There's no other way to describe the feeling when your first book is released unedited and months ahead of the scheduled launch.

"It's a huge disappointment,” Ramesh Ferris said in an interview this morning, describing the situation as a "communication failure at its finest.”

Anyone who walked into Mac's Fireweed Books on Main Street yesterday had the chance to buy Ferris' Better Than A Cure.

Ghost-written by local author John Firth, the unintentional release comes complete with incorrect spellings and other errors that should have been fixed before the launch that had been planned for April 12.

That's the same date the polio vaccine was announced in 1955 and the same day Ferris began his Cycle To Walk tour to raise funds to eradicate polio in 2008.

"To me, it's embarrassing,” Ferris told the Star, specifically pointing to his name being spelled wrong as one example of the errors.

Better Than A Cure details Ferris' fight against polio, a disease that left him crippled.

In 2008, the Yukoner hand cycled across the country in an effort to raise money for efforts to eradicate the disease (see photo, p. 7). He has since journeyed to his birth country of India with Rotary International to assist with vaccination efforts there.

Neither Ferris nor Firth know what has caused the book to be published without the edits even being complete.

"We're still making editing changes,” Firth said this morning.

He had yet to talk to the publisher – Trafford Publishing – to find out what happened and how many copies of the book have been sold.

Firth first heard rumours about a week ago that the book was available, but when he contacted Trafford, he was wrongfully told it wasn't.

Then last night, he received a call from someone who had seen it at Mac's. Since going on the Trafford website today, the book isn't for sale.

"I wish I could explain it,” Firth said of the unplanned release.

This morning, Mac's book buyer Lise Schonewille said she ordered the locally-written work late last year, receiving the order on Dec. 23.

"I just ordered it from the publisher,” she said, adding it had become available then on Trafford's website.

She had thought it was a little out of the ordinary that neither Ferris nor Firth had come in to speak to her about the book, as local authors often do when their work is released.

After it was put on the shelves yesterday at the store, Schonewille said there were a couple of copies sold.

As for whether copies will be pulled from the shelf in light of the issue, Schonewille said she will likely look into the issue, but speak to the publisher before any action is taken.

Coles, the other major retailer of new books in town, has no copies of it yet. Staff there said this morning that's not to say they won't sell it in the future.

It is also available through online retailer amazon.ca, though listed as "temporarily out of stock.” The site notes the book would be delivered to purchasers when available.

Meanwhile, Trafford appears to be saying little on the matter.

This morning, customer support representative Michelle Young would only look up the file on the Better Than A Cure. She stated there was a note that the author had approved its release, though she refused to say when, nor provide any further details.

Ferris said he's asked the publisher to recall any of the books that have been sold prematurely.

They had originally been setting their sights on last Oct. 31 – the anniversary of Ferris reaching the end of this trip at the Atlantic Ocean – for the release.

That was delayed after Trafford, then based in Victoria, was sold to a company in the U.S. That put things behind by about three months, Firth said, also noting there were a lot of other smaller things delaying the publication.

They then looked to April 12, given the significant date in polio history. Ferris said he still plans on working toward the major release of the book that day.

"The message is still the same,” Ferris said, adding he wants readers to know the reality of his life and what can be done globally to eradicate polio.

He's also hoping he will be able to work with local high schools as part of the book launch, in exploring both the global issue and how to accomplish their dreams.