Sorry for the radio silence this past week. After the launch party both Kylie and I were beat, so we decided to take a little breather before posting our final Start to Finish post. As my last two posts have been about taking a look back at my time working on Up Nights, I just wanted to take the time to give some thanks before saying my final goodbyes. First, I would just like to thank everyone who came out to the readings and launch party to celebrate the release of Up Nights. We had a great turnout and a good time at all of the events. Along the same lines, thank you to Powell’s City of Books, Sam Bond’s Garage, and The Jack London Bar for letting us host our events at their venues. All of the staff members were very helpful, which took some of the stress off mine and Kylie’s shoulders, so thank you, thank you, thank you!

A special shout-out to the amazing Lidia Yuknavitch for ushering Daniel through his first-ever reading! Not only is she hilarious, but a new favorite author of mine (as I picked up a copy of The Chronology of Water at the Powell’s reading!). I would also like to thank Eliot Treichel for taking time out of his busy schedule to do a reading with Daniel. It’s always a pleasure getting to listen to him read his wonderful stories. To Daniel, a million thank yous for bringing your book to Ooligan, and for putting so much trust in both me and Kylie. It was so amazing to work with you, and I am truly going to miss it. My only wish for Up Nights is that it becomes a  New York Times bestseller! (So go out and get your copy today! Like right this second. Lol.) Lastly, I would like to thank all of our readers, whoever you may be, for sticking with us through this crazy process. I hope that you enjoyed reading about the exciting world of publishing (and the hectic lives of graduate students), and learned a few things along the way. Writing these posts has been a lot more fun than I expected, and they give me something to remember this experience by.

-Brittany

Wow, that’s a tough act to follow. Can I just say “What she said”? In all seriousness, though, it has been my privilege to be a project manager for this book for a whole year. When I became a manager, the book was still in the developmental editing process—Daniel was still hunkered over the manuscript, meticulously addressing our comments and suggestions. Now, it’s edited, designed, marketed, and sold; it’s out in the world, and like an empty-nester, all I can do is twiddle my thumbs and hope that the world will be as good to it as it deserves. I appreciate all the hard work that everyone has put into making the book a success, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to have experienced its production. I’ve learned so much, and have been inspired to push myself out of my comfort zone. I have gotten a taste of what can go wrong or right in a book’s journey from idea to final product. Thank you Brittany, for being such a great partner in crime. Thank you Daniel, for writing a book that made me sit up and say, “Hey, I want to be a part of this,” and for coming all the way across the pond and working so hard to promote it. Thank you Ooligan Press, for being such a positive establishment, such a celebration of what can be accomplished by mere students.

Thank you reader, for reading the Up Nights Start to Finish posts, and taking part in the story of the story. We’ve come full-circle now, and it’s time to say goodbye, but it’s been such a wonderful ride.

Cheers to the future!