The Farthest Shore – a few publishing updates

It’s been a while since my most recent update about The Farthest Shore, my upcoming book all about hiking the Cape Wrath Trail in winter, but things are now moving and I have a few bits and pieces to share.

I submitted my draft last August and minor revisions in September. Publication date was an open question at that time; I’d been told 2021, but given the upheaval the publishing industry has been going through I realised that this could mean any date in the year — or even that publication could be postponed to the year after. My publisher, Vertebrate Publishing, has a long and proud history of bringing fantastic mountain and outdoor-themed narrative non-fiction to life, but can only effectively market so many of these at once (especially in such strange times).

In February, my editor, Emma Lockley, told me that things were starting to move forward, and I’m happy to announce that we now have a publication date: September the 2nd 2021. Although this is later than I originally imagined, I’m actually pretty happy about this as a September release is very convenient for the Christmas market. There is also a fair chance that things may be settling down post-pandemic by this point, although given the twists and turns of Coronavirus so far there’s no telling how that might play out at this stage.

I want people to be able to walk into a bookshop, see The Farthest Shore on a shelf, take it to the counter and buy it, then start reading it over a cup of coffee in a coffee shop. You know, like in the distant mythical past of 2019.

I’ve supplied potential cover images and have been told that I can expect to see a few mock-up cover designs at some point soon, which is exciting!

For now, here’s our working draft of the blurb:

In February 2019, award-winning writer Alex Roddie left his online life behind when he set out to walk 300 miles through the Scottish Highlands, seeking solitude and answers. In leaving the chaos of the internet behind for a month, he hoped to learn how it was truly affecting him – or if he should look elsewhere for the causes of his anxiety.

The Farthest Shore is the story of Alex’s solo trek along the remote Cape Wrath Trail. As he journeyed through a vanishing winter, Alex found answers to his questions, learned the nature of true silence, and discovered frightening evidence of the threats faced by Scotland’s wild mountain landscape.

I can’t wait to share a cover design when we have one finalised! When the book is available to pre-order, I’ll be letting my newsletter subscribers know first of all.