I’m finished faffing around trying to do it myself!

So, I’ve downloaded Calibre.  I’ve uploaded the files wrong because what no one tells you is that they need to be in .pdf format.  Not .jpg or any other file of the sort.  PDF works best.  And, because I have children something that would take a ‘normal’ person to work out takes me 3x longer due to lack of concentration and lack of time allowed on the computer.  (Thank goodness WordPress has the schedule post button because I could write a few posts and then they automatically go out on the date set- even though I love my computer being glued to it is not my idea of a Friday Funday).

At any rate, my next mission is to turn our book, Bud & Roo’s Spectacular Adventures-The Beach, into an ePub file.  Watch this space! If you want to produce an ebook that most ereaders can ‘read’ then put the file in an ePub format.  Calibre can do it for you.  Then, make sure you check it (bookbaby.com will prompt you to check it).  In the mean time, I have registered with Bookbaby.com.  They are going to do the rest of the stuff for me.  (https://www.bookbaby.com/) We are going to sell our book worldwide and keep 100% of the royalties.  Bookbaby.com offers printing, design help, and more.  Bookbaby.com boasts:

“BookBaby helps sell your eBooks worldwide.”

“BookBaby delivers your books to Amazon, iBookstore, Barnes & Noble and many more. Plus we’re adding new eBook stores almost every month. Your eBook can be read on every reading device — Kindle, iPad, Nook, Sony Reader, and more.”

Why would you spend countless evenings trying to do this all of yourself when you can pay someone $99 to do it for you?  Trust me, it just makes sense.

 

Communicate with your partner

This isn’t a blog entry about romantic relationships.  However, it is an article about the relationship you have with your illustrator, your publisher, your printing company, etc.  It is important to clearly state what your intentions are and what your vision is.  It is important to be on the same page of your author.

Suzy and I have both worked very hard on this first edition, The Beach.  It was a collaboration of creative ideas.  We have concentrated on our strengths and what we both brought to the table.   Clearly, Suzy is an amazing illustrator.  She has a unique style that is difficult to simulate.

But one thing that I should mention if you are teaming up with someone especially a friend;  keep the lines of communication open.  Be honest with one another and say what you are thinking or feeling.  It is much easier to work on a personal project with someone whom you trust and can communicate with.

Don’t end up like the Mark Zuckerberg and his mate that fell out with one another over the social networking forum, Facebook.  Always, be clear in the beginning with what is to be expected i.e. who is working on what, royalties, you get the gist.