How This Book Got from Ron’s Computer to you Kitchen
PART SEVEN Final Edits and Choice of colors (08/30/24)
Finalizing the Book –Contents, Blurbs, Foreword and more.
During my final edit pass through the memoir section of the book, before sending to Skyhorse, I had noted where illustrations would go in each section. My editor had told me to wait to assemble those files until they knew how many pages the entire book would be and how much room we’d have to add illustrations. On a Friday in late October they finally confirmed that I should indeed send the artwork and, by the way, it would be nice if I could get it to them by Monday?!! Yikes.
I scoured, scoured, and re-scoured Ron’s computer, which was comprised of multiple drives and not much organization, for the high-resolution photos needed for the cookbook section and the memoir. I also took quite a few photos myself—with my iphone. Some of the photos in the book are actually iphone photos of photographs from the 1990s! And I did get them 80% of what they asked for by Monday with 20% lagging a bit behind.
Ultimately, David saw our need for expertise and offered to take over the InDesign work, much to my and Skyhorse’s relief. I don’t know how many hours David spent texting me instructions, reviewing the files and then, actually fixing all the files himself but I know it was a very generous contribution to the project.
My editor, Nicole, was very helpful and true to her word of allowing me to control the look and feel of that book. Together we laid out the order of the book’s sections, added extra photos and spreads, determined fabric for the cover, color of the printing on that fabric, ribbon colors for place markers and paper stock.
I read and re-read and re-read every page of the memoir and cookbook sections searching for all typos and errors. Amazingly I could find more on every pass through and still not find them all. Even after all that minute, detailed checking I just noticed in the final printed book that the photo credit to Chris Weber and Paul Hauser on the title page still reads “Chris Paul”. Oh well…next printing!
Another exciting aspect of the book creation is the collection of “blurbs” as the printed comments are called. I reached out to Rene Redzepi of Noma, Thomas Keller of The French Laundry and Per Se, as well as Susan Hermann Loomis of On Rue Tatin. And feel very honored to have their participation and support.
The Foreword (I had always thought it was a Forward—oops) was another challenge. We needed someone who knew Ron well. Sinclair Philip and his wife, Frederique, of the Sooke Harbor House in BC Canada had been a long- time confidants and mentors to both me and Ron. And Ron had included them in his memoir. I gave Sinclair a suggested word count or number of pages that we were looking for. He warned me that he tended to the verbose and go on and on…as he is wont in conversation as well (we laughed over this together) and, true to form, the five pages I had requested were turned in as twenty pages! Together we honed his beautiful writing and homage to Ron to fit the book.