As I wrap up the publication of Implant, I am finding that this whole process never gets easier. This is my fourth time around, and people still miss deadlines, and there are still technical difficulties all the way along the line, and I still miss hundreds of typos on my first few editing passes.

The problem is, no two times are quite the same. I must have different technological difficulties with each book. Each story has its own share of challenges.

The idealist side of me wants to say “But of course, each time has its own blessings, too!”

But alas, that’s not really true. The writing and editing parts, yes! But the publishing part, no. Honestly, the publishing process just sucks, no matter how you slice it. It’s stressful and things go wrong and I always end up alternately in tears and wanting to tear my hair out.

The blessing part, though, is what you’re left with at the other end. A shiny, beautiful new book with your name on it, that others can now partake in and enjoy. That makes it all worth it. Obviously, since I keep putting myself through it!

But I digress. The real purpose of this post is to share a very particular difference with you. Amazon Kindle recently added a new feature for their self-publishers. Pre-orders. Now I personally don’t quite understand the idea of pre-orders–it costs the same amount, and you’ll get it at the same time as everyone else. You just get to pay for it a little sooner. And I suppose you don”t have to go to the trouble of paying for it later. It just magically appears on your Kindle or phone or tablet or computer on the release date. But anyhow! If this is the sort of thing you”re interested in, pre-order away, my friends! And if you understand the reasoning behind pre-ordering, do explain in the comments so I can be enlightened!

In the meantime, I’m off to try to resolve some of these technical difficulties and get the paperback finished…