Yesterday UPS stopped by with seven boxes of books! It was exciting and the UPS guy was even impressed.

So the books are here and I'll be mailing out the pre-orders Thursday and Friday, so they should be arriving for most folks early next week. If you ordered a copy, keep an eye out for it.

Today the first samples of my book arrived!

This is the first step before I order a whole batch of them, and I was a bit worried that the books might not come out okay. After all, I sent the digital files off to the printer via a website and have no proof or anything to confirm that the artwork was correct. This is the first time I've used a print-on-demand printer so the process is new and there's a lot to learn. (The service definitely seems geared at the amateur or non-professional, which actually makes it more difficult for the pro graphic designer like me.)

But... wow. Having the real, printed book in my hand is amazing. The project finally feels real. The print quality is amazing. The cover is gorgeous, thick and glossy and colorful. It's really outstanding. The inside is also excellent, with the text being extremely readable and high quality. I am impressed! The grayscale photos aren't as nice as the original color ones, but convey the idea (and the printing would have been outrageously expensive in full-color). That's part of the reason I'm giving everyone who orders a printed copy a complimentary copy of the PDF edition. That way everyone can enjoy the full-color experience and have a digital archive copy (great for searching), but have a convenient printed copy for more comfortable reading.

After one last round of proof-reading, I've placed my order for the bulk quantity. It'll take a couple weeks to get them printed and shipped to me, and then I can start fulfilling orders. Until that time, the pre-order special is still in effect: all pre-orders will receive a free license to my upcoming nuTracker nutritional management software (a $25 value)!

I'm also working on getting the PDF edition of the book ready for downloading... that should happen in the next couple of days, so if you pre-ordered the book, watch for an email from me with a download link.