Category Archives: The Capitol

It’s Officially A Book

With a month to go before publication date, I got a nice surprise in the mail yesterday when a lone hardcover of The Capitol arrived, along with a nice note from my editor.

It’s officially pretty, and it’s officially A Book, complete with some final corrections and light edits (even on the very very last pass, I *still* couldn’t keep my hands off of it) and with an index and photo insert–two things that weren’t in the Advance Reading Copy. And hey! You’ll even get some photos in full color.

I wasn’t expecting to get a copy in the mail just yet, so I opened the padded envelope without hoopla or expectations–and I can vouch for the fact that holding your newest book in your hand for the first time will never not be exciting.

All Done.

I officially finished The Capitol over the weekend, when I sent my editor my final edits on the galley proofs–meaning it is now officially out of my hands and in the care of the fine folks at Dutton, so it can be on its way to you by June 2.

While I made the final changes to an editable pdf document, I always ask for a hard copy to read through as well–I’m hopelessly analog–and my editor was kind enough to put together a mock-up version of the finished book, which looks absolutely fantastic. I especially love this two-page splash at the very front, with the title and credits:

This one comes to you at a hefty 464 pages (which actually makes it just a hair shorter than Washington Irving, which clocks in at 468), with a full-color photo insert. We’ve also put a drawing, photo, or other illustration at the beginning of each chapter to give you an idea of what the building looks like in the chapter you’re about to read, so you can follow its progress from the moment it was just a placeholder on a map in 1790, through variations of domes and additions over the next century and a half, on up to the present day. In short, it just plain looks amazing.

I’ve been asked if there will be an audiobook, and at the moment the answer is Yup, I’m pretty sure there is, and you can pre-order it here. Beyond that, I don’t know who the reader might be–but the moment I hear anything, you’ll hear it next.

I’m excited to get this into your hands. I’ve said it before, but I know it’s been a long time coming, and I really appreciate your patience. It’ll be worth it, I promise.