C.B.’s Comments (group member since May 01, 2015)

C.B.’s comments from the Support for Indie Authors group.

Well Casey, I think I found the other person I was talking about that needed more flexibility with epub files besides myself! :D

That is whole other levels of formatting though. My book isn't even close to that demanding. There is only one item name that is written upside down, not entire levels of text. House of Leaves does look interesting though, thank you!

I do like the idea of mentioning to readers why it needs to be formatted that way. I think that will prevent problems! Wonderful, I can sleep at night again! Thanks!

Casey (LittlePinkCrayon) wrote: "I would say mobi and ePub are the easiest for us readers/bloggers."

Writing for a specific format was not something I had even considered when writing this book, nor when I set up all my odd formatting.

I had no idea about the perfectly reasonable limitations that mobi and epub put onto your book files until just recently when I realized that I broke every single one of them. It makes sense, the reader gets control of font sizes and types... but I can't even get things like boxes to show up

Which is what is troubling me. I am fairly certain I cannot make these types of files work with my formats. I fear this will cost me readership.

Thanks for the information Micah.
I had not considered using .jpgs instead of the charts, it would work for the actual charts. However, every time someone talks in my book, it is in a box. There would be something like 4000 boxes and .jpgs to insert. That isn't going to end well, and the problem would remain. The text wouldn't be alterable by the e-reader...

I was considering making a bare bones version for e-readers, but still things that are vital to the plot like the upside down words, and the wingding stars get omitted. :S

I am getting my book ready for publishing but as I am me I couldn't just write a book that was formatted conventionally.

There are charts, there are boxes literally everywhere, there is upside down text, wingdings, and even times when the size of the font changes.

Now for some reason, epub formats don't allow all of those things yet (because only me and like one other person ever probably need it) and my book turns into a disastrous mess of a thing if I export it as such.

So my question is: How important is file type for e-readers? I can save it as a .pdf, which apparently most e-readers can handle and keeps my formatting, but will I be missing readers if I don't have a legitimate epub type? Does anyone know?

There are now fixed layout epubs, but my version of InDesign doesn't make them.

Riley wrote: "I use my avatar, because I can't think of one single picture of me that sums me up better as a person, and yes, I use this for EVERYTHING author picture related."

You will always be a Stormtropper to me Riley. In my heart.

G.G. wrote: "CB, I LOVE your avatar. Could be because I'm used to play MMORPG and see people like this but I have nothing against such avatars."

Why thank you! I think it fits the tone of my series. Plus, his little smirk just sells it. ;)

My book is set in a video game, and the characters are called 'avatars'.

I am working on a little RPG game right now that shows some hidden events from book one (this will likely be given out as a promotion before book 2 comes out). In this game I needed to make avatar icons for the avatars.

For my avatar here, and everywhere else, I am using the avatar I made for my main character's in game avatar in the little mini game I am making.

So my avatar is an avatar representation of an avatar... whoa. Meta.

If anything I think a bad review like this can lend more credibility to the good ones. It proves you are not paying for them, or getting a bunch of close friends to boost you up. People know that everyone has an opinion, and most will judge your book by the book sample, not a random review.

For now maybe just see how it works out? The other two reviews are really positive. They loved it!

I find that if I start to get slow paced, it helps to convert some text into action or dialog to speed up the appearance of the flow. it doesn't truly change the pacing, but it can help to keep things feeling like they are flowing faster when the story can bog down.

If there is a big description that needs to be there about the nature of the different classes you can take in the magic school, instead of describing them, have characters converse about them while touring the school grounds. (for example)

Writing like that helps me keep the extra information down and the relevant information to the story up front! If the characters don't feel the need to explain everything, then that text could probably have been left out anyway! :)

Hope that helps.

Because when I was brainstorming characters in my novel, my inner holier-than-thou, long-winded know-it-all forum post get-carried-away-in ended up becoming a character in the novel. Now when I get like that I step back and say, oh Caelahenalewhei, what are you doing here? you live in the book now, not on internet forums.
:)

oh dear. Sorry, my inner holier than thou know-it-all just showed up. She does that sometimes on internet forums. :)
I apologize

Owen wrote: "We think names are very important and need to fit the character. So we don't use a name generator. We make up names, we combine names, and many, if not most of our names, are probably some real per..."

Micheal Bolton from Office Space, and Brittany S. Pierce from Glee would be the prime examples of using a famous name ironically.

Canada is pretty amazing.

I haven't had any problems with using Canadian spellings or Canadianisms in my writing. Now, to be fair, I haven't published anything yet... which is a valid reason for that I think.

I am interested in all of your questions as well!

I was wondering about the automatic click to make an ebook for the Kindle. My book isn't formatted like a regular book, lots of boxes, charts, and even some font size changes. I don't know if that will work.

G.G. wrote: "I guess it can totally fit depending on who you're asking. My hubby would definitely agree with Sue or Susan for a psychopath name. In fact he knew one named Sue. And I'm not joking. :) "

Perhaps Sue was just upset that his father named him that? :)

Iffix wrote: "@Melissa, I see nothing wrong with a 30-year-old sociopathic telepath named Susie. :P But when in doubt, you can also search for popular names by year."

"You will all learn to fear the wrath of the mistress of murder. Tremble puny mortals as you gaze upon the perfection that only a God of pure hatred could have made. Worship me humanity, and bring me your sacrifices for I am the dreaded Suzie! Bwahahahahaha!!!"

Totally works!

Iffix wrote: "Why, C.B.? what's wrong with having Moraine, Egwene, Elayne, all in one book? I don't see the problem."

^-^ I cannot see a problem with those names at all!

I have no problems naming characters, unless it is my Dungeons and Dragons Character, then I freeze.

When I write I use a very specific kind of naming rule. It is called the 'Do Not Name Characters Like Robert Jordan Does in The Wheel of Time' method. :)

After I noticed three main characters had sneaked into my series with a name that started with 'P' and two with 'M' I knew it was time to rethink what I was doing.

I got out the spreadsheet and started a new page. Many names got changed, and I ended up liking them more.

Now no main characters start with the same letter of the alphabet. The names are all varied and sound different when read and have different 'feels' to them (except the twins that have similar names on purpose). It helped the second group of Beta readers track the characters better.

I really don't think it hurts to keep track of how you are naming characters. It also does not hurt to read them out loud to yourself so they sound and feel different. Make out a list and see which letter you are abusing? Are you a J person or an A person? :D

Side Note: It doesn't hurt to google your realistic names and made up companies. The last thing you want is for your book's protagonist to have the same name as a notorious drug smuggler/ventriloquist or reference a nice date at a restaurant that in reality accidentally killed employees and covered it up by selling them in cobbler!

That would be idea Ian, but not how GoodReads works. For whatever reason. :)

It does open up the door to more readers, but at the same time I am sure some people just enter everything indiscriminately in the hopes of getting books.

It is luck of the draw, twice no less.

That may be true Ken, most people wouldn't notice.
Some people would though. Using Papyrus on your cover can lose you sales though, so why not avoid it? :)

Harald wrote: "Yeah, but language is part of culture and has its own "feel." Of course, haiku is now a poetic form that's transcended Japanese language, which is why I backed off of the "Japanese-like font" idea above. But check this out: if you go to one of the free-font sites and put in the OP's working title ("Haiku Princess") and search for "Japanese", you get all kinds of English language options that also have a Japanese feel. Not sure what this pre-made cover designer's options on fonts are, but OP H.O. might want to take a look and consider that. "

Well, it isn't the subtle or culturally accurate ones that make me shudder, it is those few specific fonts that just make you say 'Oh dear!' when you see them. :)