I’ve been editing and revising Tamaishi for several weeks now and I’m nearly ready to move ahead with a second printing. It’s been a joy to rework everything: Where All the Little Things Live pushed me in ways that I didn’t expect and looking back on Tamaishi I could clearly see opportunities for improvement.
While the core story hasn’t changed, I’ve rewritten every chapter and labored over every sentence again, treating it almost like a first draft (if I’m being honest with myself, that’s what the first printing was). I found ways to remove word clutter and paint more sensory imagery, reworked many of the illustrations to feature a lot more detail, refined the layout and typography using what I learned from Where All the Little Things Live.
The result is a much more polished book overall. I think now it’s more the book I wanted it to be three years ago, but I simply didn’t have the experience to really make it so.
Tayoki revision 
Tayoki Original 
Kani Escapes Original 
Kani Escapes Revision 
The Three Before and After
I hope to be going to press by February of 2022, once again working with the masterful Charles Overbeck at Eberhardt Press. Stay tuned!
Ian:
Always interested in reading about your process and writing. I wish I had your enthusiasm and drive. Just keep at it and I think in several decades you’ll be mobbed by people who want to know how you do it.
Mike R.