Let’s Get Technical: Preparing your digital file (Part 7)

Maureen Shelley turns technical in Part 7 of Blog series "10 Simple Steps to becoming a successful published author", on preparing your digital file.

The good news about digital files is that the ebook format takes care of all the extra formatting that are required in a print-ready manuscript. The bad news is that you have to take it all out: all those extra section breaks, foot notes etc you put in for your print book - they all have to come out. This is where you will thank yourself for using the inbuilt formatting available in word processors. 

Less is more:

 

Remove all section and page breaks, all foot notes and end notes, remove all underlining.

✎ If you want to emphasise a point use italics, not underlining. 

Remove the table of contents and page numbers. 

✎ Leave in your chapter headings. 

Remove any hidden commands. 

✎ The long dash in Word is an example: some digital programs don't deal well with these so use short dashes or change your punctuation. 
✎ Apostrophes are another punctuation mark that can cause issues. You may have seen a question mark in some digital files; it is usually in the place where an apostrophe would be.

Remove all blank pages. Remove all notes pages.

Your file should be continuous (no separate pages; the text should flow on) with your title page, frontispiece, the introduction and your body copy.

 
It may be tempting to save your file as a text file to get rid of all the formatting. This is a temptation you should resist, as it will only create additional issues, such as having to replace all the chapter headings' format.  

If only it were this easy. Source: http://donnielight.files.wordpress.com/

Ebooks aren't necessarily great places for tables and graphs. You may need to convert these to JPEG files. Then you will need to embed your images or convert them to outline files remembering to save them in the correct format if they are in colour. Your ebook platform will have specific instructions on each of these steps.

Hyperlinks need to be formatted differently for ebook versions, so if you include them read up on how to do it. There are plenty of digital publishing blog sites, so search and you shall find.

There are about 40 digital formats 

Source: newepublishing.com

and epub is the most widely used. However, as a self published author you will want to get onto Amazon and the Kindle uses proprietary software. Also, Apple's iBook store uses a modified epub (it has different cascading style sheets or CSS), so you may need at least three versions of your ebook.

Storyist is great publishing software that lets you create manuscripts (and screenplays) and convert them to popular digital formats. I recommend you investigate your options. When you upload your manuscript you will need two PDFs: one for the cover and one for the body copy.

There are dozens of ebook publishing sites and platforms. They will convert the file for you and publish to thousands of outlets. However, they will also manage your sales (which could be a good thing) and you will get the proceeds. Expect to receive between 30 and 50% of the RRP or recommended retail price.

Another way to publish is simply to use a PDF file, thereby avoiding formatting challenges. Scribd will publish PDFs and Scribd has a very large readership, or you could chose to have a downloadable file from your own website; that way you don't share your sales with anyone.

You will need to decide whether it is better to have all the money and fewer sales or less money on more sales. If you have good traffic to your website - say 2 to 3 million visitors a month - then by all means publish only on your own site.

You will need a separate ISBN (International Standard Book Number) for your digital manuscript and a separate National Library entry for the digital format. You will not need a barcode. If you publish on Amazon, you will be given their equivalent of an ISBN.

 

A last word on digital files: use the strengths of the format. 

Source: http://www.thebookdesigner.com/

You can add social media buttons and links, links to your GoodReads review page or Amazon listings for your other books - all from within your manuscript. It makes sense that if someone has just read your book, they may want more or they may tweet about it. Don't stand in the way of your readers doing your marketing for you. Read up on the HTML codes to insert these buttons into your manuscript. It could be well worth it!

We will publish a list of sites for self-published authors at the end of this series or you could just Google it if you don't want to wait.

Red Raven Books is the publishing and imprint arm of The Copy Collective. Find out how we can help you today.

 

Let's Get Technical: Preparing Your Book’s Print File (Part 6)

Maureen Shelley turns technical in Part 6 of Blog series "10 Simple Steps to becoming a successful published author", on preparing your book’s print file.

 

The least pleasant part of writing a book is preparing the file for the printer or digital publication. I recommend you save yourself a whole lot of pain and angst and send the file to a professional typesetter to do the job for you. 

Pic source: FaceGFX

If you have budgeted for nothing else, budget for a typesetter. 

Google typesetters in your area and send off your file and get back a nice PDF that has everything done for you. 

Most authors don't try to design their covers, yet many believe that they can do the work of a typesetter. 

What you need to provide if you're going to attempt it yourself:

• You will need to provide two files to your printer - one PDF for the cover and one PDF for the manuscript itself. 
• If you don't understand any of the points below, please consult Google as there are a myriad of resources available to the self-publishing author and most are available for free.

The Cover file for the printer:

• Send the checklist of the printer's requirements to the graphic artist who designed your cover. 
• They will follow the instructions and send you back your cover with embedded fonts or with the fonts outlined. 
• They will also supply the PDF in the correct format for printing, particularly if you have a full-colour cover. The details below are for the body copy file only.

The body copy file for the printer must have:

• Embedded fonts - all fonts are to be embedded, this is why I recommend Times New Roman and the use of one font only
• Mirror margins
• If the book is more than 150 pages, the right margin wider than the left (gutters)
• Manuscript margins (these are wider than standard)
• The correct leading and spacing that is consistent throughout
• The number of pages in the manuscript is exactly divisible by 16
• If the pages aren't divisible by 16 you have added  blank pages at the end
• If you have blank pages, there are fewer than 10 blank pages
• If there are more than 10 blank pages, you have typed 'notes' at the top of each
• The last page blank,
• The introduction and the first chapter start on right-hand pages
• The dimensions of the 'pages' are equal to a standard paperback form such as Trade B, B+ or C
• All options of the 'printing' of the file to PDF are changed so the page size remains the same at Trade B or C or what size you have chosen
• Section breaks, so you can change the page numbers before the Introduction to Roman numerals
• Page numbers after the introduction or Chapter 1 starting with Arabic numbers
• The file is 'printed' to PDF not 'saved as' a PDF from  Word
• Each page set so when the file is 'printed' to PDF the words don't move to the next page - resulting in changes in format and more pages than originally desired
• Standard headings used by your word processing program
• A table of contents created by your word processing program
• No extra spaces or paragraph marks - not one! Extra spaces and par marks can create havoc when files are converted to PDF and fonts are embedded
• Word processing commands for paragraphs (Ctrl (or Ctrl) in Word on a PC) - not the 'enter' key hit twice
• Uniform paragraph spacing - not the 'enter' key hit twice creating greater leading after 14pt letters as compared to 11pt letters
• Consistent spelling - chose Australian English as the review language and apply it to the whole document; unless your market is the US and then apply US spelling to the whole document
• Numbered chapter headings
• Spell checked - one last time
• A frontispiece - this sets out the requirements under
  
  the Copyright Act (1968), provides details of the author, printer, publisher (if any), the ISBN, whether the book has been catalogued at the National Library of Australia, a statement that the author is asserting their moral rights, a copyright symbol next to the author's name and details of the edition (1st, 2nd, Australian etc). Look at recent books in your genre to see how these are laid out.

Red Raven Books is the publishing and imprint arm of The Copy Collective. Find out how we can help you today.

6 Writing Tips To Prepare A Masterpiece Manuscript For Your Next Book (Part 5)

Read on for six winning tips to prepare and draft your manuscript, in Part 5 of "10 Simple Steps to becoming a successful published author" blog series by Maureen Shelley.

1.How many words are enough?

Authors often ask how long their book should be; and it is true that once 52,000 words was a de facto standard. However, these days with self-publishing the norm rather than the exception what ever you write that covers your topic comprehensively and cohesively will work.

Remember your spine width may be the first thing your audience sees, so a book with a spine width the size of the first joint of your thumb will present a nice wide 'canvas'.

There are plenty of self-publishing websites that can help you calculate spine width, so enter a few numbers and work out what a realistic length would be to achieve your goals for your book.

2. Size matters

Remember the number needs to be divisible by 16 if you are going to print and the last page should be blank. Aim for 300 or so pages for a Trade paperback B+ size, if you are writing a self help or business book. This size also works well for novels.

Say your aim is to write 300 pages on your topic.  If you write 10 chapters of 30 pages, then you have a good basis for your book. An A4 page of type may equate to up to three pages in a book, depending on spacing, margins and font.

3. A word on fonts

I would recommend you go old school and use Times New Roman. Use the same font for your title, chapter headings, any footnotes, page numbers, headers or footers, table of contents, glossary or indices. This will make life a lot easier when it comes to file preparation for your printer and preparation of your digital file.

4. Use a custom template

If you are using a standard word processing program use the book manuscript template. However, you will need to adjust the style to use the same font throughout. Once you have ensured you have used a single font for everything, save it as a quick style (in Word).

5. A beginning, middle and end

Many authors ask how to write their manuscript. If you are really unsure, then a writing course would help. However, if you have a reasonable idea of what you want to say then start with a plan.  If you are going with my suggestion of 300 pages in 10 chapters, then  start outlining your chapter headings. What are the 10 essential messages, key points or events that you  want to explore?

If yours is a cook book, then starters, entrees, main courses and desserts are obvious choices for chapter headings. You can divide up main courses into meat and vegetarian or beef, lamb and poultry - work out a plan and write to that.

If you are writing a business book, then what is the solution you are providing for the reader? In your introduction, outline the issue, your proposed solution and the steps to  get there. Then sketch the conclusion. Chapter 1 sets up the issue, Chapter 2 addresses your proposed solution. Chapters 3 to Chapter 9 then cover each step,  and Chapter 10  provides the conclusion and summarises recommendations.

If you are writing a fictional work, then think about the dramatic arc that your storyline will take. Plan your plot points and where they will fall in the narrative. Writer Blanche d'Alpuget says to tell the story to just one reader. Picture that person clearly and tell them the story so that it is engaging. This creates a virtuous circle between the author and the reader, she says.

If you are tackling a family memoir you have choices of periods - pre war, war, inter war, post war ; ages - chiildhood, adolesence, young adulthood, marriage, children, old age; or you can go with themes such as hope and joy, loss and grief. Whatever framework you choose, map it out, write your chapter headings and then write to each chapter heading.

6. The art of writing is to write

Treat writing like a job. Decide how many hours a day/week/month you are going to devote, set up a deadline before you start - you want it on sale by Mothers' Day, by October to capture Christmas sales, by Anzac Day if it is a war memoir - and work out the rate and frequency of your writing. DO NOT spend a decade writing a book - or two years if you are a child - because you will only need to rewrite it.

I used to own a block of polished wood that had chamfered corners that I called my writer's block. When I sat down to write, I would have it next to me. Then I would move it away as the writing started to flow, I would toss it on the floor and ignore it when things were going well; only to pick it up and cart it around when I was stuck.

Two years ago, I moved from a house to an apartment and I gave my writer's block away. Now, I don't worry about writer's block. If I sit down and can't write I will literally start with "The cat sat on the mat". 

As long as you are writing, it doesn't matter if it is a laundry list - the art of writing is to write. Write. Start now.

June is Author's Month to celebrate the launch of Red Raven Books. Red Raven Books is the publishing and imprint arm of The Copy Collective. Find out how we can help you today.

Guilty by Association - Are you mindlessly sharing content you haven’t even read?

The Copy Collective’s Jim Butcher lifts the lid on lazy sharing that could cost you ‘Likes’…

Isn’t it annoying when your personal Facebook or Google+ newsfeed gets chock full of mindless junk?

I’m not just talking about your cousin rejoicing in their latest Farmville conquest or your mate inviting you into the terrifying world of Candy Crush Saga. I mean the stuff companies whose Facebook pages you’ve liked, start sharing things with you that they think you’ll find “interesting”.

It’s the result of firms sharing content to improve and maintain their social media presence but not really thinking about the quality of their newsfeed.

One poorly chosen shared article from them and ‘click’ they’ve lost a reader and a potential customer. It’s something you should be very conscious of when sharing content with your readers too.

Too often people share content that they think is what their readers want to know about, but they haven’t even read the article.

To prove the point, National Public Radio (NPR) published this brilliant prank post on Facebook about why Americans don't read anymore. 

After the headline and title image, a quick message asks all people who have read thus far to simply like the post and not comment and see what happens.

The comments that follow are well worth a read and just goes to show people really aren’t paying attention to what they’re interacting with online.

 
To make sure you’re sharing the right content, here’s a quick checklist of other important criteria to consider each time you share something with your readers online:

• Does the hyperlink work? One of the most frustrating moments is when the lead-in to a piece has done its job but when you go to click through, the link doesn’t work.
• How old is the article? Even if the content you’re sharing is evergreen, make sure it’s not too old. Anything more than a year old loses traction. If it’s a stats-based piece, it cannot be more than six months old.
•  Is the article any good? Make sure it’s well written and interesting. Check it’s not full of bad spelling, poor punctuation or grammar.
• Is the article correct? Don’t share the article if it’s wrong, controversial or - even worse - off-brand.
• What does it offer your readers? Your readers will want to take something away with them from the article. Make sure what you share provides this.
• Would you follow you? Think about this as you share more and more to your curated content portfolio. People are likely to look back at what you’ve shared in the past.
• Remember, people trust your shares. Sharing poor quality content can adversely affect their trust and therefore your traffic.

As founder of ProBlogger - a publishing and information resource company - Darren Rouse says: “in the midst of the strategy and tactics, don’t lose sight of the people on the other side of your content.”          

 

As The Copy Collective heads towards achieving 50 "likes" on Facebook, it put managing editor Maureen in reflective mood.

I remember turning fifty. I asked my husband to organise an event with my friends – a weekend away at Duralong on the NSW Central Coast. It was wonderful to spend time with dear friends, family and in a beautiful setting. My sister, Helen, baked fifty cupcakes and decorated them with fifty pink candy flowers. I had more than fifty reasons to smile – I don’t think I stopped smiling all weekend. I remember turning fifty, it seems like yesterday.

Paris

At The Copy Collective, when we want fashion advice or retail marketing copy we turn to our resident fashionista, Athina ‘Tina’ Antarakis. This young lovely has relocated from Barcelona to Paris, just in time for the frenzy that is Paris Fashion Week. Tina tells us:

“Contrary to popular belief, life in Paris is not an endless loop of fashion shows and sunset drinks sipped within alarming proximity to a shimmering Eiffel Tower.

Oh wait. That’s right. Actually, it is, but perhaps not quite in the way that you might think.

Yes, there are the famous, high profile fashions shows- and wondrously inspiring ones at that - but since Fashion Week turned into a crazy circus, where celebrity bloggers and stylish attendees have become almost as important as the show itself, those of us who like our fashion  less frenzied tend to look to our local street or neighbourhood bistro.

The paparazzi may be nowhere in sight, but back in the real world the Paris fashion show is very much a daily occurrence. Whether the ensembles are bright and blingy, chic yet conservative, or - believe it or not, sometimes even a little dull and dowdy - totally depends on which part of town you happen to be in or the metro line you hop on that day, such is the diversity of cultures and fashion creeds here in the world’s fashion capital.

Spending time in Paris certainly reminds you that there are still plenty of people out there in our increasingly-homogenised world who are not afraid to make an effort or to express themselves a little differently. I love to be taken by surprise by someone sporting a sequinned top, sky-high heels, or bright red lipstick in the middle of the day - anything goes and why shouldn’t it? We are in Paris after all!

Surely, there are still plenty of French people dressed in their uniform of monochromes and neutrals but that can be lovely too, especially when you are close enough to notice the little details. I love to see contrast stitching on the reverse side of a coat lapel or the care with which a tie has been matched to a pair of socks.

And while some may say that Parisian women are generally rather boyish in their style of dress, all slim pants, loose-fitting tops, and flat shoes and boots, they are almost always supremely fashionable and very nicely put together indeed.

And as for that view? Well, I have been lucky enough to find one, as my current abode has a most fortuitous aspect of a certain Parisian monument. I don’t know about you, but I think that makes it almost obligatory to raise a glass or two of something bubbly of an evening, in honour of discovering that there is still plenty of opportunity to stand out in the City of Lights, it’s just a matter of finding your corner to shine in."

Now that’s what I call F for Fabulous. 

If you want to read more about the adventures of Tina in Paris, visit her here .

And words are all I have to take your heart away . . .