Tag: formatting

What Do Formatting Companies Require from Authors and Why

john low, founder of ebook launchGuest Post
by John Low

So… you have finished writing your book, and now you would like to publish it as an eBook. You have decided that you want to contract out the formatting, but are confused as to exactly what it is that formatting companies need from you. In this article, this will be clarified for you.
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What is eBook Formatting?

What, exactly, is eBook formatting? eBook formatting is the process of turning a manuscript file (like a Word document) into a digital format that can be published as an eBook.

The Difference between eBooks and Prints Books Continue reading “What Do Formatting Companies Require from Authors and Why”

How to Write a Clean First Draft

Puppy BathI had to open my big mouth, didn’t I?

A few weeks back, in the response to a comment on one of my posts here at IU, I remarked that I save a lot of time in the editing phase by writing “really clean first drafts.” Of course, somebody had to go and ask me how I do it.

That meant I had to deconstruct how I do what I do. First, I found a calm, quiet place, and sat there with a meditation pillow and a candle, and communed with my muse for a while. Then I had a glass of wine. Okay, maybe I had more than one glass of wine. Anyway, I came away from it all with the conclusion that it’s a whole host of things. Here, as best as I can, is my prescription for writing a clean first draft. Continue reading “How to Write a Clean First Draft”

eReady and eAble

If you have ever had a book published by a mainstream publisher you will know that the publishing house generally takes care of most things in regards to polishing your manuscript and preparing it for public consumption. Depending on the publisher in question, they may have performed a better or worse job on any, or all, of the tasks that contribute to the success or failure of your masterpiece.

If you have been fortunate enough to secure a contract with one of the Big Six, the ePublishing agenda will probably be tied in with the digital rights of your contract. If you have not already secured a contract with one of the Big Six your chances of being taken on by any of them now are probably more remote than ever. The Big Six are of course sticking with their tried and proven, established, best-selling authors, taking fewer and fewer chances on unproven newcomers. Continue reading “eReady and eAble”

Scratching the Surface of Scrivener

I really wanted to write a post about Scrivener. Why? Because I love it and I want to tell the world.

It is the best writing program I have ever encountered and if you want to know the reasons why, you can read this Indies Unlimited guest post by Lara Reznik. Lara’s post is brilliant and lists the basics of what Scrivener is all about and why she uses it.

I realized after reading her post and seeing many other posts similar that I am really only scratching the surface of this amazing program. I know I am not using it to its full potential and this is something I want to change.

I have set myself the goal that as soon as my current project is finished, I will take some time to really study this program and figure out how I can get the most out of it. It’s one of those cases of a little time spent learning will no doubt save me hours in the future.

In order to prepare for this self-inflicted study course I have researched a few resources that might help me and I wanted to share them with you, in case you’re interested in doing something similar.

So here’s what I’ve found: Continue reading “Scratching the Surface of Scrivener”