The Proof Copy has Landed!

On By zosimasIn Project, Publishing, Thebaid Book4 Comments

Image Inspection is underway

Dear Friends and Supporters, Fellow Pilgrims All,

Good Strength to you as we pass the midpoint of the First Week of Great Lent!

Last year’s cover of the First Proof copy of the Thebaid Book.

I am very happy to report that I have received the Final Proof Copy of the Thebaid Book from St Tikhon’s Press, and have eagerly begun working through it.

As I removed the book from the padded shipping envelope, I discovered it was further wrapped in two layers of heavy Kraft paper, and secured with wrapping tape to protect it. After carefully cutting open one end of the package, I admit to somewhat shredding the wrapping paper to more quickly remove the book and immediately begin looking through it.

Like the first proof copy from thirteen long months ago, the pages are unbound and loose; this is truly a proof copy. (I was told last year with the first proof copy that due to the large size of the book, the “perfect bound” paperback glued binding would not be able to hold it together effectively, and no other binding would be cost effective for our purposes.) Being spread out on my work table, it doesn’t slow me down in reviewing it, but it is a minor inconvenience when it comes to flipping back and forth, or turning numerous pages at a time. Therefore, I do plan on taking it to a print shop to use a commercial three-hole punch to enable me to set it in a binder, which will help keep it together and in order, as well as protect it and make it easier when moving it around or transporting it.

My initial impressions on the image reproduction are strongly positive. There are several key images early on in the book which truly wowed me by their visual impact, which I found both surprising and reassuring. At this stage of prepping the book to go to press, I am so familiar with the photographs and their sequence that I did not expect to have such a reaction. So for the printed proof to come across so strongly during my first review was most rewarding, and provoked a range of emotions, from relief (honestly, as we hadn’t done any test proofs since last June!), to a guarded confidence (as I’m only about twenty percent into the book as of yet), to the glimmer of a sense of deep joy at the potential for the book to truly fulfill my hopes for it.

Any negatives to report? Nothing major yet, only a couple of minor edits required so far. One image is a little on the light side, and needs to have the tones deepened just a touch to restore color saturation and the sense of “richness” of the original. In another the subject’s face needs to be brightened a bit, so a localized “dodge” is the solution. (I am literally thinking in and using darkroom terms, both traditional and digital, to describe these!) So I’ve placed the first two of hopefully not too many post-it notes to flag them. I will be very pleased if no more than ten percent of the more than 200 images require any further edits, and so far, we are well below that percentage.

So, that’s it for now. I hope to march through the book (pardon the pun) over the next several days (maybe even by the end of March), make my final edits and adjustments, and ship the proof copy back to St Tikhon’s even as I upload the revised files to Dropbox from where they will be used to replace the current files in the layout.

After I send the proof copy back to STM Press, we will still have one last round of professional text proofreading, which I understand will be handled by a highly regarded associate at St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, after which we go to press. While we feel confident of spelling, we want to have fresh, professional eyes on the titles, texts and formatting to check for spacing, punctuation, and all the little things we become blind to after working with it for months on end.

As you know, the pre-order period has officially ended, and I wish to thank again all those who took advantage of the extended deadline to place their orders, and indeed to all of you who have supported The North American Thebaid Photographic Pilgrimage Project over the last seven and a half years. Your contributions through two crowdfunding campaigns and our open pre-order period has sustained this endeavor and brought it to the threshold of fulfillment, and it is by your prayers (and by those who have gone before us) that we are pressing on to the goal.

With heartfelt thanksgiving, and great anticipation ~ zosimas

Pre-Order Deadline Extended to March 11

On By zosimasIn Publishing, Thebaid BookLeave a comment

Last chance to order Deluxe Limited Edition and Signed Fine-Art Prints

Prototype Design for Deluxe Limited Edition with leather cover
Prototype Design for Deluxe Limited Edition with leather cover (not the actual cover). Available only by pre-order until 12 Midnight, March 11, 2024, EDT.

Dear Friends & Supporters, Fellow Pilgrims All ~

As we are still in the final stages of reviewing the proof copy of the Thebaid Book, and as I have received some questions recently about how to pre-order and help support the project, I have decided to extend the Pre-Order Deadline to next Monday, March 11, at 12 Midnight EDT, 11pm CDT.

Proceed to the Thebaid Pre-Order Store…

My thanks to all of you who have recently pre-ordered the Thebaid Book. There has been a renewed interest in the book the last several weeks, and at a pre-Lent gathering this past weekend, I was glad to be able to share about the imminent publication with some I had met during my 2018 travels.

Just to recap where we are:

  • The editorial team at St Tikhon’s Monastery Press is completing their final review of the physical proof copy of the book. They are especially scrutinizing the text elements for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and formatting.
  • They will ship it to me when they have finished at their end, so that I may inspect the image reproduction and make any required image edits before sending the final book file to press.

My immense thanks to all of you for following along with this incredible project, for your support of it through pre-orders and prayers, and for your patience through the long period of post-production and pre-press. I look forward to celebrating together with you (virtually and in many cases, in person) when the book is finally completed and we have our copies in our hands.

Standing on the Runway,

zosimas

† Pre-Order Notes:

  • Pre-orders for The North American Thebaid book at The Thebaid Store will end at 12:00 midnight on March 11, 2024 EDT, 11:00PM Central.
  • Discounts are available for multiple copies of both the Standard Edition and the Deluxe Limited Edition.
  • The Deluxe Limited Edition (leather-bound, signed & numbered, with signed & matted fine-art print) is available only by pre-order.
  • The Standard Edition is available by pre-order, signed, with signed & matted print. Unsigned copies or copies without signed & matted print are not available.
  • Signed and matted 8×10 fine-art prints are only available by pre-order bundled with the book.
    • Prints will not be available separately either before we go to press, or afterwards. 
    • There are no plans to offer individual Thebaid prints for sale.
  • Pre-orders will be shipped before retail channels receive their copies for resale.

† Publication Notes:

  • 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.

The Proof Copy has arrived, Final Pre-Press review is underway

On By zosimasIn Project, Publishing, Thebaid BookLeave a comment
The old print shop at St Herman of Alaska Monastery, Platina CA

Thebaid Book Pre-Order Store to remain open until 12:00 Midnight ET on Monday, March 4, 2024.

Dear Fellow Pilgrims,

A brief but important news bulletin today:

The Final Proof Copy of The North American Thebaid Book has arrived at St Tikhon’s, and the Press has begun reviewing it for any remaining spelling, grammar, punctuation, formatting, and design issues which may have been missed in our final review of the digital book file three weeks ago.

The plan is for St Tikhon’s to finish their review towards the end of next week, then ship the proof copy to me for my review. I will, of course, be especially concentrating on the images, making sure they reproduced in print accurately, with correct color balance (or sepia tone, as the case may be), and with “impact.”

This is a very exciting time for us, and I look forward to announcing when we’ve finished our reviews and any last edits and tweaks, and are going to press.

As mentioned in the sub-title, I have set a deadline for pre-orders: Monday, March 4, 2024, at 12:00 Midnight Eastern Time, 11:00PM Central. Below are some important notes on key aspects of the pre-orders.

My heartfelt thanks for all your support and prayers for the North American Thebaid Photographic Pilgrimage and Book Project.

Yours in Pre-Press Mode,

zosimas

† Pre-Order Notes:

  • Pre-orders for The North American Thebaid book at The Thebaid Store will end at 12:00 midnight on March 4, 2024 ET, 11:00PM Central.
  • Discounts are available for multiple copies of both the Standard Edition and the Deluxe Limited Edition.
  • The Deluxe Limited Edition (leather-bound, signed & numbered, with signed & matted print) is available only by pre-order, and will not be available through retail outlets. Copies without the signed & matted print are not available.
  • The Standard Edition is available by pre-order, signed, with signed & matted print only. Unsigned copies or copies without the signed & matted print are not available by pre-order.
  • Signed and matted 8×10 prints are only available by pre-order bundled with the book.
    • Prints will not be available separately either before we go to press, or afterwards.
    • There are currently no plans to offer individual 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.

The Thebaid Book Proof Copy has been ordered!

On By zosimasIn Publishing, Thebaid Book2 Comments

Now we wait to inspect it before going to press…

Me holding the first cover proof last year about this time.

Dear Friends and Supporters, Fellow Pilgrims All,

I am most happy — thrilled would not be too strong a word, actually! — to report to you that my editor at St Tikhon’s Monastery Press notified me late Monday morning that he had sent the book file (including the dust jacket design) to the printer to order the Final Proof Copy to be printed.

This is the penultimate step in the publishing process, and effectively places us on the launch pad. When the proof copy comes back from the printer (about three weeks from now), we will each (my editor and I) make our final passes, inspecting it for any possible spelling and grammatical mistakes, punctuation, typographic issues such as spacing and such, format issues, and of course review the images themselves for accurate reproduction in the printed form.

As much as we had put into our inspections and edits over the last few weeks to prepare to send it for the final proof copy, you would think there wasn’t much remaining to be done, but as we made our final passes late last week we each noticed some issues which needed to be addressed. I found a group of four B&W images across a two-page spread which needed some tonal adjustment to match similar images throughout the book, and my editor detected spacing issues in the Table of Contents text which he quickly corrected. Both those issues were caught at the end of last week, so we completed our edits on Friday, the updates to the book file being made Monday morning after which the file was sent to the printer, one business day later than our targeted February 2 date.

I feel especially pleased with how the Table of Contents turned out, and am resisting the strong temptation to show it to you now, but I am under an embargo from sharing page spreads from the actual book before its official release. I can tell you that the collaboration between my editor and myself has been incredibly rewarding, and the TOC effectively crowns the book as a result. I love how it turned out, and believe that the image and design we created launches the book in a way that has impact and drama, and is personal and engaging for the viewer. Hopefully you’ll agree once you receive your copies and can behold it spread out in front of you.

As always, my sincere thanks for your support, prayers, and patience for the North American Thebaid Pilgrimage and Book Project. Watch for more updates soon as the Final Proof Copy arrives and as we go to press. 

As a reminder, pre-orders are still being accepted. I will announce the end date for pre-orders once we receive the proof copy. See below for details and links.†

Yours in Proof Mode,

zosimas

† Pre-Order Notes:

  • Pre-orders of The North American Thebaid book are still available for a limited time at The Thebaid Store.
  • Discounts available for multiple copies of both the Standard Edition and the Deluxe Limited Edition.
  • The Deluxe Limited Edition (Leather-bound, signed & numbered, with signed and matted print) is available only by pre-order for a limited time. 
  • Signed copies of the Standard Edition (with a signed and matted print) are available by pre-order.
  • 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 individual 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.

Final Tweaks, Now the Proof Copy!

On By zosimasIn Publishing, Thebaid Book2 Comments
Sunset at St Paisius Monastery, Safford AZ

Dear Fellow Pilgrims,

Another tantalizing update on the Thebaid Book!

As you will remember, since my January 4th post we have been reviewing our new “final book file,” which has the print-ready image files inserted, and the text received back from our professional proofreader. Our job has been to review everything in the final file before signing off on it and ordering the Final Proof Copy, giving us a physical proof to inspect before going to press.

Each week since my January 4 update I have hoped we would be able to press the “Send” button, and order the Final Proof Copy, but each week we (my editor at St Tikhon’s Monastery Press and I) discovered more edits which had to be made before we could take that step!

Most of these edits have been “minor,” in the sense that they involve detailed typographical corrections: adding a space after a period, increasing line spacing to allow the text to “breathe,” plus a few lingering spelling, punctuation or grammatical corrections. Yet at this stage, even these “minor” edits are essential to the professional completion of the book. From my end, I submitted a collection of well over fifty such edits!

There were also some other things we caught, such as a couple of images which had not been replaced with the Final CMYK files needed for the 4-color offset printing, essential for proper image reproduction.

Certainly the largest and most important issue we confronted over the past few weeks was our design for the Table of Contents. For at least a year now we have had in the book design a 2-page TOC spread featuring a strong panoramic image with the TOC text in white. Our plan was to return to it to finalize the formatting as we got closer to going to print, but when we finally began to work on it, we struggled to present the text in a way that was not competing with highly detailed tree branches in the background. The foliage behind the text — though in silhouette — was still far too “busy” to allow the text to “float” off the background. The effect was jarring, and after several failed attempts to make it work, we began discussing alternate designs.

This led to the creation of six new Table of Contents designs and mockups for us to consider, each with a different background image. (We definitely wanted to keep the design concept of the 2-page image spread for the TOC, especially as that is a major recurring feature of the book itself, with no fewer than ten two-page, full-bleed image spreads throughout.)

Well, I am happy to report that we have settled on a very unique and strong image for the TOC spread, and are wrapping up the last of the text and formatting edits. During our phone conference this past Thursday (January 25th), my editor set our goal of ordering the Final Proof Copy by the end of next week, February 2. As you can imagine, this is a moment of great anticipation for us, and we can’t wait to receive the proof copy back and review it before sending the book to press.

I can’t repeat it often enough, and wish to express again my heartfelt thanks for all your support and prayers for the North American Thebaid Pilgrimage and Book Project. Watch for more updates next week as we order the Final Proof Copy, and at each stage following.

Pre-orders are still being accepted, but watch for an announcement soon of the date for closing of the Thebaid Store and the end of pre-orders. See below for details and links.†

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.
  • Discounts available for multiple copies of both the Standard Edition and the Deluxe Limited Edition.
  • The Deluxe Limited Edition (Leather-bound, 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 individual 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.

Proof Edition Update!

On By zosimasIn Publishing, Thebaid Book2 Comments
Holding the first proof cover last February, 2023.

Dear Supporters and Fellow Pilgrims,

Big News on the Book!

Hot on the heels of my recent update, I received late yesterday from my book editor at St Tikhon’s the new “final” book file, which includes all the 4-color photo files inserted into the layout, plus the corrected texts from the professional proofreader. This is the meat of the matter, and what we have been working towards these many long months, and even years!

He and I are both reviewing the entire book for any quirks that may have been missed. I have already caught several items, some as small as spacing between a period and the start of a new sentence, others involving an odd turn of phrase which can be edited to provide a better reading experience.

We have also made a couple of important final decisions on versions of images to use; now is the time to do it, before we print the proof copy, so we can see how it looks when done in offset printing.

On a personal level, I’ve noticed it’s very helpful that I haven’t looked at the earlier PDF book file since early December, as the book is now rather fresh to me once again, like seeing it with unsuspecting eyes. Not only does it allow me to quickly see issues which need correcting, but it allows me to appreciate the (hopefully positive) impact of the images and the flow of the book.

I cannot emphasize enough how much I appreciate your great patience during this extremely long pre-press process. Now we truly are at the final steps before printing the book itself.

Watch for more updates when we send the book file for the proof copy to be printed (hopefully middle of next week), followed by my report on the results, which will precede sending the actual finished book file to press.

With immense gratefulness to you, and thankfulness to God,

zosimas

Preparing to hit ‘Send’ – A New Year’s Book Update

On By zosimasIn Project, Publishing, Thebaid Book1 Comment
Cemetery Chapel in Winter, Dormition Monastery, Rives Jct, Michigan

Dear Friends & Supporters, Fellow Pilgrims All ~

Christ is Born! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

The suspense builds at our end as we prepare to send the book file to the printer to order the Final Proof Edition. Even during the holidays we have been working behind the scenes on final details.

See below for links and details on preordering.

In our most recent news, back at the start of December I had completed the last image edits and file conversions to 4-color (CMYK) mode, which optimized them for the book’s offset printing. The proofreader returned the completed text edits about a week later, and my editor at St Tikhon’s Press has since then been replacing the place-keeper images and text in the layout file. Sometime in the next several days I expect to receive a new “final” PDF file of the book, and my editor and I will review it together and make any final tweaks before ordering the Final Proof Edition.

New to this round of updates will be the final designs for the book cover, the dust jacket, and the end sheets. These are the finishing touches, so to speak, and will complete the “look” and “feel” of the book.

So, the Final Proof Edition is finally at hand. As I described it recently for a friend, “we are now days away, not weeks.” Later this week, I hope we will be “hours away, not days.” I’ll update you when it has been ordered, and we’ll move forward to the final pre-press stage, the inspection of the printed Final Proof, after which we go to press.

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! Thank you for believing in this unique photographic pilgrimage book project and backing it with your contributions and pre-orders. You have made all of this possible, and I am deeply grateful. 

My thanks again to all you who have recently pre-ordered the book. If you haven’t pre-ordered, please keep in mind that there are real benefits to doing so, such as the inclusion of a signed & matted fine art print from the project (not available separately), and the option to order the Deluxe Limited Edition (signed & numbered with leather-bound cover and signed & matted print), which will not be available through standard retail channels, but only through pre-order. See the below Pre-Order Notes for details and links.

Watch for another update when we order the final 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.
  • Discounts available for multiple copies of both the Standard Edition and the Deluxe Limited Edition.
  • The Deluxe Limited Edition (Leather-bound, 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 individual 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.

Thebaid Book Update: Last Steps before Ordering Hard-Copy Proof

On By zosimasIn Project, Publishing, Thebaid BookLeave a comment

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!

Two full-page bleeds from the February 2023 proof edition.

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:

Mother Nectaria at the chanter’s stand, St. Paul Skete.

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.

4-Color Proofs & Pre-Press Progress

On By zosimasIn Project, Publishing, Thebaid BookLeave a comment


Dear Friends and Supporters, Fellow Pilgrims All!

My apologies for the lack of updates since Pascha! In addition to my work preparing the image files for print, I have also recently moved to a new town and addressing all that is associated with that process. This weekend is the final move of my furniture and belongings from storage three states away to the new place. This is the final stage, and I can settle in now at a leisurely pace, while redoubling my work on the book at my desired determined pace!

My pre-press work on the CMYK 4-color file conversions nears its end at last (!!!), and in early Summer we ran a new batch of proof pages to see how the image quality is holding up when translated to the printed page. Fully 80% of those proofs looked excellent, which confirmed our work process and propelled us forward. Some of the photographs still needed adjustments, but even with those we have learned immensely from the proofing process, and this informs our work going forward.

In addition, the final round of professional proofreading of the text sections, and review of the design elements and titles, etc., are under the scrutiny of the proofreader used by St. Tikhon’s Press for all their publications.

With the success of the recent proof pages and the proofreading underway, we felt confident to set an internal deadline of end of Summer to complete the final book file.

This will be the penultimate pre-press moment! From this completed book file we will order a final physical proof copy of the entire book, but this time from the actual book printer themselves, which will give us the most accurate possible printed output to view before going to print.

After receiving the Final Proof Copy we will be able to make one last review of all elements, concentrating of course on image quality. If there are any final tweaks or edits required, that is our opportunity to make them, and then we send the book to print.

It usually takes 30 days or so for even a single-copy proof edition of a book this size to come back from a printer, so we do not expect to see the final proof copy before mid-October. Once approved, we go to print, and I will update you on the dates for distribution of the finished North American Thebaid Book.

I am truly thrilled and energized to get to this point. People often ask me, “I’ll bet you’ll be glad to get the book finished,” and while that is certainly true, I have also deeply loved this past year and all the finalizing work on the layout and images. They have come alive to me anew, in ways I would not have appreciated if not for this detailed labor. It has been sometimes painstaking work, with a steep learning curve and many long hours, but it has also been affirming of the individual images, and the project as a whole, and I am most eager not just to cross the goal line, but to finally deliver it into your hands, and to receive your responses. And, in a mysterious way, this long final pre-press stage has been the culmination of the “pilgrimage following the Pilgrimage,” an internal journey, coupled with a technical journey, to complete the entire project.

Pre-Order Period to End Soon:

With all this in mind, I am preparing to announce the end of pre-orders at the Thebaid Store. I think it is safe to say we will keep it open at least until mid-September. See below for links and details on preordering.

My heartfelt thanks to all of you who have supported the Thebaid Pilgrimage Project through your preorders and prayers. You have made all of this possible, and this book would not be going to print without your support, many of you from the very beginning, through our crowdfunding campaigns to fund the major period of travel from 2016-2018, and many others since then, with new preorders continuing to come in throughout this Summer.

Now we press on towards the goal. My hope and prayer is that the Thebaid Book will find its place in American Orthodoxy, and help contribute to the spread of the ancient and timeless Orthodox Faith in this land.

Yours in Pre-Press Mode,

zosimas

Photo: Holding the proof copy of the book cover, February 2023.

† 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.

Pascha Pre-Press Update!

On By zosimasIn Publishing, Thebaid BookLeave a comment

Dear Friends and Supporters, Fellow Pilgrims All!

Christ is Risen! Indeed, He is Risen!

I hope you have had a radiant Pascha (or Easter) and have been able to rejoice in the light of the Resurrection of Christ!

Here, my experience of Pascha has been magnified by more steady progress on the pre-press work on the Thebaid book. I was afraid that we would have to hit the pause button for a week or even two due to Holy Week, but we only needed to take off Great and Holy Friday, and did not need to miss any of our weekly production calls.

By the numbers, we found a few weeks ago that we had ten or twelve images which had to be resized for the large 2-page spreads, and a couple more for full-page bleeds. This process is basically complete, and we are now hard at work on the CMYK file conversions; the image files need to be translated from their original RGB mode to four color, CMYK, which prepares them for offset printing. Other than that, only a few lingering stylistic elements need to be finalized. We are thrilled at seeing the goal line getting closer each week.

As always, thank you for your support and prayers as we prepare to go to print!

Christ is Risen! Truly, He is Risen!

Ralph Sidway

† 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.