Uploading your manuscript to Kindle sounds like a simple process and it should be. However, if there are images in your manuscript there are extra steps involved that can cause problems. As reported in a previous post, I used the nuclear option to format my manuscript and it worked just fine. However, I did not know how to proceed from there. So, I consulted Amazon’s KDP instructions and purchased Building Your Book for Kindle . I had been searching YouTube and elsewhere on the web with only limited success before I decided to download this book to my own Kindle. It proved… Read more »
Posts By: tmcgann
Book Titles, Fonts, and Copyright Changes
Book titles are crucial, and fonts can be fun, but copyright changes are expensive. I thought I had my book title down from almost the minute I finished my first draft, and I was happy with my choice, until I started reading about marketing. Marketing, for those of us interested in establishing a name, or “brand” as it is often called, is even more crucial than the book title. A better way to put this would be that the book title can also be a crucial part of your marketing plan. If no one knows you are out there, no… Read more »
Manuscript Image Manipulation
As mentioned in the previous blog, manuscript image manipulation is not my strong suit, but the use of images is a necessary part of our business. At the very least, we need to know how to utilize the images we use for our book covers. For some authors, the use of images in the body of our works is also a necessity. I am one. Amazon has certain rules for the insertion of images in both eBooks and paperbacks. This is some of what I have learned so far. First off, do not copy and then paste images into your… Read more »
The Handy-Dandy Snipping Tool
Have you heard of the handy-dandy snipping tool? I had not, and if you haven’t either, you are in for a treat. I just stumbled onto it, and it has proven to be an invaluable find. The snipping tool comes loaded into Windows Vista – and later versions. It has screen shot capability, meaning that it enables the user to take snapshots of any part of the computer screen. It offers several functions not available with the Print Screen key – another tool of which I was unaware until recently even though it stares me in the face every time… Read more »
Formatting your eBook for Kindle
When it comes to formatting eBooks for Kindle, there is a lot of information out there on this subject that is very limited in scope and can be misleading. If you visit YouTube you will find brief (5/10/20 minute) videos that purport to explain how you can format your eBook in 5 or 10 easy steps. You cannot. Amazon uses basic HTML code for publishing eBooks. To format without HTML coding requires following a strict and rather involved regime. Some experts who prefer perfect products, or as close to perfect as one can get, warn against using “meatgrinder” programs such… Read more »
Motorcycles and rain do not go together
Motorcycles and rain do not go together. Unlike the comfort of a cage (car) in which you can employ your windshield wipers, turn on the defroster, turn up the radio, and stay dry and comfy, none of that is possible on a motorcycle in the rain. Even with the best foul weather gear you are going to get wet. If you are not wearing a full-face helmet and gauntlet gloves each individual rain drop feels like a bee sting on the face and the back of your hands. The rain will find ways to whip around your helmet and down… Read more »
Three grubby bikers discussing forgiveness
Three grubby bikers wound up discussing forgiveness, of all things, after getting delayed by a rainstorm in upstate NY. Their original intent was to gas up, grab some chow, and continue their journey from Fort Ticonderoga up to Au Sable Chasm, but a violent rain storm changed all that. Discussing forgiveness was not even on their radar. They were concerned with how long it was going to take for the front to pass through. When it became apparent from a smart phone weather app that it was probably going to be a lengthy wait (six hours as it turned out),… Read more »
Motorcycle joys mature with age and experience
Motorcycle joys mature with age and experience. Even though I was a fully grown adult when I start riding motorcycles I still had some growing up to do when it came to acting sensibly. I had been interested in riding for years but no one I knew rode a motorcycle until the winter I got a job as a bartender down in Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas. My brother, Brian, was teaching school down there, riding his motorcycle to and from work. That was all the impetus I needed. My time had arrived. At the age of 30, I purchased a… Read more »
Take back roads whenever possible
Take back roads whenever possible. I just got back from a five day, 1000 mile long motorcycle trip with my two brothers through a bit of New York State’s Adirondack Mountains. Wherever possible we took back roads. As mentioned in the first blog (The Journey is the Destination) on this website, both of my brothers enjoy motorcycling. Each of us took up the hobby at different times, and has had differing experiences, but because of our common interest we ride together whenever possible. Our usual outings are to visit tri-state markers – just because they’re there – and because their… Read more »
International Standard Book Numbers (ISBN)
International Standard Book Numbers (ISBN) are numerical sequences issued as book identifiers. They are required to publish and distribute a book. They consist of thirteen digits that are used to identify the title, author, edition, binding, and publisher of a given work. They are unique to each book and each variation of that book. They are country specific, meaning that an agency in the nation in which the book is published is responsible for issuing ISBNs. In the U.S. the only company authorized to do so is RR Bowker. In order to purchase ISBNs you must create an account with Bowker. ISBNs… Read more »
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