OpenOffice Drop Caps Too Big? Try This Work-around
This is an issue I’ve been wrestling with in OpenOffice.org 3, and I just now figured out a work-around. I use OpenOffice Writer to typeset most of my books, because it works well enough, and it’s cross-platform (kinda). I also usually use drop caps of some sort, because studies show that they improve readership. (Believe […]
Gilmores, Blocks, and Judging a Book by Its Cover
Recently, a friend commented on her little one’s first day of school. Must have been preschool. The little tyke was so excited, she was up and ready by 8:15 in the morning. For me, though, this week, the Missus is on staycation (except 2 mornings she needs to go in and catch up on work—she’s […]
Opening Ceremony for the Proof
I love it when a new proof comes in the mail. Here’s the opening of the proof of Love through the Eyes of an Idiot. Note that there are only 5 more days (through Wednesday, July 15) to pre-order an autographed copy at reviewer discount prices. After that, the price goes up. See the Love […]
The Secret to Happily Ever After…
I’m readying for the release of my latest book, Love through the Eyes of an Idiot, the true story of a romantic idiot who was lucky enough to find love. I just finished a first cut of the cover copy.
How to Select a Design for Your Book Cover
As an indie publisher, I’ve picked up a few ideas and tricks from direct marketing gurus. Here’s one on designing a book cover. The thing about a book’s cover is that people actually do judge your book by it. That is, the book cover is going to be one of the first things someone sees. […]
How Much Does It Cost to Publish a Book?
A friend of mine emailed and asked: If you don’t mind me asking, how much did it cost you to publish your book (or your dad’s)? You seem to be doing all of the important things that subsidy presses do and probably at considerable savings. I’m still refining my publishing process, and I don’t intend […]
Video: A Glimpse into the Self-Publishing Process
I’ll make this quick. The first proof copy of The Conscience of Abe’s Turn (the Advanced Copy version) arrived earlier this week (on Monday). I had made a mock-up of the final version (also showed in the video), wrapping it around Julie Carobini’s Chocolate Beach, which happens to be about the same size (about 5.5″ […]
Another Reason to Sell Your Book Direct to Readers
A thread on the Self-Publishing mailing list a couple weeks ago impressed even more strongly on me how backwards the book industry is for minor authors, including self-published authors, and that we really should be doing things the opposite of how the big publishers do. Case in point: Here’s how most book publishers sell their […]
What It’s Like to Finally Finish My First eBook
It sounds like such a simple thing. A list of 1001 character quirks for writing fiction. This is a tool I use as part of my own character-building process, because having a list of raw ideas makes it much easier to come up with the right idea at the right time. You might think that […]