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message 151:
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[deleted user]
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May 24, 2014 10:20AM
True, I guess, but I've heard some bad things about Word.
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I've never had a problem, but my books are fairly straightforward, not many images or extras.
I did manage to make Calibre work. For anyone who is trying to use it, I made an HTML from the original doc (I use LibreOffice). Then I input the HTML to Calibre, and it was processed to EPUB correctly. Calibre apparently uses a coding system for HTML that's different from what it uses for a word processing doc. This is an extra step, but it seems to work and everything looks okay. I feel confident enough with it to use it now on all of my books.
Hello everybody,Do you have any pointers where I could post random short stories for feedback (for technical and story perspective)?
Much appreciated!
Mod
Do you have any pointers where I could post random short stories for feedback (for technical and story perspective)?
Much appreciated!"
This group has a Critique thread designed for that purpose: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Plus, you can post stories on your Goodreads profile and ask for feedback.
You might wish to check Facebook for critiquing groups.
My novel was my first experience with CreateSpace, and now I'd like to improve the formatting, tighten it up to shorten the book and lower the price a little in the process. With the current book I used 13-point fonts and large chapter headings, thinking this would make the book more inviting to a reader, but I had a reader mention these things as if they were drawbacks instead of bonuses, and now, having a little more experience, I kind of agree. I wanted to reduce the heading sizes and change the font to 12 point, in addition to reducing the top and bottom margins slightly. In my opinion it would make it look a little more professional; on the other hand, I don't sell that many paperbacks.
However, I tried uploading the new doc and although the format issues are almost never made crystal clear, it appears that because of the page count difference, I'd have to get a new ISBN. Wouldn't this be another edition? And should I do it?--go to that trouble and possibly complicate issues because of something that may not matter all that much? Any advice would be appreciated.
In the meantime, I reloaded the original PDF just to get it back online, although I did make a minor change to the back cover. Still has to go through the approval phase once again.
However, I tried uploading the new doc and although the format issues are almost never made crystal clear, it appears that because of the page count difference, I'd have to get a new ISBN. Wouldn't this be another edition? And should I do it?--go to that trouble and possibly complicate issues because of something that may not matter all that much? Any advice would be appreciated.
In the meantime, I reloaded the original PDF just to get it back online, although I did make a minor change to the back cover. Still has to go through the approval phase once again.
Mod
Is the page count less? Because you could add some back matter, such as a bio, a bonus story, or something of that nature and bring the count back to where it was. Otherwise I think you're stuck.
The page count is reduced by about 30 pages, including the bio. I'm just wondering if it's worth a new ISBN just to tweak the format.
Mod
If you decide to redo it, I'd go all the way and put it out as a new edition
Self publishing.How do each of you feel about this? What if it is through Amazaon? Do you feel it makes a difference in the company?
Would you self-publish, or would you prefer to go to a well-known, or local, publishing company?
Mod
How do each of you feel about this? What if it is through Amazaon? Do you feel it makes a difference in the company?
Would you self-publish, or would you prefer to go to a well-k..."
Self-publishing is a perfectly viable option these days, provided you do it right with a properly edited book, good cover art, and a marketing plan. But it is a lot of DIY work, so those looking for more support should try the small press route first, I think.
Many independently or self-published books are as well-written and entertaining as any of those released by a traditional mainline publisher. Unfortunately, since anyone with a personal computer and access to the internet can become a published author, the market includes works rife with misspellings, poor grammar, improper punctuation, and poor narration.If novice writers would all expend the effort and energy to obtain the knowledge and develop the skills required to produce a literary work worth reading, as many of their peers already have, the stigma often attached to independent and self-published books will disappear. If they don't, it won't.
I personally prefer the traditional submission process associated with a mainline publisher; however, if independent or self-publishing is preferred, I believe it might be better to utilize the more widely known, established vendors, such as Amazon. That said; I would defer to the advice of those with experience in the indie/SPA process.
I think you have answered all of my questions. Thank you.I may actually be one of the few who has gone through copyright and edits already. All that has to be done is the cover art and publishing. The cover art is not the problem. It's the publishing I am iffy about. Just want to make sure I make the right decision, when the time comes. Thank you again.
Hi,I´m looking for 2 or 3 fellow “beginner” writers to write a story with. Each of us would write a chapter from a different POV, sending the chapter to the other writers after finishing it. Then the next person writes a chapter, etc...
I have a couple plot ideas, but I´m open to suggestions. Fantasy, an original story, fanfiction, thriller, everything´s possible. The story would target people between 18 – 30, so I´m looking for writers around that age.
If you´re interested, please message me!
- Demi
Mod
I´m looking for 2 or 3 fellow “beginner” writers to write a story with. Each of us would write a chapter from a different POV, sending the chapter to the other writers after finishing it. The..."
You may want to consider posting this as a new topic here in the Writers folder as well, to get more views.
I'd like some advice, I was wondering if anyone knew the process of establishing a legal pen name. One you could use all the time, and have publisher pay you in that name, and have banks cash their checks? Does any author out there know about that?
Mod
I'm not a lawyer, so I don't know how much legal weight pen names carry in matters of payment and taxes, but I think you can copyright under a pen name. Also, there's something called "doing business as" (abbreviated DBA) that may be what you need to look into.
I found these articles that might help, and a Wikipedia entry for DBA:
http://writersrelief.com/blog/2008/06...
http://writersrelief.com/blog/2009/02...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doing_bu...
Brizo wrote: "I'd like some advice, I was wondering if anyone knew the process of establishing a legal pen name. One you could use all the time, and have publisher pay you in that name, and have banks cash thei..."They would pay you in your own legal name. You can choose a pen name and that is what the public would know you by, but you must be paid in your legal name. Check with your state laws to be sure, but this is my understanding.
Help ! I have a lot of great ideas for this book i'm working on , the problem is i have no idea how to start it .... could someone help me out please ?
Mod
What's the problem specifically? Are you stuck for an opening scene? Not sure what point of view to write in? You might try a plot outline to organize your thoughts.
A.F. wrote: "Shadé wrote: "Help ! I have a lot of great ideas for this book i'm working on , the problem is i have no idea how to start it .... could someone help me out please ?"What's the problem specifica..."
Rebecca is correct. A publisher must, by law, send a form to the IRS annually detailing all royaties and other compensation paid to an author; listing the author's real name and social security number.
Shadé wrote: "Help ! I have a lot of great ideas for this book i'm working on , the problem is i have no idea how to start it .... could someone help me out please ?"I agree, get it down in outline form. If you aren't sure where your jump off point should be work on the portions you are sure about. You can back track later or re arrange a bit during rewrites. Yes there will be rewrites.
I recently saw an item in the Kindle Direct Publishing newsletter about books "longer than 20 pages" being required to have a logical table of contents. I've recently updated several of my books and have one in draft form for preorder, and I've never included a TOC in the source file in any way. Does the conversion process insert some acceptable TOC, or have I just not been caught yet? I'm particularly nervous about any last-minute hitch in the book that's on pre-order, whose final version is due in a little less than two weeks. (I followed a link to instructions for using Word to add a TOC and its links, but found it quite confusing. If anyone has or could send me to idiot-proof instructions, I'd much appreciate it!)
Mod
Inserting a TOC with Word isn't too hard. You'll find it under the reference tab. Click it and choose the type of TOC you want. Then select (like you are going to copy) the text in your book you want listed (such as a chapter title), then click add text, then level 1. When that's done, click update table.
Removing page numbers is a bit more complicated. Select the TOC, right click and then click "edit field". Then you must scroll down the list until you see TOC. Click it, then click the Table of Contents button. Then uncheck the box that says show page numbers.
A.F., I've tried that several times. Every time, I get an error message added to the text saying there's no TOC. When I'm done updating the TOC, I click on the button to show the TOC, and all it shows me is the error message. If I delete the error message, then when I try to update the TOC, I get a message saying there isn't one.A.F. wrote: "Karen wrote: "I recently saw an item in the Kindle Direct Publishing newsletter about books "longer than 20 pages" being required to have a logical table of contents. I've recently updated several ..."
I use the bookmark feature. First I manually enter a TOC, listing the chapters at the front of the book. Then I go to each chapter heading, highlight it, and insert the bookmark. Then I go to the TOC I made, highlight the same chapter in the TOC and then insert the hyperlink. Works every time. When I convert my doc to Word for upload to Smashwords, I do have to check the bookmarks and delete the extraneous codes that Word inserts. But it's not a lot of trouble.
Mod
That's how to do it for Smashwords, and it will work for Kindle as well.
Thanks, Ken and A.F.! I've found a somewhat cumbersome way to use the reference-tab approach (after a bit of Googling) -- I went through first and applied the Heading 1 style to all the chapter headings, then created the TOC. How it'll survive the conversion process, who knows.... I may do an alternate version with the bookmark feature so I have two possibilities to upload if necessary.
Mod
Do you create the TOC first, before the levels?
Since I wrote message 177, to which you're replying, I managed to cobble something together, as I described in message 180.A.F. wrote: "Karen wrote: "A.F., I've tried that several times. Every time, I get an error message added to the text saying there's no TOC. When I'm done updating the TOC, I click on the button to show the TOC,..."
Mod
A.F. wrote: "Karen wrote: "A.F., I've tried that several times. Every ti..."
Great.
I'm currently writing a zombie novel and I want your opinion on whether I should use first or third person?
Mod
When choosing POV, it's usually good to go with what fits the story best. First person is good for a more intimate, limited viewpoint (which might be good in a zombie novel if you're looking for a somewhat claustrophobic feel). Third person might serve best if you want a wider scope to the novel, or multi-character viewpoints.
Thank you, A.F! I've had trouble deciding but that really helped.
Mod
Glad to help.
Hi. I have a question. I am a new writer, I have completed my first novel and I am currently trying to recruit Beta readers. That's not my question - it's this. It's a science fiction novel. It starts in England and the main protagonist is very English, so I have written it using UK English spellings.
The biggest book market is in the US. Should I change the spellings to US English before publishing or leave it as UK English? Or doesn't it matter?
Could you do two versions and put the one with UK spellings in UK markets (e.g. Amazon UK)?Andrew wrote: "Hi.
I have a question. I am a new writer, I have completed my first novel and I am currently trying to recruit Beta readers. That's not my question - it's this. It's a science fiction novel. It s..."
Mod
I have a question. I am a new writer, I have completed my first novel and I am currently trying to recruit Beta readers. That's not my question - it's this. It's a science fiction novel. It s..."
I've heard this question more than once, and here's my two cents. I'm from Canada, and I use UK spellings with no problem, as do most of the UK writers I know. Most of my readers are North American, and I've never had a complaint. If you are concerned though, you could make a small note in the book's front matter, stating that the UK spellings have been used for character authenticity.
As to Karen's suggestion, it is a possible solution, but I wouldn't advise it as it may cause further confusion and difficulties.
The note at the beginning is a good idea.A.F. wrote: "Andrew wrote: "Hi.
I have a question. I am a new writer, I have completed my first novel and I am currently trying to recruit Beta readers. That's not my question - it's this. It's a science fict..."
Karen wrote: "The note at the beginning is a good idea.A.F. wrote: "Andrew wrote: "Hi.
I have a question. I am a new writer, I have completed my first novel and I am currently trying to recruit Beta readers...."
Hi Karen
Thanks for your input.
Andrew
A.F. wrote: "Andrew wrote: "Hi. I have a question. I am a new writer, I have completed my first novel and I am currently trying to recruit Beta readers. That's not my question - it's this. It's a science fict..."
Hi A.F.
Thanks for your comment. This sets my mind at rest, It is just one of the many things I have been stressing about since I finished writing the book. As a new writer, I now know that writing is the easy bit. The difficult stuff comes afterwards!
Andrew
Does anyone have any experience of The Novel Factory? www.novel-software.com
The product description reads well, but is it any good?
Mod
www.novel-software.com
The product description reads well, but is it any good?"
I don't use writing software myself, but many people find it useful. And I haven't seen any bad reviews about that particular product.
A.F. wrote: "Andrew wrote: "Does anyone have any experience of The Novel Factory? www.novel-software.com
The product description reads well, but is it any good?"
I don't use writing software myself, but many ..."
Thanks A.F.
I am undecided on the title of my book as well as the cover. So my question is, which book would you read? Also, once you vote, let me know what genre you usually read! (FYI: the quote is simply a placeholder)
Thank you!
http://www.freeebookcovers.com/coverd...
Mod
(FYI: the quote is simply ..."
My thoughts on the covers:
A Heart Beats: Nice, but nothing special. Doesn't really grab your attention.
More than One: This one is my favourite. There's a certain mystery about it, and the title pops better than the other two.
A Perfect Match: This one is also quite good, especially if the book has a strong romantic element. The only problem I had is the font placing; the "M" in Match blends a bit into the shoe. May make it difficult to read; some offset shadowing might help there.
As to the titles, A Heart Beats and More than One are interchangeable on their respective covers if you want to play around with titles, but I think A Perfect Match only fits the cover it's on.
And it seems from the cover art the books are YA or New Adult and probably romance, not my usual reading choice. I'm more mystery, fantasy or sci-fi.
Does anyone know of any resources more exclusive than Google that catalogs the names of places and characters in the scifi/fantasy genre? I've become paranoid that my names (or something like them) has already been used by authors I've never read.
Mod
I've become paranoid that my names (or something like the..."
I've never heard of anything like that.
Hi, I'm looking for some advice - I'm trying to make a start on my first novel, but I'm unsure of the setting. I am not well travelled (at all!) so feel a bit anxious trying to write about places I've never been but don't really want to use any of the places I do know either - I'm from Wales and have only been out of Wales three times :/
So my question is, would it be weird to use a made up location in a book that's not fantasy/sci-fi etc.?
So my question is, would it be weird to use a made up location in a book that's not fantasy/sci-fi etc.?
Writers and Readers
Books mentioned in this topic
Twin-Bred (other topics)Fantasy Encyclopedia (other topics)
Fabulous Beasts (other topics)
The Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference: An Indispensable Compendium of Myth and Magic (other topics)
