The first print-run of Willoughby’s World of Wonder arrived from the printer a few days ago. I printed an initial run of 500 copies in paperback to start the book off. That’s why there have been no posts for a few days, I was too busy checking-in the books and launching Willoughby’s! It takes a few days to get a book launched and listed on all the sites….

The books look great, with rich blacks on a heavy 70# white paper stock. I worked with three different printers to get this book to the world. I gave up on the first printer after six proofs, the second printer was IngramSpark, so the book could be distributed globally (I had to pay for color printing of a B/W book just to get the 70# paper stock!), and the third printer was Art Bookbindery in Canada, who printed this first short run. I wrestled with many proofs, back and forth, trying to get the look I wanted for the book. Willoughby’s is heavily illustrated (every single page is illustrated!) and the images were my Victorian engraving collages, giving the book a Victorian/Steampunk feeling. I tweaked and adjusted the images many times, requesting proof after proof, until it looked the way it should, with rich blacks, good contrast, and sharp lines. The prepress phase lasted almost three months! Yes, I am a self-admitted perfectionist and control-freak, a bad combination, but the books look amazing.

Finally, it’s done! A year of full-time writing and illustrating the book, three months of editing and proofreading, and then three months of prepress. This was my most ambitious and involved book to date, and I hope it will be my most entertaining and enjoyable! Early reviews are very good. If you like my artwork, you should really take a moment to check out Willoughby’s, I think you’ll like it.

Willoughby’s on Antarctica Arts
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Please go here for the fullest description of the book.

Willoughby’s on Amazon
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Willoughby’s on Book Depository
Free shipping worldwide! I don’t know how they do it….