Sunday, June 17, 2012

Persnickety Publishing People

On to yet another day in the Author Blog Challenge. If you haven't signed up yet, feel free. The link is on the right. And the prompt today goes to...

Did you publish your book as a traditionally printed book, an eBook, or both? How did you come to your decision? Which company(ies) did you use for printing and distribution? How did you select them?

If anyone has been following my blog, you know I'm a self published author. I chose to use Smashwords for my first distribution of The Abigale Chronicles - Book One and by doing so, learned a lot of what to do and what not to do. I went through my experience in an earlier post. Feel free to pop over and take a gander.

Now for the juicy stuff. I did both an e-book and a traditionally printed version for my books. I used Createspace to publish the tangible versions. I learned a lot from putting The Abigale Chronicles up there as well. I'll make a blog friendly list of what to do and what not to do.

Please DO:

1. Take the time to make sure your manuscript is ready to go. Createspace takes longer to look over your stuff with a second submission. Why should they rush when you didn't bother to make sure it was perfect?
2. Use a cover designer that understands CMYK is different than RGB. Let me tell you, some greens and oranges look TERRIBLE when converted. Trust me.
3. Design your cover WITH a bleed. They trim 1/8" off every side. I went into this in an earlier post as well (link below).
4. Make sure your font is easy to read and prints well.

Please DO NOT:

1. Make changes.
2. Design your cover in RGB colorspace. Ugh.
3. Assume you know what you're doing. You don't know what a widow or an orphan is, don't try to. Seek a designer to help you format the inside of your book, please.
4. Use a tiny font (under 8pt).

I am linking to some earlier blog posts of mine that explain a lot of the above. Please go take a look. If you're using a designer, ask them if they know what kerning is and what the difference is between CMYK and RGB (CMYK is the four color process of ink printing on a press. RGB is the colorspace that is created with light - like on your computer). If they know the answers to those questions, they have been to design school.

Kerning Lesson
Printing Lesson
Color Spaces Lesson
Fonts Lesson

I chose Createspace and Smashwords by reading reviews online. I research EVERY company I do business with (so does my boyfriend) and we seek an outside opinion always. I find this to be a good way to expect the unexpected. Be prepared for the worst.

I decided to self-publish for a number of reasons:

1. I queried agents but they couldn't figure out my market so they declined.
2. I wanted control. Yes, I am a control freak (this surprises you? Really?).
3. The artist in me cringed at letting someone else decide on my design.
4. I had the time.
5. It was the best option for me.

Don't forget to enter my Goodreads giveaway for a chance at a free copy of Yassa.

Well, that's all for today, folks. Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

8 comments:

  1. Your reasons for SPing were the same as mine. Agents loved the concept of our book but didn't think they could sell it. ;-(

    Love your links. I'll be popping back over to learn... it'll be like a webinar in self-publishing.

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    1. It's a difficult task, putting one's book into a genre when it's just a different kind of book, huh? Thanks for the props and the blog love :)

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  2. Ah. Excellent. I was just about to go looking for information about printing with CreateSpace and here it is in your links in this article so that's very timely. I've used CreateSpace before, but want to prepare what I can before handing it over to a book designer again. I've been reading FAQs and manuals, but after my recent ebook formatting adventure with Scrivener, I've found that sometimes the best answers don't come from the geniuses who made the tool. Sometimes the most helpful information come from the people who, like me, are unfamiliar with the tool and run into the same questions and problems. Thanks for this, Jo.

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    1. You're welcome! Glad you found my post helpful, Chazz. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!

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  3. Awesome advice!! Thank you, I will need to go and read the other articles as well.

    :)

    Andrea

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    1. I'm glad you found it useful. Thanks for the blog love :)

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  4. Thanks for sharing! There is a lot of confusing and conflicting information out there, so even doing your homework can be tricky. Thanks for the easy lists!

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    1. I'm happy to provide information :) Thanks for stopping by, Peggy!

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