The Proof is in the Manuscript...

Well, Reflections has finally been uploaded to Lulu and I should be receiving my copy for final proofing very shortly... I've decided to wait until I have seen it in the 'print' so to speak. Once I have and I'm happy then I'll share the link and upload an Ebook version to Smashwords.
I'm doing a lot of proofing and editing at the moment as my writing group, Writers Abroad is producing it's second anthology, Foreign Flavours. And through this process I am learning a lot about formatting manuscripts -  what not to do in the main. Here are just three habits that have driven me crazy! So if you are entering an anthology submission or even a short story please think of the poor editor in the back room with eyes that look like that snake from The Jungle Book... this is exactly how I look at this moment!

Firstly, don't ever use the tab key to indent first lines. As you know first line indentation is the form of presentation (except for the very first line in a story/chapter) for our craft. And if you use tabs this messes up the manuscript when it needs to be formatted into a PDF or equivalent for printing. Use the 'line spacing options' in word and set it as a form for the whole document. Then you won't have to worry about it and I wouldn't have to spend hours removing the tab spacing, manually.

Secondly it used to be the done thing to enter two spaces after a full stop. I'm not sure of the logic behind it but I'm sure it probably had something to do with the typesetting process, which is now all changed. Again this messes up the presentation but I know for some people, ahem, of a more wiser (and older) generation, do this as a matter of habit. So I forgive you...

Thirdly, please, please don't use fancy fonts, patterned 'paper', borders or colours in your submission.It not only plays havoc with the eyes, but it doesn't make the submission look any more 'professional'. Keep it Simple... as the old saying goes.

I think the key thing is to read the guidelines and follow them! I know this is like teaching Grandmother to suck eggs but it needs to be said! I religiously follow the guidelines for each submission I make and if not use the standard format that is recommended. It can be a bit tedious but it means that your story will be more likely read by a calm and open editor rather than by a frazzled one!

Publish and Be Damned?

Yes, this does look a little how I feel. I'm so close you wouldn't believe it... but I'm still having problems with Microsoft Word and formatting for publication over at Lulu. Sometimes these programmes do things that you have no idea about... like four bullet points which weren't in the text or the header? Could I find out how to get rid of them - could I heck. Then I called in my Man Friday, who insists he solved the problem, but cannot tell me how. Hmm...

Having got rid of the ghostly bullet points I'm now trying to upload the finalised document and have made sure that the page layout is exactly how it should be for uploading to Lulu specifications for the size of book I want. So whats the problem? An additional Table of Contents (Index in any other land) has appeared as have additional blank pages and the first letter of each title has disappeared?

But in my defense, I'm tired and hot - it's still in the high thirties here in Italy and the heat is now wearing a bit thin as are my brain cells. So I'm going to set my self a deadline for publication by Wednesday 21st September. Why then, I hear you ask. Well, it's the first day of Autumn and I happen to like the number 21, no logic to my decision at all, but then with all this formatting stuff, that doesn't seem so strange...

Until Later

As Easy as 1,2 3?

Continuing with my journey to publish my collection of short stories, Reflections I'm here to report of a very frustrating end to the week. Having finalised the cover last week, I very naively thought that the rest of the project would be easy. And it's not as if I haven't done this before.

The next stage I've been working on is formatting the short stories into one Word document that will be used to create a PDF. This will be the proof that will be used to create the final product so it needs to be perfect.
I've worked out the 'style' I want to create with Title Headings, Fonts, Line Spacing having thought long and hard how it will look in a printed book. Keeping it clear and simple has been my main aim, which I hope is reflected in the final production.

But my main bugbear has been what I thought would be an easy task. Page numbering. Yes, I know it is easy... usually. But I don't want the numbers to start until page 5 and the air has been blue this afternoon, when several times I thought I'd cracked it only to find out that pesky numbers 2,3 4 and 5 have crept in. What about number 1 you say? Well that's easy, missing out the first page, cos Word gives you the option 'different first page'. I think it has something to do with section breaks (don't ask) but I promise I'll get it fixed and let you know how I did it. Unless of course, one of you clever lot know the answer?
Until Later...

Back To Business

I'm sorry it's been so long, but the weather really has been stifling and my brain a little puddle on the floor. So apologies over, lets get back to business.

Thought I'd share with you the quasi final image for my book, Reflections. I say quasi, cos if you all comment saying you hate it, I shall change it!
I've been using two pieces of (free) software. The first is FastStone Image Viewer. This piece of kit allows you to do lots of things which images. The particular thing I wanted to do was to change shape (the original was wider) and apply an effect, this time it was a kind of watercolour effect. My main aim was to make it look less like a photo.
The second programme was Scribus, which is like a kind of desktop publishing software which allows you to produce an image which you can you can customise and add text to and be of sufficient quality to reproduce, online or hard copy. I'm not the most creative sort when it comes to 'arty' kind of stuff, so it has taken me some time. But, I have learnt some new skills, which hopefully will come in handy in these days of self publishing.

So I've used a substitute for PhotoShop or Quark Express but I needed the two bits of free kit to get the effects I wanted. I have priced these more 'professional' programmes and unless I get picked up for a three book, multi moolah deal, with a chunky advance, I don't think my coffers could stand the strain...

I'm planning to finish the editing of the collection today, so report back next week on publication dates... nothing like a deadline to get one moving!

Until Later...

WEATHER (AND OTHER THINGS) STOP PLAY

Apologies for not keeping up with the blog. There are a number of reasons, but I'm sure you're not interested in excuses..

The blog isn't the only thing that has suffered from this temporary interruption. After six months I failed to meet my goal of subbing four short stories a month. :(  But in my defence, I have been working on my own publication of short stories, Reflections and although I haven't got much further with the cover, I have almost edited sixteen short stories. So that's almost four months worth, well, that's how I square things anyway. My goal is to have it ready for publication at the beginning of September, so next week I need to get the cover someway decent and that's priority numero uno. Snapping at the heels are  my Penny and George series and the first editing of  'The Morning Gift' which is very raw to say the least. But having checked the writing goals I set myself at Writers Abroad at the beginning of January, I'm quite chuffed to find that I have actually made quite a lot of progress!

So how is the writing month of the silly summer season, going for you? Of course, depending on where you are - it may not be summer, my mate in Dhaka has monsoons! But where ever you are, I hope that you are writing...
Until Later,

It's All About Style

Having decided on the image for my cover (and spent the week looking at more images for the Writers Abroad Anthology) I've been doing some editing and deciding on the form of presentation for 'Reflections'.
Now, I'm sure you will agree, my granddaughter here has plenty of style... well, at this age who doesn't? Style is just as important for a book, self published or otherwise. There are a number of decisions to be made and as I'm the writer and publisher, I have to make them! I have concentrated on four specific issues.

• Font - Style and size. We all have our favourite fonts and some work better on the printed page than others. One of my reading 'bugs' is a book with a font that is too small. Often it means I won't persevere. I just hate seeing all that text crammed onto a page. So Garamond 12, maybe 14 is the choice made.
• Headings - as this is a book of short stories, the all have a title and I've spent some time looking at the different heading styles in words. I've veering towards something that is a bit more flouncy than the text but readable. As it's a black and white production, colour is a no-no so the font might be something more fancy like Bradley Hand
• Spacing - Double spacing is fine for editing but a little too much white space for a publication. Equally single spacing seems a little cramped at times. So 1.15 seems a good middle ground which won't waste paper but will make the reading experience a little more pleasurable
• Page Numbers - I like them, so they are going in. And there will be a contents page with the titles of the stories which will be linked to the page numbers, so not an option really.

Other than that the old adage KISS comes to mind... more on the cover next week.

Until Later...

Reflections

Self Publishing a book is made much easier these days, especially with the help of sites such as Lulu and Completely Novel. They both offer affordable Print on Demand solutions which allows you to create your book as you see fit. Having chosen the stories I want to include (making sure that I don't breach any copyright with published pieces), chosen the title - 'Refelections' -  I now have to think about the design and format.
I'm very strongly influenced by the 'look' of a book, even with authors who are familiar to me.

On the front of the Time Travellers Wife for instance, we are 'shown' the main plot visually by the shot of the bottom half of a young girl standing by a pile of clothes. Not that you know this is the plot at the beginning, unless you've read the blurb on the back. That's my second influence - if it tells me that the story has a beginning, middle and end and a couple of interesting characters who are going to share their story then I'm almost reaching for my purse. I don't take note of any critiques or adulation's from newspapers or other authors. The joy of a good read is a very personal, subjective one and I'm not influenced by what someone else thinks (or has been paid to think).

I've been scouring some of my own images as a source of inspiration and I have come across a couple of photo's which may just fit the bill but it doesn't end there. A good book cover will draw the reader in through the colour scheme, its title, the author's name, all which have to be set in a design which is pleasing to the eye. It's this kind of detail I like about the self publishing process at the same time as feeling a little nervous. I don't have a 'team' I can discuss ideas with or be told that something doesn't work. So I may well just use this blog as my 'testing plate' and hope that if I really do make a dogs dinner of things, someone will shout out before I press 'publish'.

Until Later...