Argh!! Postponing Due To Frustration

I'm delaying the release.

I'm so frustrated about having to do this.

While reading the proof over the last couple days, I found a couple problems in the text. After thinking about it, I decided that these were small issues and didn't hold enough weight for me to worry about. I was going to go ahead with the release.

I almost didn't read any more -- I'd convinced myself that there couldn't be any more errors in the book. After all, I've read it 11 times since the beginning of the year. What else could possibly be wrong?

But I knew I was just avoiding the possible truth that there were more issues.

Besides, I'd found out during my last couple times through the draft that I had corruption going on. About a month ago, my file closed down on me suddenly and wanted to recover the document when I opened it back up. Stupid me told it to recover the document. Come on, I know better than that! Especially since that's exactly why I have my autosave on. Anyway, as I went through the draft this last couple of times, I'd find sentences that were half rewritten or words out of place that I knew I'd already fixed. I started wondering if the corruption in my file made it confuse the editing versions and was "doing its best" at piecing together what it had.

I thought I'd caught all of them. Obviously, I've been very tired this last month.

While reading the proof tonight, I found two very huge errors -- one's I just couldn't ignore. They had to have come from this corruption quilt! When added to the other errors, I just couldn't release it that way. I fully accept that the book will never be perfect. George Lucas, who I've been quoting a lot of this week, basically said that movies aren't released, they escape. I truly feel that this book needs to escape because I know I can never make it perfect. I wanted it "close enough." Right now, I'm not there.

So, I delay. At least with the print copy. I do want to go through the proof just to make sure. I'd rather postpone than have a product so inferior as it is now.

However, I thought I would release the NOOK version because that I can update easier than anything else. I went in and dropped in my changes that I already knew I wanted to make, reformatted the epub version, uploaded it to the website, clicked to put on sale now, and...

"We are experiencing technical difficulties. Please try again later."

REALLY?! You've got to be kidding me!

Obviously the universe is telling me to stop rushing, that there is another big issue with the book that needs my attention first. I have enough experience here to know that I need to listen.

While I'm unhappy that I have to wait, that my big release has fizzled, I know that this will ultimately bring about a better book overall. In the end, having a worthy story is what I want. I can wait a little longer. Soon. It's still coming. Very soon.

I'll keep you up to date on what happens. Maybe I can still get the NOOK version out today. As for the rest, I'm going to go get some sleep now and start in again in the morning.