I've finally done it–I've clicked on 'order proof' and am now nervously awaiting the arrival of print copies of Discord's Child and Discord's Apprentice.
    The process so far has been relatively painless. I used my files for the Kindle copies and pasted them onto Create Space's template. With print there are extra things to think about concerning the layout, fonts and sizes etc., but at least the manuscript should be free of typos and grammatical errors (I hope!). I also adapted the digital cover using a Create Space template, and tinkered with the back cover copy and spine until it all looks good on screen. Of course, I took advantage of Create Space's digital review facility and PDFs, but that doesn't mean nothing will go wrong when it's all printed.
    It will be a couple of weeks before the proofs arrive, as they're coming from the US and I didn't want to pay around $18 for the quickest 'shipping', opting for the medium expedited version, which is less expensive but still enough. Some UK writers recommend bypassing the print proofs. Instead, they set their book's price as low as possible and order a copy from the UK site. This arrives quickly, the book can easily be taken off sale if corrections are needed and you can increase the price virtually straight away if everything is okay. I don't know how well this works, and as a newbie, I decided to play it safe.
    If all goes well, Discord's Child and Discord's Apprentice should be available in print from Create Space and Amazon in time for Easter. I just hope my fingers won't be permanently set crossed by then.