ROBUST discussion
Rants: OT & OTT
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The New 'Seal Of Approval' for Indie Books
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Since only one person is likely to enter, s/he should easily win.
Patricia wrote: "Since only one person is likely to enter, s/he should easily win."Or not.
The "good housekeeping" seal was the same way. Big bucks upfront.
Actually, the items listed are the types of things that anyone with any graphics experience would automatically do. These awards are like a gold star in grammar school for not being stupid. I.e. meaningless.
So, yes, it's a ripoff.
Another thought. Many years ago there were recordings of funny bloopers and radio bits. One was a radio station jingle about the "KAOS Approval Seal." That's rather what comes to mind. Funny, a good chuckle, but otherwise meaningless--except for the revenue stream to the sponsoring person/group. Also, their comparing it to the Good Housekeeping seal could result in serious legal issues regarding trademark infringement.
I'm baffled that 'consideration' doesn't put you in the 'contest.'
I was surprised when I learned that companies pay for the Good Housekeeping seal. In my experience, products that carry that seal are never a disappointment. Maybe I'm just lucky.
Kat wrote: "I'm baffled that 'consideration' doesn't put you in the 'contest.'"More money that way?
Patricia wrote: "I was surprised when I learned that companies pay for the Good Housekeeping seal. In my experience, products that carry that seal are never a disappointment. Maybe I'm just lucky."It's rather like this doppelganger. If you put out a quality product, the seal appeals as a marketing tool and since it's a quality product, it gets approved. Rather a catch 22.
Mod
Some indies will pay; the same ones who pay for reviews. I won't, unless I didn't get any other prize that year.
Their money would be better spent hiring a copy editor who also lays out the book in Word.
That's what I was thinking. 'I could hire a copy editor or get a cover instead.'
New to the Publishing Innovation Awards this year is the QED Seal, which stands for Quality, Excellence, Design. The QED is the “Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval™” for ebooks – it signals to an ebook reader that the title will render well in whatever their preferred reading format and that they can buy with confidence. It is an emblem that publishers, authors, and content creators can affix to their ebook cover and metadata that assures readers they can read that title where they want, how they want.
And now we are presented with the critera - all very logical:
QED Inspection Check-List
1. Front matter: the title does not open on a blank page.
2. Information hierarchy: content is arranged in such a way that the relative importance of the content (heads, text, sidebars, etc) are visually presented clearly.
3. Order of content: check of the content to be sure that none of it is missing or rearranged.
4. Consistency of font treatment: consistent application of styles and white space.
5. Links: hyperlinks to the web, cross references to other sections in the book, and the table of contents all work and point to the right areas. If the title has an index, it should be linked.
6. Cover: The cover does not refer to any print edition only related content.
7. Consumable Content: The title does not contain any fill-in content, such as workbooks and puzzle books, unless the content has been re-crafted to direct the reader on how to approach using the fill-in content.
8. Print References: Content does not contain cross references to un-hyperlinked, static print page numbers (unless the ebook is intentionally mimicking its print counterpart for reference).
9. Breaks: New sections break and/or start at logical places.
10. Images: Art is appropriately sized, is in color where appropriate, loads relatively quickly, and if it contains text is legible. If images are removed for rights reasons, that portion is disclaimed or all references to that image are removed.
11. Tables: Table text fits the screen comfortably, and if rendered as art is legible.
12. Symbols: Text does not contain odd characters.
13. Metadata: Basic metadata for the title (author, title, etc.) is in place and accurate.
There is, of course, a fee:
QED - "the Good Housekeeping Seal of ebooks"
Of course, to be eligible for this seal, you have to enter these awards. According to the FAQ, this costs $125 for QED consideration only, and $199 for the awards.
http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php...
$125 for mere consideration.
$199 for the Awards Contest.
Pricy, in my opinion.
In all honesty - I think it's just another way to make money of of Indies with inferiority complexes. The arrogant won't enter, and the broke CAN'T enter.