Patrick Rutigliano's Blog, page 9

Easy Ebook Formatting Tips

While reformatting a document for ebook publishing can be a little intimidating at first, a little education goes a long way. Finding the steps is often more difficult than actually implementing them. As Kindle is the gold standard for writers and generates the most income, I’ll focus solely on this platform for the purposes of this article.

The first and most important thing to do is to make sure the document will jibe with KDP’s conversion system. This means the text should be in a font the system recognizes (i.e. Times New Roman) and a size that will be appealing and readable on a Kindle device (I like 12 point myself, but some prefer 11). Hard tabs will also have to removed from the document. This can be easily done by using Find/Replace. Simply type ^t into the first text box, leaving the other blank. Then, click Replace All. Next, highlight all the chapter content (except the headings and any marks denoting breaks) and go into Paragraph, setting the Special First Line indent to whatever you feel is appropriate (I go with 0.3). Note that you may want to use a different indent size for the first line of each chapter or a section break as these are not normally indented in a regular book. However, as Kindle will automatically indent such a section, the closest you can get is to highlight the paragraphs containing these lines and set their indents to 0.01.

It is also very important to remember that KDP’s system will not know what to do if you are merely separating your chapters by way of hard returns. You will need to use a break instead. To do so, go to Insert and select Next Page under Section Break at the end of each chapter. This will make sure each new chapter starts on its own page.

Assuming the document was written in standard manuscript formatting, there are some other changes that will have to be made. While the usual one-inch margins are acceptable, other things will have to be altered. Underlining should not be used for emphasis or internal thought in a finished book and should be changed to italics. Again, Find/Replace makes it easy. Hold Ctrl and type U into the first text box. Then, hold Ctrl and type I into the second, followed by U twice. This should both remove any underlining and replace it with italics. Additionally, any double spaces between sentences should be changes to single spaces. This can also be done using Find/Replace by typing a period and two spaces into the first box and a period followed by one space in the next. Follow the same procedure with any other ending punctuation marks. I would also suggest going into Paragraph and altering the usual Line Spacing from double to 1.5 as it looks better and is again closer to a print book. Also, delete and headers or footers in the document.

Finally, provided the work in question isn’t a short story or poem, a table of contents will have to be generated. To do so, highlight each chapter heading. Go to Insert and select Bookmark, typing in the heading and hitting Add. After doing this with all the headings (including the copyright and about the author sections), return to the front matter of the book and set aside a page for your TOC (which should be buffered on both ends by a section break, of course). A couple lines below the heading, go to Insert and select Hyperlink. Click on Place in This Document. Here, you will find a list of all your bookmarks. Select OK after selecting the one you want and a link should appear that will guide both you and the reader to the bookmarked heading. Skip a line and repeat with each bookmark.

After all this, just save the document as a filtered web page and the file should be good to go. Just make sure you check out the preview option after uploading to make sure you didn’t miss anything!

While this may seem like a long list of steps, many of them can be completed in mere moments. Full conversion of a file, even a large one, can usually be done within an hour. So, if you have a little trouble the first time around, just remember: practice does make perfect.

Under the Radar – In the Mouth of Madness

As I’ve been hurting for topics to discuss lately, I’ve decided to add a new feature. Here, I’ll be highlighting obscure and/or underappreciated works in the horror genre across various media.

One of my favorite films seems a good place to start–especially as too few people have ever seen it.

In the Mouth of Madness is the third movie in John Carpenter’s Apocalypse Trilogy (after The Thing and Prince of Darkness, the latter of which might warrant a post in its own right). Sam Neil plays John Trent, an insurance investigator tasked with hunting down famed horror author Sutter Cane and his final manuscript. Paired with the book’s editor by his publisher client, Trent pieces together a map from the cover art of Cane’s novels, leading to a town that should only exist in fiction.

What ensues is perhaps the purest love letter to Lovecraft ever shot by a big-name genre director. The line between reality and fantasy constantly blurs once Trent enters the supposedly fictional town of Hobb’s End, slowly picking apart his sanity until he’s faced with a terrible truth he seems predestined to spread.

There’s a lot to like in this movie. It starts with a rocking opening theme (as all good Carpenter films do–alas, the score is not as strong as his usual work). The story is genuinely engrossing, culminating with a dark mindfuck of an ending, but still manages some excellent black humor along the way. Sam Neil and Jurgen Prochnow are clearly having a good time playing Trent and Cane. Julie Carmen is wooden by comparison as Cane’s editor, and her performance drags down some of the scenes. However, it’s difficult to say if that might be somewhat intentional given the plot.

While In the Mouth of Madness may not be able to match the sheer atmosphere and tension of a masterpiece like The Thing, it’s a damn fine horror movie in its own right and well worth a watch for any genre fan.

Sorry for the Missing Post!

Alas, I’ve been too busy hashing out query letters and reformatting books for a publisher to write something witty and informative to share this Tuesday. But have no fear! I shall return on Sunday (here’s hoping I can come up with a decent topic to ramble about by then).

What to Expect When Submitting a Book

Submitting a book to a publisher can be a harrowing affair. In addition to the stress that comes from awaiting a response, there’s the process of writing the submission itself. Many authors would sooner have a few fingernails pulled out than deal with one of the usual prerequisites. But we’ll get to that shortly. Let’s start at the beginning.

The first thing to keep in mind when writing a submission is that you are directly addressing the publisher, so the message is business correspondence and should be presented as such. This means you should provide your contact information (name, address, phone number, and e-mail address) at the top of the message. Next, skip a line and write the date before skipping another line and including the name of the person who is to read the submission followed by his or her title. You may then write your greeting.

i.e.

“John Doe

123 Lakeview Drive

(555) 222-8398

jdoe@gmail.com

10/25/14

Jane Doe, Editor

Cemetery Press

Dear Ms. Doe,”

There. Very clean and businesslike, isn’t it?

Now that the formalities are out of the way, it’s time to get in there and pitch that book. And to do that, you need to let the editor know exactly what he’s getting into as quickly and painlessly as possible. While there are a couple ways to do this, I recommend starting with a very brief summation of the narrative (only a sentence) that includes both the book’s title and its word count.

So:

“Dear Ms. Doe,

Please consider my 80,000-word novel, The Crack in the Vault about…”

You get the idea.

After this, you can skip a line and expand on the core of the story you just provided with an elevator pitch (about two sentences). I know. It’s tough to summarize all those months of work into a short paragraph. But remember, the more concisely you can pitch the story well, the more likely the editor will read it without his eyes glazing (the poor thing has probably read dozens–even hundreds–of subs before coming to yours).

Next, it’s customary for a writer to offer a little background on himself. Previous credits in the same genre and personal connections to the source material are commonly mentioned. Just keep it brief. Then, you should thank the editor for his or her consideration and end the message.

There. That wasn’t so bad, now was it?

Ah, but what about that really tough bit I mentioned? The one that really drives writers bonkers? That, dear friends, would be the synopsis.

Unlike the rest of the submission, the synopsis is usually attached due to its length. Here, the writer has to sum up every key event in the book in one to two pages. This allows the editor to get a solid feel for the material without having to devote hours to reading the manuscript. Unfortunately, this means that all that beautiful prose you wrote may go unread if the synopsis falls flat.

That aggravation I mentioned earlier is suddenly making a lot more sense, huh?

Needless to say, an author needs to approach the synopsis very seriously. While the summary must be concise, that’s no excuse for making it dry. These few pages offer the editor his first glimpse of a writer’s ability. A well-written, captivating synopsis is likely to spark serious interest. A boring play-by-play of events can leave it buried at the bottom of a slush pile.

Alas, there’s no amazing tip I can offer to help you with this last step. All I can do is tell you to roll up your sleeves and attack those blank pages like the writer I know you are and let your passion for your own work guide you.

Plans for November (and Quick Lessons)

Now that my Halloween weekend reverie is over, it’s time to get back to work. The query letter for that publisher I mentioned earlier is at the top of the list, but I’m waffling a bit on what to send. Anything under 40k is unlikely to go to print, which means I’d either have to pad Wind Chill with a lot of short fiction or try to sell the Bestiary trilogy as a whole like I did with Surviving the Crash if I don’t want an ebook-only release (plus, the latter might be ineligible and/or considered a reprint because I posted some of it online). These issues also present a good time to bring up a couple points for my fellow writers out there who may be new to the business.

Firstly, publishers are almost always more receptive to new work than reprints. Some won’t republish anything at all. Those that do will usually only be willing to pay far, far less for it. This does in fact include anything online, even if it’s on your own personal site. So, keep that in mind before you put stories or chapters up on your sites, blogs, etc.

Second, while ebooks are great in a number of ways, the lack of a physical release can be a major pain in the butt from a promotional standpoint. Think about it. If you want to spread the word about your book, you have nothing to bring with you to a convention or your typical author event (signings, etc.) to sell to people. It can also make it tougher to get reviews as critics nearly always prioritize print copies over electronic, if they even accept the latter at all.

Now, back to my internal debate.

You Guys are Awesome!

The Untimely Deaths of Daryl Handy broke into two top ten lists in the Kindle free category (and very nearly a third) and got 200 downloads. That’s pretty darn good for a novella that only had two days! So, consider this a big thank you to all you readers who picked up a copy; I hope you have a blast with it. Meanwhile, the book remains free for those with Kindle Unlimited right here:

The Untimely Deaths of Daryl Handy

Happy Halloween!

My doppelganger horror/thriller novella, The Untimely Deaths of Daryl Handy, is FREE today and tomorrow! Happy Halloween, guys!

The Untimely Deaths of Daryl Handy

Music for the Halloween Season

Autumn does a great job of creating the right atmosphere for Halloween night all on its own, but good music doesn’t hurt, either. So, here’s a playlist to amp it up a little. And yes, my preference for the classics is on full display here:

-The theme to Halloween (original–yeah, obvious, but it’s still great)

-The theme to Creepshow

-The theme to Suspiria (because this list would be a travesty without Goblin in it)

-The theme to Phantasm

-The theme to Resident Evil (a surprisingly good track from a mediocre movie)

-The theme to A Nightmare on Elm Street (original)

-Hellraiser soundtrack: “Seduction and Pursuit” (this is the music that plays when Kirsty opens the puzzle box, and it far outshines the film’s actual theme)

-28 Days Later soundtrack: “In the House, In a Heartbeat”

-The theme to The Thing (original–simple, but effective)

-The theme to The Omen (original)

While I tend to favor instrumental pieces for my Halloween listening, here are a few other pieces you might want to check out should you be more lyrically inclined:

-Creature Feature: “Buried Alive,” “The Greatest Show Unearthed,” “A Gorey Demise”

-Marilyn Manson: “This is Halloween”

-Judas Priest: “Nightcrawler”

-Iron Maiden: “The Number of the Beast”

My Favorite Halloween Films

Films that directly involve Halloween are surprisingly difficult to find. So, I decided to share a few of my favorites for anyone searching for a movie to match the season:

-Halloween (original): Forget the Rob Zombie version. Carpenter never lets the viewer know precisely what serial killer Michael Myers is or why he kills. And that’s what makes him so unsettling.

-Halloween 3: Season of the Witch: This film is in no way related to the above (beyond a cameo of the first movie playing on TV). This time, it’s all about the dark origins of the holiday and a modern day cult trying to return it to its roots. Very over the top, even downright bizarre at times, but fun.

-Trick ‘r Treat: This is a movie that might have become required seasonal viewing had it not been for its troubled history finding distribution. While not every segment in the anthology is a winner (I find the werewolf one particularly weak despite a great climax), everything about this movie drips autumn, and it’s a genuine joy to watch.

-The Nightmare Before Christmas: I really don’t know whether to classify this as a Halloween or Christmas film. And I don’t think anyone else does, really. Still, everything in Halloween Town is a pure celebration of the season and watching it infect its more cheerful holiday counterpart remains darkly funny.

-The Halloween Tree: Based on the great Ray Bradbury’s book and narrated by the man himself. Although the character designs of this animated film aren’t my cup of tea, the story is an enjoyable ride with the cast through Halloween and its long history. It’s education wrapped in entertainment, and for once, it really works.

-Creepshow: My all-time favorite anthology film. While the link to Halloween is tenuous beyond the opening/wraparound segment (the movie is a love letter to EC comics), the balance of horror and humor is spot on.

-Ginger Snaps: Honestly, I wasn’t crazy about this one at first as the opening left me cold. But once it got rolling, it turned into quite an effective little film. Both the female leads play off each other well, and the link the story draws between lycanthropy and the horrors of puberty is pretty funny/original.

-Silver Bullet: This film adaptation of Stephen King’s Cycle of the Werewolf actually isn’t half-bad (beyond the werewolf effects, anyway; fortunately, they aren’t on display for more than a few minutes). A young boy discovers the man responsible for a recent string of murders is actually a werewolf. The buildup to the final encounter on Halloween night is done pretty well, managing some decent tension.

A Halloween Treat Waiting on the 31st

Ah, October is in full swing now. The mornings are getting properly chilly and the leaves are falling to make crunchy, multicolored blankets of the sidewalks. Halloween will be on us in no time, and since sending candy to everyone through the mail would be terribly impractical, I’m going to be making one of my novellas (The Untimely Deaths of Daryl Handy) free for download on the 31st. I’ll post a sales link here once the sale goes into effect. Hopefully, everything will process when it’s supposed to.

I’m also thinking of retiring the informative articles as a weekly feature since new topics are getting increasingly difficult to come by. However, I do want to replace them with something else I can keep up from week to week. This may end up being horror movie/book reviews, advice, guest blogs, or any combination thereof. So, a whatever-I-feel-like day, if you will.

In other news, Wind Chill is waiting to be raked over the coals by my primary beta-reader, and I’m hunting for some reputable publishers that might be interested in novellas (or a short novel). Here’s hoping I find a few before the jack-o’-lanterns are lit.