Dear Friends and Supporters, Fellow Pilgrims All!

I hope this update finds you well as we get into Autumn. Here we are quite energized by reaching the threshold of ordering the physical proof copy of the Thebaid Book!

As I’ve shared previously, unlike our first proof edition this past February, and the revised proof pages in early Summer, both of which were printed by STM Press’s local printer, this upcoming hard-copy proof will be done by the actual printer of the Thebaid Book, which will give us our most accurate view yet of the finished product, and reveal any final tweaks or edits needed for the more than 200 photographs. This is the critical, penultimate step before going to press and the printing of the actual North American Thebaid Book.

A friend of mine who is an author with a couple of books now published asked me a couple of weeks ago how it felt, getting so close to completion. I had to admit to her, sometimes it has felt like the goalposts keep moving! Her light-hearted laughter in response made me feel a little better about how much goes into the publishing process, as it does often seem we keep encountering new steps, things we didn’t know that we didn’t know.

Providentially, including this Summer, this has almost always worked to our benefit, the added steps and time allowing us to improve image and book quality through new resources and techniques which sometimes only recently became available. For example, several weeks ago, as we neared our deadline for the book files, we found we had a couple of added weeks in the publishing schedule. At about the same time, I had learned of powerful new image editing tools in the latest releases of Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, enabling me to make deeper photo edits than were previously possible, dramatically improving image quality right as we have been preparing to go to press.

Below is a great example of the dramatic improvement in before and after these new editing tools, which help reduce digital noise in low-light images (a must for photographs in churches and monasteries), and improve everything from skin tones to shadow detail:

Beginning next week I will be working with my editor at St. Tikhon’s Press to prep the book file for our proof copy. It should all come together fairly quickly at this point, and I’ll keep you posted.

For those who have not yet pre-ordered or would like to add to your preorder, our Thebaid Pre-Order Store is still open for a limited period of time. When we set our date to go to press, I will announce the closing of the store. I should be able to provide 2-4 week’s notice in advance.

See below for links and details on preordering.

My heartfelt thanks to all of you who have supported The North American Thebaid Project through your preorders and prayers, some from the very beginning, way back in 2016! You have made all of this possible, and I am deeply grateful.

Watch for another update when we order the proof copy! 

Yours in Pre-Press Mode,

zosimas

† Pre-Order Notes:

• Pre-orders of The North American Thebaid book are still available for a limited time at The Thebaid Store.
• The Deluxe Limited Edition (signed & numbered, with signed and matted print) is available only by pre-order for a limited time. Once the book goes go to print, we will close the pre-order Thebaid Store.
• Signed copies of the Standard Edition (with a signed and matted print) are available by pre-order until the book goes to print.
• The signed and matted 8×10 prints are only available by pre-order bundled with the book, and will not be available separately either before we go to print, or afterwards. There are currently no plans to offer Thebaid prints for sale.
• Pre-orders will be shipped before retail channels receive their copies for resale.
• Upon publication, the Standard Edition will be available through the STM Press Bookstore, and through other online and ‘brick and mortar’ resellers.
• Contact STM Press with queries about discounts for resellers and church bookstores.