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Tag Archives: createspace
Proofing the Proof
I’ve read that proofreading a manuscript is best done with a printed copy rather than on a computer screen. The reason has to do with the way in which the eye-brain connection handles the task of processing the words, and that it’s easier to catch errors when they are on paper. Over the years of toil with my novel, I’ve generally not bought into that theory, primarily because in practical terms my experience didn’t validate it. A far more relevant factor in determining the effectiveness of a self-edit seemed to be familiarity. I’ve read every sentence in one version or … Continue reading
Indie War – Divide and Conquer
I’m a “list guy” and prolific note taker. Two weeks ago a stack of file folders stuffed with papers sat on my desk. It was three inches high, the record of trials and tribulations associated with learning how to prepare the manuscripts and covers for both the ebook and print editions of my novel. Inevitably during a long project, I frequently experience the compulsive urge to start yet another list. As I sat here trying to make sense of what I’d accomplished and what remained of various “To Do” lists, I found myself very nearly catatonic. At those moments I … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
Tagged cover, createspace, ebook, indesign, indie, photoshop, war, wraparound
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Dispatch From the Indie Front Lines – More Cover Battles
If any of my fellow Texans are viewing this post as a single dedicated page (rather than on the Home Page with the fighter pilot header), I’ve set the featured image to remind you what water looks like. I’m not confident that it will ever rain again. If the fighter pilot is giving you the eagle eye, click on the post title. As noted in an earlier post, my brother and I call it The McIntosh Brothers’ Pandora’s Box Syndrome, referring to the manner in which something that appears to be a relatively simple task will suddenly expand out of … Continue reading
Wraparound Covers
I regret the absence of screen grabs in this post to illustrate the process of designing my cover, but based on the advice of “counsel” I’ll keep it under wraps until the decision to indie-publish the novel becomes a reality. Based on a recent post by Dean Wesley Smith, that might occur sooner than previously anticipated. Stay tuned for ramblings on that topic. In the meantime, I have added images from Editing Historical Fiction, a fascinating website that makes me want to write a Western. Last week after using InDesign to format the interior of my novel for the trade … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
Tagged background, cover, createspace, indesign, indie, paperback, photoshop, spline
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A Fifth (and Final?) Format Follows the Fourth
If you’ve been following the trials and tribulations of this writer’s efforts to prepare for the possibility of indie publishing his novel, you might have predicted that the fourth version of his manuscript would not be the final one for very long. And you would have been correct. Although Microsoft Word is adequate for producing a file that will be converted to .pdf for uploading to Amazon’s CreateSpace, the following quote from Build Your Book by Walton Mendelson got my attention: I assume you are are not going to learn a desk top publishing application like Adobe’s In-Design. If you … Continue reading
A Tale of Three Formats Gains A Fourth
If you’ve previously visited this Writer’s Desk logbook and read any of the posts on the subject of ebooks, you may remember (with affection, I’m sure) my ramblings on the mind-boggling process of converting a manuscript properly formatted for submitting to agents into one that will survive being turned into an ebook. Having completed that task for uploading to Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, Barnes&Nobles’ PubIt, and the Smashwords “Meatgrinder,” I had settled into a welcome respite from such activities when I began an email discussion with John Jones, a good friend and fellow writer, about his current plans with regard … Continue reading
