tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864825404809070316.post6687499545321326961..comments2023-04-17T02:25:13.197-07:00Comments on Everything In God's Time: Self-Publishing - Part 3Dawn M Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10444808829334488080noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864825404809070316.post-51221360495656082562013-01-29T19:02:35.515-07:002013-01-29T19:02:35.515-07:00Thanks for alerting me to the confusion, Elise. I...Thanks for alerting me to the confusion, Elise. I added a note at the top to hopefully avoid that issue for anyone else.<br /><br />With regards to the fonts in e-books thing, that's one of the things so many other articles address - including most of the e-book publishing sources. I chose not to address e-book formatting other than to share those links above.<br /><br />The thing that concerns me is that the issues I address with regards to printed books can also cause problems for e-books, so hopefully all authors will pay attention to that stuff regardless of whether they are doing printed books or e-books or both with a project.Dawn M Turnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10444808829334488080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864825404809070316.post-30480644648624601482013-01-28T08:37:02.687-07:002013-01-28T08:37:02.687-07:00Actually, I am a fan of Garamond. TNR looks so old...Actually, I am a fan of Garamond. TNR looks so old-fashioned to me. Different strokes for different folks.<br /><br />It wasn't clear to me at the beginning that you were talking about print books. Most self-publishers start with e-book only or e-book first. It should be stressed that you should never, ever choose a font and point size for an e-book. This is what leads to squinto-vision there. A lot of people (like me with my old, tired eyes) read on e-readers because they can increase the font size and pick a font that's pleasant to them. If you designate the font in an e-book, the reader can't do that. That leads to returns and 1 star reviews.Elise M. Stonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12548587381862555229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864825404809070316.post-35375208035478212272013-01-27T09:08:56.905-07:002013-01-27T09:08:56.905-07:00That does seem to be the case with e-books, Rich. ...That does seem to be the case with e-books, Rich. I think the publishers are getting better at properly formatting the stuff, as well as authors doing a better job of formatting when submitting through Smashwords and whatnot. In addition, I think the conversion software is improving, so they're producing less gobbledy-gook when doing the conversion from .doc or .pdf to the e-book formats. Put all those factors together, and the kinks are getting worked out.<br /><br />I agree re: grammar and sentence structure issues. As authors, if we really want to put the best out there that we can, we really need to have someone else look at our work. And I don't mean just any someone else. I mean someone who KNOWS proper grammar and sentence structure AND will be honest with us about what needs work. I've found that also helps HUGE with pinpointing plot holes that I completely missed the twenty times or so *G* I went through my own work! Self-editing will only carry an author so far, imo. We need that extra set of eyes on our work. It's just too easy to miss things. I've learned that the hard way.Dawn M Turnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10444808829334488080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864825404809070316.post-12576787071878094542013-01-27T09:03:19.764-07:002013-01-27T09:03:19.764-07:00I pray God reveals to you His plan for your MS, An...I pray God reveals to you His plan for your MS, Annette. As I pray for myself - CRYSTAL CLEAR. :-)Dawn M Turnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10444808829334488080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864825404809070316.post-8052674913139532632013-01-27T08:56:53.196-07:002013-01-27T08:56:53.196-07:00Dawn, good stuff here. E-books are SO much simpler...Dawn, good stuff here. E-books are SO much simpler than the print versions! Like you, I'm not a fan of Garamond (which is what Createspace seems to use as a default for their print books when using their automatic PDF generator). I do like Times New Roman, but for my books I used Palatino, and increased the line spacing to 1.1 just to make it easier to read overall. Worked well. <br /><br />I'm not seeing the formatting errors as often in ebooks now (even free ones). I guess authors are getting the hang of it. But in many cases, the grammar and sentence structure still leaves a lot of room for improvement. You have to wonder if even one other person besides the author proofed the book. Rich Bullockhttp://www.perilousfiction.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864825404809070316.post-33036977804762176392013-01-26T19:52:20.465-07:002013-01-26T19:52:20.465-07:00Dawn, thank you so much for these three informativ...Dawn, thank you so much for these three informative blog posts. I don't yet know what God is telling me to do with my MS. I'm waiting to hear back from an agent I met at ACFW in September. That will play a big part in helping with my decision. Regardless, you have compiled some great information here...thanks.Annette O’Harehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12446500290504230010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864825404809070316.post-56529657352024172962013-01-26T14:30:48.555-07:002013-01-26T14:30:48.555-07:00If you need more pointers, feel free to email me, ...If you need more pointers, feel free to email me, Chana. I can help you avoid some of the frustrations I went through, particularly when formatting for e-books. That was a whole different critter from formatting for print.Dawn M Turnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10444808829334488080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864825404809070316.post-82667880281659557992013-01-26T14:23:40.079-07:002013-01-26T14:23:40.079-07:00Nice summary of formatting factors. I'll have ...Nice summary of formatting factors. I'll have to go more in-depth soon since I will most likely be formatting my soon-to-be-released novel on my own this time, but what you address here is a good start.<br /><br />Thanks so much!<br /><br />ChanaChana Keeferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04609802769819276586noreply@blogger.com