Picking Up Where I Left Off
Posted on July 15, 2007
Filed Under Notes from the Author | Leave a Comment
I’m back from my vacation. The break felt good, and it allowed me to think about the direction I want to take this blog. Thanks to those of you who gave me your feedback. It is greatly appreciated.
Starting Monday, I’m going to walk you through the process of publishing your book with Lulu. For the purposes of this exercise, I will download a file from the Gutenberg Project and use it as a practice book. If you want to follow me on that route, go to the Gutenberg site and download one of their ebooks. You’ll need to reformat the text to get rid of all the extra spaces and such. For that, I use Textspresso 3, which is great for cleaning up large documents. They have a 30-day trial, so you won’t have to pay for it unless you want it.
Questions
Posted on June 30, 2007
Filed Under Uncategorized | 2 Comments
I’ll be on vacation, beginning Monday and won’t return until the 16th. In the meantime, I have a couple of questions for you. Please feel free to post a comment (which may be held in moderation if you haven’t commented before) or click the Contact Me link in the sidebar. Here goes.
1. What is the most daunting aspect of publishing through Lulu?
a. Book layout and design (Word, Quark, InDesign, etc.)
b. Creating a PDF that works on Lulu
c. Using the Lulu interface.
d. Understanding the Distribution services
e. Understanding book pricing.
f. Other
2. What would you like to see covered on this blog?
Uploading Your Book to Lulu
Posted on June 30, 2007
Filed Under Self-Publishing with Lulu | Leave a Comment
The next step is uploading your files onto the Lulu platform. Things have changed since I chronicled my publishing experience last year. Lulu is constantly adding new features to improve their users’ experiences.
As I said in my previous post, you can opt to upload each chapter for conversion. They’ve updated their software so you can rearrange the files if they don’t upload in the proper order. Before you upload, read the following articles. You’ll find free resources for creating PDFs as well as a useful checklist. The second article talks about troubleshooting, in case your file doesn’t convert properly.
How Do I Create a PDF?
Not All PDFs are Equal
Pulling Your Book Together
Posted on June 30, 2007
Filed Under Page Layout, Self-Publishing with Lulu | Leave a Comment
Lulu allows you to upload files individually for conversion or as one PDF file. But first, you’ll need to organize your book’s sections so they’ll be reader friendly. I’ve included layouts for fiction and non-fiction books as guidelines.
Fiction
1. Review page(s)
2. Published book page (if this isn’t your first book)
3. Title page
4. Copyright page
5. Dedication page (optional)
6. Acknowledgment page
7. Body
8. About the Author page
Non-Fiction
1. Review page(s)
2. Published book page (if this isn’t your first book)
3. Title page
4. Copyright page
5. Table of Contents
6. Acknowledgments
7. Foreward
8. Introduction
9. Body
10. About the Author
11. Recommended Reading
12. Index
Your total page count must be divisible by 4. Otherwise Lulu will insert them in the back to make up the difference. The last page must be completely blank because Lulu uses it to print the ISBN number and the print location.
Interior Layout for Non-Fiction Books
Non-fiction books are formatted differently than novels. For instance, novel chapters can begin on an even or an odd page. That is not the case with non-fiction books. Their design is more uniform and consistent.
Each chapter and/or section should begin on an odd page. The same goes with the Table of Contents, the Preface, Introduction, and Bibliography. You may have to insert blank pages in between chapters to achieve this.
Check each chapter page/section heading to make sure it lands on an odd page. Set your page view to the side-by-side mode, if your word processor will allow. Insert pages as needed. Then print out your manuscript.
Three-hole punch the pages and shove them into a binder. Proofread each page for typos, grammar mistakes, and design inconsistencies. Highlight each mistake, and then have someone else proofread your manuscript, including a professional book editor. Expect to comb through your manuscript several times.
Top 10 Places to Find Free Images for Your Books
Posted on June 30, 2007
Filed Under Photography | 2 Comments
1. Stock.xchng: Contains over 200,000 royalty free photos, plus tutorials to learn how to spiff them up.
2. Flickr: Some people offer their photos for public use. Be sure to check their usage terms first.
3. Buzznet: Like Flickr, some of the photos stored on this site may have restrictions.
4. PD Photo.org: This is a public domain site, although some of the photos have restrictions. It doesn’t have as many photos as the sites above, but the site is easy to navigate and use.
5. Openphoto.net: There’s plenty of photos to browse, but be aware that some are low quality. Also, Creative Commons licenses apply to some of the photos.
6. Ourmedia.org: A good resource for photos, audio and videos. The site is difficult to navigate, and some of the material may have some restrictions.
7. Google Images: You can spend hours surfing through the images. Many of the images indexed weren’t done so with the permission of the author. So be careful.
8. Free Stock Photos: Has clear English regarding the conditions for the usage of their photos. The photo collection is rather small.
9. Image After: Offers a large collection of photos and textures for personal or commercial use.
10. Morgue File: Another site that offers free photos and textures. Very easy to navigate.
Obtaining an LCCN Number for Your Book
Posted on June 24, 2007
Filed Under Library of Congress, Self-Publishing with Lulu | Leave a Comment
Is it necessary to obtain an LCCN Number to publish your book through Lulu? No, it isn’t. But if you want to sell your books to libraries, then you’ll need to get one.
Self-published books, as a general rule, are ineligible because the PCN (Preassigned Control Number) program is reserved for books that will be purchased by libraries from traditional publishing houses. You can solve this problem by establishing your own publishing company, and then setting up a website to display your books and company information.
Gregory Banks wrote an excellent article about how he obtained an LCCN. After reading his article, I visited the Electronic PCN site. The process looks very straightforward.
Is There a Standard Format for Copyright Pages?
Posted on June 23, 2007
Filed Under Legal Issues, Page Layout | Leave a Comment
Yes, although the wording varies. The name and address of the publisher comes first, followed by the copyright owner, the ISBN number, the legal verbiage, and the copyrights/acknowledgments for the book designer and any artwork or music lyrics used.
Legal Verbiage for Fiction
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as unsold and destroyed to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this stripped book.
This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events is entirely coincidental.
Here’s another variation, taken from a POD book:
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Legal Verbiage for Non-Fiction
All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. No paten liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Nor is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
Follow the verbiage with the Library of Congress/ISBN information, followed by the Edition number (if you plan on updating your book in the future), any trademarks from other companies, such as Microsoft.
Hiring a Book Designer
Posted on June 18, 2007
Filed Under Designing Book Covers, Self-Publishing with Lulu | 1 Comment
If the learning curve of designing your book is too daunting, hire a professional. Fees for professional book design range from $250 - $5,000. That’s quite a spread.
Professional designers discourage authors from hiring designers who charge cheap fees. The big reason is that these junior designers make printing mistakes that the pros have to fix before the book can be published. This can cause serious financial difficulty for the author, not to mention the headaches of publishing delays.
Does that mean that you need to run out and spend $2,000 - $5,000 for a professional designer? Not necessarily. Lulu has a directory of book designers that have a good portfolio and glowing testimonials from happy clients. I’ll list the top three.
Dixie Press: Offers a wide variety of services for the Lulu author. They are currently ranked at Number 1 on the provider listing.
Shearstone Creative Services ranks at Number 2. I liked this lady’s designs. They are quite vivid and creative.
RALT Creative Group offers book cover design, plus manuscript editing and formatting services. You can get their full design and editing package for $424.
The big benefit of hiring these providers is that they know the Lulu publishing system and will design your cover to Lulu’s specifications. If you’re not impressed with their portfolios, check out John Kremer’s Book Cover Designers Directory. Better yet, go there to educate yourself on book design whether you plan to hire a designer or not.
After combing through this directory, I found four designers that I would consider hiring.
Book Cover Express: Cathi Stevenson has a strong publishing background that dates back to 1981. You’ll find some award-winning designs on her website, as well as endorsements from big players in the self-publishing field. Her company offers cover and interior design, illustration and proofreading.
Fiona Raven: This is the site you want to visit if you want to learn about the book design process from start to finish. She also offers a free advertising page on her website for each of her published clients. Fiona designs both book covers and interiors.
Desktop Miracles: This company has some very impressive interior design samples.
Foster Covers: George Foster designed the covers for the popular Chicken Soup for the Soul series. You’ll also find some useful “Before” and “After” makeovers. He charges $5,000 for his covers.
Designing Your Book Cover
Posted on June 17, 2007
Filed Under Designing Book Covers, Self-Publishing with Lulu | 2 Comments
Should you design your own book cover or have someone else do it for you? This is a critical question because we all judge books by their covers. The biggest and first mistake POD and self-published authors make is trying to design their own covers when they have little or no design knowledge.
To gain a solid grasp of how books are designed, study the books published by the big guns. I’ll provide some examples below.
Now, I’ll show you some examples of poor covers from writers who published through Lulu. You’ll find a multitude of poorly designed covers at any of the other DIY publishing companies and, of course, every POD out there. But since this blog is focused solely on publishing with Lulu, I’ll leave those out.
As a customer browsing on Amazon, I couldn’t read the title because it blended in with the dark background. I won’t comment on the photo because I’d have to see the actual book to gauge its quality. The title should stand out more than the author’s name. Also, he should have used the photograph to separate the title from his name. He could either leave the title (changing the color so it will stand out) at the top and stick his name below the photograph, or vice versa. I felt that the space at the bottom of the cover was under-utilized.
This is one of Lulu’s stock covers. I have no idea how many writers have used this cover template. I’m guessing quite a few. Nothing shouts “amateur” more than a cloned book cover. I’d steer away from them altogether.
I’ve given you some good examples of what makes a good book cover and what doesn’t. With some careful study, patience and practice, you can create a nice cover that will stand out among the other POD books. Study the books on your shelves and in your genre to determine what kinds of fonts and colors they use, how they lay out the text on both sides of the cover and the spine, and how they manipulate their images.
Do not use cheap “artist” software because it won’t be compatible with Lulu’s printer.
If you don’t own Photoshop, Gimp is the free alternative. I’ve never used it, but I’ve heard that it is very similar. Gimp has a book on Amazon that will take you from a rank beginner to a professional. You can also check out the author’s website at http://gimpbook.com for tutorials, if you don’t want to buy the book.
Start brainstorming ideas for your cover about halfway through the completion of your book. Then start experimenting with different layouts and designs. The most important aspect of designing your cover is to convey your book’s message to your readers.
Once you have designed your cover, test it with your potential readers. Last year, I posted two potential covers for my novel on my personal blog to see which one would be received the best by my readers. This turned out to be a great decision because I was able gain valuable feedback. I’ve since added a third book cover, which they liked even better.
The most important thing to remember about designing your book is not to rush the process. Give yourself plenty of time to learn and practice. In the end, you’ll have a POD book that is indistinguishable from a standard trade paperback.
The Final Layout Procedure
Posted on June 17, 2007
Filed Under Copyediting, Page Layout, Self-Publishing with Lulu | 2 Comments
This is where I screwed up when publishing the anthology. Lulu requires your page count to be divisble by four. Not a problem, I thought. I’ll just add a couple of pages to the back and one to the front to get the right number.
I succeeded with that, but the layout wasn’t what I had expected. First off, my title page was located on the second page instead of the very first. The anthology is divided into author sections, with the first page showing a picture of the author’s blog as well as a short bio. Some of these pages were printed on an even page, while others were printed on an odd page. It was not consistent.
At first I thought I was being anal (that happens sometimes). I flipped through a couple of anthologies I own and saw that they started each section on an odd page. My mistake was relying on what the computer showed me. Had I printed the entire manuscript out and pasted the pages together, I would have seen exactly where to insert a blank page. As it turned out, I inserted 20!
For novels, this is not a big deal. You can have your chapter headings on either page. But I’d like you to print out your manuscript anyway. Get out a glue stick and tack the pages together (or staple them), starting with the title and copyright pages.
Make mock covers for the front and back of your book, while you’re at it, and add them to your manuscript. Inspect each page for its position. By the time you turn the last page, you’ll know what your book’s interior will look like. Take this time to perform a final copy edit.
Checklist
1. Is your title page the first thing you see when you open the cover?
2. If your book has a Table of Contents, does the first page land on an odd page? It should.
3. Are the chapter headings all the same size and font? Do they line up in the same position for each chapter throughout the book?
4. Are your fonts consistent throughout the book? Do they clash with or compliment each other?
5. Catch any typos that you didn’t notice before? Have several pairs of eyes scour your pages.
6. Does each page contain 30 lines or less? This is Lulu’s recommendation for 6×9 paperbacks.
7. Are there any orphans and widows on any of the pages?
8. Are your graphics in the right position on the page(s)?
9. Are your headers consistent, including page numbering?
Now that you’ve checked over everything, it’s time to talk about book covers.
« go back — keep looking »
