Week 3
This past week has been a blur as things keep moving more and more quickly. Everyone has been working extremely hard in their departments to ensure that our first launch runs as successfully as possible. The final edits have been made, covers finalized, layouts for printing have been finished, the budgets were looked over on multiple occasions for the purchasing of supplies, and special projects have been going through the works. We could go into depths as we typically do about all the tasks taken on by the team, yet we believe that for all of us here at Whispering Wick, this week has been more of a surreal moment as we edge closer and closer to the day we launch our store for pre-orders and start to build the very physical representation of what we have all been trying to organize this whole month. The production of these chapbooks, so far, has been more of a distant shower thought than a reality.
Here are some personal comments from the team regarding the final production and publications:
Tamara
“I just happened to open my mouth about it and was encouraged by people to try and see if it would work. This is mine and my whole teams’ internship for the fall of 2020. We struggled like everyone has in the pandemic, but this has been a little idea that has grown into something I never thought could be. So, to have the physical books in my hands soon is going to be crazy.
That has just been the whole mood of the team as of recent. In our meetings, it's sort of a moment of wait… letting it finally hit us. Realizing what we are not only doing but what we have accomplished in a month.”
Rebecca
“I’m excited about pre-order because it feels real and it feels like it actually happening. It's not just an idea in our heads, it’s a real concrete thing.”
Nate
“The first round of publications are coming up. I’ve just driven roughly 8hrs one way to drop off some of the materials needed and it is extremely motivating as it gives me concrete evidence that the wheels are in motion. It is exciting. After almost a month of working with the whole team virtually and providing edits, there will be something physical to provide to our audience. Something that we’ve all touched with our own creativity and are proud of. I’m so proud and excited for the authors of all three chapbooks. They’ve done so much work.”
Grace
“I’m really, really happy with how the art for the bookmark turned out. I think, other than the logo, it’s my favourite piece I’ve drawn/designed for Whispering Wick. I was also glad to have the interior for David’s chapbook designed. I think it looks really good and I’m excited to see how it looks fully printed and put together. I’m thinking that, if possible, I’d want to have my own copy of every chapbook we produce because I’m so excited about all of them. Can you tell I’m excited? I’ve only said it like three times!”
David
“We are inching closer and closer to production and it’s getting to be exciting. In all honesty, it is a little scary thinking about things because it’s starting to feel real now. I know that all the work we’ve done to set up production of the books is solid.”
Everyone is kind of being hit with this realization. A lot of us hadn’t ever heard of chapbooks until last fall in our self-publishing course. It was really exciting to learn about a whole ‘do it yourself’ world, where your voice could be heard. Now look at us, almost a full year since we finished that class, we are making our own press and handmade books. It is kind of bonkers especially with the way the world is right now. None of us would have thought this to be our reality even a few months ago let alone a few years ago.
We also have another small addition to the blog this week. Nate our head editor has been writing a lot more of these small writing tips as more and more submissions have come in and we thought our readers might be interested in them. This is one he had for this week:
“Over the past few weeks, we’ve received a fair bit of submissions – a factor that is extremely exciting and I am honored to be able to read through each one. Many of our submissions tend to begin with worldbuilding before jumping into the story instead of having the worldbuilding be part of the story itself. Over the years I have come to note that this is common among new authors. Often times this showcases the fact that an author is not quite confident or comfortable with their writing style yet and are still discovering themselves as authors – in no way is this a means for immediate dismissal. Quite the contrary, this is something I believe is very important for our press to consider. After all, we are a press built specifically for new and upcoming authors, it is part of our main ethos. Instead of dismissing this writing style it is one I look for as we look towards helping authors not only gain a platform but develop their talents and skills.”
Now to finish off this week, Nate has also made it a point to end all, we mean all of his worksheets with dad jokes. In last week’s blog post we featured only a single joke, therefore this will most likely turn into a weekly event. Without further interruptions, please enjoy your week, and let's end our day off with a good old fashioned dad joke:
“I tried to make up a joke about a ghost but I couldn't. It had plenty of spirit but no body.” – Nate
…. more news on that special project that Faizal is working on soon. ; )