Bob the typesetter popped a PDF to me this morning containing all the corrections that I know about, and ready for printing proof copies. He’s really done a sterling job, and I am deeply grateful to him.
The real printing will be done at Lightning Source. I’ve now “registered for an account” — the first step in getting something done. Apparently it may take them two days to decide whether they want my custom. They’re somewhat inflexible, but plainly offering a better quality service than Lulu.com.
Meanwhile I need to get some printed copies out to the translators. I don’t seem to be able to do this with Lightning Source, delays aside, so I have uploaded the PDF to Lulu.com.
Mind you Lulu are not the site they were. The new website is clunky and hard to use. If you use IE8, you can’t even upload PDF’s or see projects in progress (as I found by experience, not because they said so). Fortunately I keep a copy of Firefox on hand to deal with the dumber websites, and this worked fine.
The cost of production for a paperback — although I find the covers of their paperbacks curl! — is rather more than I wanted. The proof copies will cost $15 each to make and send, which is not good news. But the book is 432 pages in size, sized 6″x9″. That’s around three times what I had hoped in my innocence, back in the day.
I also need to start thinking about a cover. Of course many academic books have plain covers. But I do recall how I was induced to purchase a copy of the Onomasticon of Eusebius by a bright cover of seas and beaches, even though the contents were essential a table of dull entries. So perhaps I should do the same. Something like this (now here) might be a good thing as background:
How about an icon of Eusebius for a cover?
I think that would tie the book too closely to one constituency, tho.
Plus icons only apply to saints, and I don’t think Eusebius is one.