Reader!! This is it!

Oh, first I should say hello, where are my manners? 😌 I'm just really excited to write to you today! Yes, you read the title correctly: the book is done, reviewed, and published! For real :))

We will go through this together today: how this happened and what exciting things are coming; as well as some progress on my next illustration, and a little confession I have to make…

The book is finally released!

For those who joined us, 7 months ago in this very newsletter, I started to work on something I dreamed about forever: making an illustrated book.

After months of slowly going through the 15 sketches, ink, color, and shading, and the more boring parts like figuring out book editing rules, making a website, adjusting the margins once again… and finally, now that all of that has been done, hitting publish 😊

So, what’s that book about? It’s called “Susie & The Blue Roof Witch”!

It’s a fun children’s book about Susie, a curious little girl who is desperate to find people willing to help finish her school survey about jobs; and that’s where, in the middle of this big city with blue roofs, she finds a curious character: a witch! But instead of a broom, she rides the tram!

The book is now available in multiple stores, and I have an introduction page that links them all!​

​Grab the book here!​

I don’t make much from it, so buy it only if you or someone you love will enjoy reading this short illustrated adventure :)

How my book ended up on Amazon 📚

Let me tell you a bit about what happened before I finally hit “Publish”, and what came after!

I’ve been waiting for my proof copy for a while now; I live in Poland, and they are only printed in the UK, so the delivery can be very slow, even when paying premium for the delivery.

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I did receive the very first proof a few weeks back, and unfortunately, there was a lot to adjust! The text was way too big, the margins were all over the place, and the colors were bland… what a bummer!

So I went back to my editing software, book in hand, trying to fix those first-time mistakes and learning more about how printing works. Flash-forward to this week, and I have the new version in my hand! And it’s basically as perfect as I imagined 😊

But what happens afterwards?

After validating my copy, I just had to press publish and… nothing.

No confirmation, no link to stores selling the book, just a little checkmark next to the title.

But after one or two days, I checked again, typed the name of the book into Amazon, and there it was!

Such a surreal experience to see my art displayed on Amazon of all places! I was overjoyed. Refreshed the page again to be sure. It was still there.

This is the moment where I felt that finally, the book was done!

So, how does it all work?

The company I use to print the book is also a distributor with a very large network: a lot of different stores are offering their catalog directly! And that’s the case for Amazon!

Once distribution is enabled, any stores (online and technically physical too) can list the book and order it. It just needed a day or two to find its way onto Amazon, and many other stores!

I have to admit, seeing the book finally sitting on my shelves makes me feel a little something :)

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Even if it’s quite thin compared to the other books, I’m still proud to have pushed through and completed it!

So, about that little lie…

Alright, so being transparent with you is very important; I’m here to share my journey after all! It’s not exactly that I lied to you, rather that I was purposely vague about a detail recently…

A few weeks ago we held a very special giveaway for my book! Anyone subscribed could opt-in and have a chance to receive the book for free :)

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And that is still true!

What I forgot to mention was that everyone who clicked on the link will receive their copy for free!

I never said that there was only going to be one person winning!

This was my little ploy from the start; I wanted to have the opportunity to give back to people who really wanted the book and followed me throughout its making 😊

I will come back to every single one of you individually for the shipping: some will receive it directly from me by mail, others via other means if you have a printing location nearby!

So if you are part of the lucky winners, keep an eye on your inbox!

Illustration progress!

Some news about the next big illustration I’m working on :)

This is the biggest and most detailed illustration I’ve ever worked on: after the book was complete, I really wanted to give myself a challenge and feel less pressure to finish it on time.

It took me multiple weeks to get through it, but I’m happy to announce that the inking is finally done!

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I really enjoyed diving deep into the details, adding way more than I first anticipated in the sketch. It’s especially visible on the tiny village visible in the distance!

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Finishing the ink was another great achievement for me this week :)

I also did the color blocking - just quickly added the base colors that I will refine later. It’s something that really sped up my process when I was making Susie’s book! Now I don’t have to worry about going over when coloring.

I can’t wait to show you the progress in a future issue!

Speaking of, important announcement ⚠️

No newsletter next Tuesday! I have a good friend coming over and I want to enjoy his company without stressing too much! But I'll continue to make art and will come back on the 13th with a lot of cool things to show you :) ✨

BUT remember that one of you will be contacted to receive their free print, so keep an eye on your inbox (just in case!)

And this is it for this week! Remember, the book is finally available at this address! If you don’t see your usual digital storefront for books, don’t hesitate to search for it :)

I’m available if you have any questions! Just hit reply on this email and I’ll be there.

Thank you so much for following me on this journey. I hope you’re having as much fun as I do!

See you on the 13th! And in the meantime,

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Take care,
- Nighten

This email is part of my art Newsletter. Invite a friend to join the club: https://club.nighten.fr​