The Dark Thorn. I'll get those books ordered, into the warehouse, and shipped. As that's happening, the other editions should be in the printing and binding queues.
So yeah, things are moving. We aren't going to hit the release date I thought it would be. But I think not doing so will lead to a much better final product. And that's what's truly important to me.
On Saturday, my family and I flew to SoCal to enjoy two nights at Disneyland to celebrate my wife's birthday. The kids had no idea. It was fun watching their faces when they realized we were going to the airport. Even more fun when we landed and they saw a giant Mickey Mouse face on the airport wall.
I love to travel. I really do. Even with my family next to me on the airplane and the chaos that my boys bring everywhere they go, I managed to open up on my computer the edits for The Dark Thorn Preferred Edition. And in the two and a half hours down to Anaheim and the two and half hours back to Seattle, I managed to get the edits done. Finally. After so long.
I'm still not done though. I gave the file to our book designer and she will lay the book out now with Don Maitz's amazing black and white interiors included. Then I will read the book as proof pages. She said she will get that to me by next week.
Because there was one thing I didn't do while I edited: I didn't fix the timeline problems my characters face when traveling from one place to another. Sometimes I said it was two days, four days, or six days to the same destination. And I did that for all of the places my characters visit. So now I have to go to the amazing map done by Jared Blando, figure out time/distance, and re-read the book to fix all of those small little errors to ensure the very best reading experience.
I'm currently reading the omega-version of The Wounded Land by Stephen R. Donaldson. That's for Grim Oak. Once done with that this week, I'll begin work on that final part of The Dark Thorn when I get the proof pages next week.
Then it will be done! And off to the printer and bindery it will go! Later than I would have liked but at least done correctly.
