Hello, I hope everyone had a fantastic February!
I wanted to create a post about the logistics required to self-publish a book on Kickstarter. For those of you that are new here, this is my first time publishing a book.
I had the book printed overseas in China for two reasons.
1) It was cheaper. Printing locally in North America cost an arm and a leg. I really wanted to print locally, but local pricing for a full colour, 376 page book was absurd and unfeasible. No one would buy copies at the price I’d have to charge.
2) It was better quality. I could print a beautiful, full-colour, hardcover book for a fraction of the cost. I got a professional press to do beautiful work. While I haven’t seen the final shipment yet, the proofs I received were perfect.
What is the timeline like to ship from China to Canada by sea? What is the timeline of printing in China?
December 30, 2020 – Finalized proof and gave the go-ahead for printing
late-January 2021 – All copies were printed and had to wait for a spot in a shipping container
February 8, 2021 – Shipment left China
February 26, 2021 – Shipment arrived at Port of Vancouver
Now I just have to wait to get the bulk freight shipment.
The calendars made the journey across the Pacific Ocean and all your copies are currently sitting at the Port of Vancouver in a giant shipping container. Now, the calendars just have to get to me so I can start boxing them up and putting them into the mail for you!
There are many other shipments in that shipping container, so the container has to be unpacked and our shipment of calendars will be taken to a warehouse. From there, a local trucking company will deliver the pallet of calendars to me. My customs broker has already arranged all of this for me. Our guess is that this should take approximately a couple of weeks. I’m so eager to see all the copies in person so I can start sending everyone their copies!
I thought importing would be a difficult process, but it has been pretty easy so far. I found a wonderful customs broker in Vancouver that took care of all the pieces for me.
Let’s end this update with a quick wellness activity.
Write down one thing that you are looking forward to in March and savour the positive anticipation. Take a few moments to savour all the excitement and positive emotions that you are feeling about this future event. This doesn’t have to be a big thing either, you can look forward to a day-off where you just want to stay home and read a book. If you’d like to, share in the comment section below!
If you would like to have A Happier Year, order on IndieGogo! I should be on Amazon in April once all the Kickstarter and Indiegogo supporters get their copies first!
Stay well everyone,
Trina