Gutter space and margins … check.
Cover art … check. (FYI, Chris Howard is still a genius.)
Back blurb … hmmm … that’s gonna change a couple more times, I’m sure.
(Pause to remove new kitten from the desk. He’s too curious for his own good and he’s constantly attacking my hands while I’m using the mouse. I’ve decided to call him Nuisance even though he’s my son’s pet.)
Font size and spacing for both print and ebook versions … check and check.
Re-read the manuscript for the zillionth time and STILL find a typo on page 96 … ugh, check.
Dedication … aw, that’s easy … totally check. 
Acknowledgements … er … hmn. That one’s a little more tricky. I’ll probably add a few people before the December launch date.
(Pause again because kitten is now attacking my ankle and his little kitten claws hurt. Try to convince him that he should be playing with Pest, my cat, who eyes me with frank disgust but … everyone’s gotta compromise here.)
Go back to my regularly scheduled writing … I’m on chapter 10 of Dead Weight now, so it’s coming along nicely. I’m not sure I’ll make the three month deadline for a first draft, but I’ve had to swap between writing on the computer and writing by hand a couple of times so I won’t feel bad if I stretch it for another month.
Four months to write a rough draft isn’t too bad.
And really, I’m not JUST writing a rough draft, as evidenced by all the book preparation I’m doing. Persona will be my second attempt at launching a book on my own and I’m trying to remember all the mistakes I made last time — such as working while under the influence of cold medication and accidentally launching the book 2 weeks early.
And forgetting to adjust line spacing for the print version, leaving one truly massive novel that cost an arm and a leg to ship.
And not justifying the text.
And … er … so many other things.
Here in the next couple of weeks I’m supposed to start marketing for Persona, letting people know the exact date it will be out (December 6th 2016) and what the book is about (historical fiction/romance/women’s fiction/ … this one I probably need to narrow down a bit more).
Which means that, on top of all of the above, I have to research venues (blogs, magazines, etc.) that might be willing to host me and give me a second to promote the novel before it comes out and during the first two weeks of its launch.
… I think I’d rather have the kitten attack my ankles some more.
AJMaguire 