Holding the Book in My Hands!

Kindrie Grove
Aug 19
3 min read

Updated: Aug 27

Holding the Book in My Hands!

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To hold the actual book in my hands was a dream come true.

Decorative element with two swords and a design between them.

The Physical Proof

So many hours of careful editing, illustration creation, consideration for the design of the covers and the interior layout have gone into this version of the book.

The Manifestation of A Vision!

Last week I received two physical hardcover proofs of my book.

The excitement of holding the books in my hands, seeing the dust jacket and the hardcovers beneath, and turning the pages to see the illustrations I had worked so hard to create living in their new home, was beyond what I expected.

When I first published the book, I felt joyful excitement when I received my first beefy trade paperbacks, yet those moments were tinged with a faint disappointment, that my illustrations were not full bleed, that the maps were not larger and that the quality of the cover was not as high as I had hoped for. The self publishing route I took to first get my books out into the world was a lesson in 'Bootstrapping'. I wore all the hats, from the writer/illustrator, to the formatter and designer, to the publisher and head of marketing. It was exhausting in many ways, but it allowed me to share my books on a shoestring budget.

The new iteration of the books has jumped me into a completely new level of learning curve, which includes figuring out offset printing and pre-publishing budgets, book distribution to actual stores, (we are still learning how all this works!) and a new appreciation to what goes into a beautiful book design.

This time around, I have a team of experts, professionals that are able to do the things I was doing myself (aside from the writing and illustrating) with far more skill and efficiency. In many respects my first edition copies of books one through three of The Stone Guardians, were preparing me for releasing them in this new beautiful format.

The quality of the book we are producing finally matches my vision for it, And I am beyond excited to see it become a reality!

Open book with a two-page spread for the maps in Book One of The Stone Guardians, illustrations by Kindrie Grove. — The Maps: Universal Hardcover proof

The Kickstarter

I was driven to share this tale and these characters as part of my life’s purpose.

We are launching the Kickstarter campaign for the hardcover versions of The Messenger From Myris Dar, Book One of The Stone Guardians in September! The book will be in two versions:

a Universal Hardcover

(This will eventually be sold through bookstores)

and

A Series of Collector's Remarques

(These hardcovers will only available through the Kickstarter and will feature hand drawing sketches and illustrations created by me on the front flyleaf page of the book.)

The fist hardcover book in the Stone Guardians series sits next to one of the original illustrations featured between the covers, An ancient shield drawn by Kindrie Grove — '*Ancient Gift*' original illustration for the book, and the Universal Hardcover proof.

Three Become Six

My first edition versions of Books One, Two, and Three, were massive volumes, unwieldy and heavy. They were also too long for the hardcover formats, both feasibly and by weight for holding in hand.

So a plan was hatched to divide each of the 700-800+ page books into two volumes. Creating six books from three. ( BTW I am still writing this series, so there will for sure be eight or even ten when the story is finished!)

Each of the new volumes has a new title and will average between 300 and 450 pages, which is perfect for readability length and heft.

Banner image of Rowan's face and Book One of The Stone Guardians, The Messenger From Myris Dar by Kindrie Grove

Get the Launch Updates

We will have some lovely early bird discounts on signed books available for the first 24 hours of the campaign, including a special box bundle with a signed Hardcover Edition and a selection of add-ons!

Early backer support for the campaign is crucial to gaining access to the broader Kickstarter marketing ecosystem, which will not only ensure we are funded and the project will be created, AKA these beautiful books can be printed! But it helps the endeavor become a true success.

Lastly, An Enormous Thank You!

To everyone of the readers, subscribers, and lovers of the books, those who have left me vital feedback and encouragement along the way, I wish to extend my heart-felt thanks to you all!