I'm happy to say that Cartozia Tales #1 is now at the print shop. I'll be seeing proofs in a few days, and then it'll probably take a week to get the book printed. That means I should have copies in my hands by August 1 or 2.

Meanwhile, the stories and cover art for issue #2 are already starting to come in. We should have that ready on a much quicker timetable — in fact, I'm a little worried that we'll have #2 ready to print before #1 generates any mail for the letter column. (Yes, Cartozia Tales has a letters column.)

I set the cover price for issue #1 at $6.00, rather than the $5.00 I planned on, because it's 44 pages long (and therefore costs a bit more to print). The cover price increase will not affect our subscribers, nor will it affect anyone who buys the book before August 1 (I'm going to leave it set at $5.00 in our online store until I get the physical copies from the print shop.) I think you'll find it worth the price. It's going to be on really nice (80#) paper, so it'll feel more like a booklet than a magazine, and it's going to stand up to some sustained re-reading.

Why, even the cover can be pored over for a while! Have a look: