In the Past Imperfect

5.5.11

Day 61

So it turns out trying to get lots of people to read a Kindle version of your book is actually quite hard. Especially when you're a nobody.  Reviewers won't look at it.  Book groups won't consider it.

And friends complain you can't sign it.

The "real book" still has its die-hard fans out there and, let's face it, I'm one of them.

So after much soul-searching, I have decided to go and self-publish in paper.  The service I used is CreateSpace, which is affiliated to amazon.  They try to sell themselves as being "free" for the author, but really that's only the case if you're some kind of expert graphic artist / layout person.  Which I am not.  These were the instructions for do-your-own interior:

  1. Make sure the dimensions of your document match your trim size (including bleed if applicable).
  2. Make sure all live elements are within the proper margins or safe zone.
  3. Export your file as a print-ready PDF. Be sure fonts are embedded.
  4. The maximum accepted file size for your book interior is 400 MB.
Sure.  Can we have that again in English, please?

I decided to cough up the minimum required cash, just for formatting.  I didn't get the copy-editing service, I didn't get the editorial service, I made my own cover.  I'm a little worried about what will come out when it's done... 

But it will look something like this.

2 comments:

  1. Oh good! Glad you looked into CreateSpace! Can't wait to see the results.

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  2. Well, I am glad that you took this step. One day, I hope to have a Kindle, but in the meantime, I am stuck in the past imperfect (haha) and need a print copy to be able to read this effectively and tell my peeps what an awesome book it is. Let us know when it is available, and I am ON IT. :)

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