Self-publishing by the Gutter

Norman D Gutter

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Old Hack: Advice noted, and under consideration. Who am I to hold up against the weight of experience. It just seems counter-intuitive when the interaction is positive rather than negative. But I'm not arguing the point.

I received a rejection of my novel today. That's the last submittal of it, and I only made it because I attended a writing conference in the city where our kids and grandkids live. It was a submittal of opportunity. On with the self-publishing. Except it's third in the queue, and my cover designer no long anwsers my e-mails.
 

Old Hack

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Norman, your exchange with your readers didn't look entirely positive from my viewpoint: they seemed somewhat taken aback, and a little wary of the whole encounter; and even if that weren't the case, you can't tell that such an exchange is going to be positive or negative before it starts, and that thread that James linked to earlier shows just how wrong such conversations can go. It is just not worth risking it.

I'm sorry about your rejection, by the way. Good luck with self publishing.
 

JCGAuthor

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I'm enjoying your updates, Norman. Keep at it. Don't knock yourself for being "behind" on technology. You're demonstrating a will to learn and you're trying to find what works best for you, and I think that's important.
 

Norman D Gutter

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My next book went live this morning on Amazon Kindle: The Candy Store Generation: How the Baby Boomers are Screwing Up America.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008L6JC8Q

Since this has graphics and bulleted lists, I decided to use an interior book designer. He's now working on the Smashwords edition. The print edition is pretty well done, but I'll have him look at it as well, probably on Monday or Tuesday.
 

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Good luck with it, Norman.
 

Norman D Gutter

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Last week and this weekend I was able to complete some publishing tasks. I finished the work needed on a homeschooling edition of Documenting America: Lessons from the United States' Historical Documents and uploaded it to Kindle and Smashwords. Still waiting on word about the Smashwords premium catalog. I'm also ready to go with the print version of this, except for the cover, which should, with any luck, come to me tonight.

I completed what I needed to do to add The Candy Store Generation: How the Baby Boomers are Screwing Up America to Smashwords; still waiting on premium catalog status on that as well. I also completed everything I needed for the print version of The Candy Store Generation. I have one more proofreading to go and should be ordering the proof copy today.

And I completed some revisions to my already e-published novel, Doctor Luke's Assistant, based on what my wife found when she read it recently. I hope to upload the corrected copy to Kindle and Smashwords tonight, and begin formatting the print book tonight or tomorrow.

This has been an interesting week, doing mainly editing and publishing tasks rather than writing. Comes with the self-publishing territory, of course, but I hope to be writing more soon.
 
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robertbevan

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keep it up norman. i've been enjoying keeping up with this thread. i think a lot of it has to do with me reading your voice the same way i read marvin from douglas adams's hitchhiker's series. i don't know why, exactly. maybe it started with "by the gutter".

anyways... keep up the good work.
 

Norman D Gutter

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My July sales are posted at my blog, here: http://davidatodd.com/2012/08/01/july-sales/. Not a bad month. I'll be able to fill the tank in my pick-up in September with the royalties.

I still can't figure out how to insert a graphic into a post here. I've mentioned this before. Can someone direct me to a help thread that gives us non-techies instructions on how to insert a graphic into an AW post?
 

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I can do a line by line for you, Norman.
1. Upload a photo that is no larger than 400 pixels in length/width to a web-based photo site like Photobucket (www.photobucket.com).
2. Once it's uploaded to Photobucket, go to Photobucket and run your mouse over the photo you want to put in your post. Four options will be available to you.
3. Copy the direct link code.
4. Come back to AW and click on the little picture icon (little yellow square with a mountain and sun on it next to the quote icon).
5. Paste the direct link code into the pop-up box, making sure the http:// only shows once and doesn't appear as http://http://XXXXXXXXX. If you see it twice, delete one of the http://.
6. Hit enter or save or whatever it says once you've pasted your code in.
7. You will not see the photo in your post. Instead you will see the IMG code before and after your direct link.
8. Once you save your post, the photos will appear.

Once you've done it a few times, it seems easy.
 

Norman D Gutter

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Well, rats. I don't use any on-line photo site. I believe you used to be able to link to a photo on a blog.
 

robertbevan

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alternatively:

I can do a line by line for you, Norman.
1. Upload a photo that is no larger than 400 pixels in length/width to a web-based photo site like Photobucket (www.photobucket.com).
2. Once it's uploaded to Photobucket, go to Photobucket and run your mouse over the photo you want to put in your post. Four options will be available to you.
3. Copy the direct link code.
4. Come back to AW and click on the little picture icon (little yellow square with a mountain and sun on it next to the quote icon).
5. Paste the direct link code into the pop-up box, making sure the http:// only shows once and doesn't appear as http://http://XXXXXXXXX. If you see it twice, delete one of the http://.
6. Hit enter or save or whatever it says once you've pasted your code in.
7. You will not see the photo in your post. Instead you will see the IMG code before and after your direct link.
8. Once you save your post, the photos will appear.

Once you've done it a few times, it seems easy.

3. copy the IMG code.
4. paste the IMG code into your post.
 

Norman D Gutter

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Not sure what the IMG code is, or where to find it. I assume that stands for image. Apparently it's not a URL?
 

robertbevan

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Not sure what the IMG code is, or where to find it. I assume that stands for image. Apparently it's not a URL?

you'll see it plain as day if you set up a photobucket account. you set up an account on AW. the process isn't any harder on photobucket. give it a try.
 

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You don't necessarily have to use an image hosting service if you prefer not to. If you've uploaded your image anywhere online, such as your blog, you can link to it here.

When you click on the yellow "Insert Image" icon, just paste the URL of your image--wherever it's hosted--and you're good to go. Just do what you did when you inserted your first sales graphic.

Keep up with the updates! I, like others, enjoy seeing your progress.
 

Norman D Gutter

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Okay, I'll paste in the URL. The problem is the size of the graphic. I guess I need to resize it at another place.

7 Aug 2012: Edited out the oversized image.
 
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Norman D Gutter

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0 sales so far in August, all titles, all platforms.

I'm at a crossroads with the print version of The Candy Store Generation. The process of creating better quality internal graphics is proving quite difficult for this Luddite. I'm going to give it another go when I get home tonight, but I'm not optimistic I can make it work. I basically have four choices:

1. Learn graphic arts software so that I can improve the quality of the graphics myself.
2. Hire someone who already knows graphic arts software to do that for me.
3. Let the print book be published with the inferior graphics, thus confirming people's opinion about self-published books being inferior.
4. Abandon the print version and just have the e-book.

I'm pretty much at a decision point.
 

Rob Lopez

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That is a dilemma, and slightly discouraging. I'm rooting for you, even though I can't really give you good advice.

I'd be inclined to go for #1, but I don't know what's needed for the graphics you need, nor how easy it would be to learn.

#2 is the logical step if #1 is a bust - but not a step I'd be keen to take if I couldn't afford it.

Which, for me, would leave #4. But that's a downer, so don't take that as my recommended choice.

It's a tough one.
 

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In my experience you're better off not publishing a book at all unless you can publish it very well indeed.

If you don't have the skills to do the graphics work on your own, and you don't have the time to learn to do it yourself (which is likely to take a lot longer than you think it will) or the money to pay someone to do it for you, then don't put out the print edition. Wait until you can do it properly. It's not good for sales to put out slapdash work with your name on it, and I think you'd be uncomfortable with it if you went in that direction.
 

Norman D Gutter

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I've decided to go ahead and "publish" the book as is, and buy maybe 10 copies: enough to give to a few politicians, my beta reader, and have a couple for my bookshelf. Then I'll probably unpublish it.