When I decided to self-publish The Insistence of Memory four years ago, I knew nothing about publishing and just wanted my story in the hands of readers. Since then, I’ve learned quite a bit about publishing… including the fact that some early missteps have tied my books to Amazon alone, making it impossible to use additional distributors. (Yikes.)
However, I’ve also learned that I can fix that misstep by properly publishing 2nd editions of my books. And, I’m happy to say, the 2nd edition of The Insistence of Memory now lives!
Currently, you can buy the 2nd edition on Amazon (both paperback and Kindle). The ebook edition is also now available through Barnes and Nobel (Nook), Apple Books, Kobo, and more to come. Paperback versions will also be available from additional sellers soon. You can keep up with all the available sellers here: The Insistence of Memory.
What’s New in the Second Edition?
Publishing a second edition requires some material changes. Now, if you already have the book, don’t worry, the story is still the same! The changes I made were in adding bonus content, updating the cover (and interior) design, and extensively editing the book to tighten up the wording and correct any missed typos.
Bonus Content
Bonus content in the second edition of The Insistence of Memory includes book discussion questions and a short essay on my inspiration for the book and some of the research I used when creating the memory machine. Both of these items will soon be posted here on my blog. There are also additional pages about my other books and my podcast, Freely Written.
Cover and Interior Layout
I initially published the second edition with very minor changes to the cover, but soon decided to try a completely new cover design. The new cover keeps the same color scheme and some of the original color elements (the birds and the font) but with a bold, geometric design. The back cover continues the design of the front cover and its layout has been neatened and slightly rearranged from the first edition.
The second edition is published through Bitter Lily Books, LLC (my publishing company) and now has the company logo on the spine.
The interior is where I devoted most of my time. In addition to the bonus content, I painstakingly went through the entire book to make small changes to the wording, correct typos, and generally freshen it up. I also learned to use InDesign, which fine-tune things like justification and page numbers. I also switched from Garamond to Caslon as my main font and made use of Caslon’s semi-bold options for titles.
While it would have been nice to know more about publishing when I first jumped into this crazy journey, I’m happy with what I’ve learned and glad to be putting it into practice with this second edition of The Insistence of Memory.
I will be moving through the same process with my other books. Hopefully, at a faster pace as I continue to learn new tricks.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me from day one and to everyone who wanders in at a later point. Following your dreams isn’t always easy, but that only adds to the adventure.