So The next topic in the group is Paperback/Hardback needs.
This one is simple. For both you need the Pdf of the Manuscript. The Difference is the cover size. You will need a larger cover for Hardback. This seems like a small post, but this week I am still fighting the exhaustion and felt like a simple post might be best.
There are places…Like Bookvault and a few others that offer things like sprayed edges and foiled pages and such if you want to do something really fancy. Those places do cost more for publishing.
I will be discussing the different places to find useful services for publication Next Week. It should be a much longer post. Soon, the Topic of Basic Marketing will be discussed.
Since I was 17 I’ve always hated my body And it feels like my body’s hated me Can somebody find me a pill To make me un-afraid of me? Seen every therapist, but I’m a cynical Don’t like to talk about my feelings I take another hit, I find another fake fix ‘Cause it’s easier than healing I don’t wanna be this way forever Keep telling myself that I’ll get better Every time I try, I always stop me Maybe I’m just scared to be happy Since I was 22 I’ve been with somebody who loves me And I’ve been tryna believe it’s true But my head always messes up my heart No matter what I do Seen every therapist, but I’m a cynical Don’t like to talk about my feelings I take another sip, I swear it’s my last fix ‘Cause it’s easier than healing I don’t wanna be this way forever Keep telling myself that I’ll get better Every time I try, I always stop me Maybe I’m just scared to be happy I don’t wanna be this way forever Keep telling myself that I’ll get better Every time I try, I always stop me Maybe I’m just scared to be happy Maybe I’m just scared to be happy Maybe I’m just scared to be happy I’m so scared of having something to lose I’m scared of being somebody new I’m so scared of all them seeing the truth ‘Cause right now I’ve got nothing But I don’t wanna be this way forever Keep telling myself that I’ll get better Every time I try, I always stop me Maybe I’m just scared to be happy Maybe I’m just scared to be happy (Maybe, yeah) Maybe I’m, I’m scared to be happy
My 2 cents –
This one hits hard for me. It feels like I am being called out.
So The next topic in the group is publishing platforms
I am always finding new places for publication. I am quite sure that I don’t have a full list. And each one has a different reason for the use. The best way to give you this is to list the sites and tell you my opinion about them.
Draft2digital – I use this to get the broadest reach. They have a sister site books2read that is useful to share the link…most of the places are available under one link. I will not use them for print materials (ie paperback and hardbacks) as the quality is terrible.
Kdp(Amazon) – They are picky and it is better to use their direct site than to use any of the other platforms to get it to Amazon. They are more likely to refuse it from an outside platform.
Google play books – I have yet to actually see sales here.
Barnes and nobles – I use this for print only. quality is good.
Ingram spark – This is the most aggravating site. their shipping for author copies are the best but they are a pain to set up. If you want to do the indie book stores you have to set wholesale prices at the 55% and it is recommended for you to allow returns. I dislike that. I use this for mostly author copies. especially because they charge 25 per edit you do.
Drive thru fiction – this is a new one for me. still learning about it.
payhip – direct sales.
There’s at least a few more but I don’t know about them.
I will Discuss the things you need to publish paperback versus hardbacks next week. I will be discussing the different places to find useful services for publication.
Okay, this seems complicated. It really is not. You need 2-3 programs max to make a decent Epub. All are Freeware. First is LibreOffice. You export the Manuscript after it is polished to an Epub. (It will be needing attention after that but it is minor.) Next you need Sigil. This allows you to open the file.
First go to stylesheet and go down until you see a line that says direction ltr there may be more but that entire line needs to be erased. It will cause the publication issues otherwise. You will now need to add a “Title” between the words title on each page. It really does not matter what you put here…as long as each page has something there. You can go through and adjust the pages by splitting and merging to get it to lay the way you want. Sigil is very user friendly. The other option is Calibre E-book management. There have been occasions when it has helped me clean up the Epub when I could not with Sigil. Make sure you update the TOC before you try to upload it to the publisher…
Do Not attach the cover to your Epub or the PDF unless you are selling it privately. As places like Draft2digital and Amazon both attach the cover and the book will end up with a double cover image.
I will discuss the places that you can publish(that I am aware of.) Next Week. I will Discuss the things you need to publish paperback versus hardbacks soon.
I am fifty years old. I have had a repetitive dream for as long as I can remember. at least 40 plus years. I am terrible at dream interpretation and I don’t know if I even want it completely interpreted. It now feels like a journey I have finished. Let me explain by telling you that dream first and then I will fill the remaining details in. This is not fiction though I suppose it could be an interesting read. This is the most vivid dream I’ve ever had.
I start the dream in the same place. I always know that I am dreaming, but I am unbothered by that fact. I am on the third floor of a three story house and I have been here before. I am comfortable here. Before me is three doors and a staircase down. I start exploring the first door. I am never alone. the people change, no one stays with me for long at this point. I know everyone, they are people that I have met or will meet in my life. Everyone I have ever cared about was in the dream – some before I ever met them. It takes me a full day to explore each door. The rooms are laid out with symbols of different aspects of the life I have lived. (in example…one room is a gorgeous library that has decor resembling a roma’s wagon, another one is a beautiful bedroom with a canopy bed and carved decor – ivory elephants, onyx roses, wooden trees.) Three rooms, each room takes a full day to explore. so it takes me three days to reach the stairs.
I continue the same pattern on the second floor. Again three doors and a staircase going down. I am starting to see outside at this point and I feel the urge to rush, though I do not. I want to be outside but I am intrigued with the house. As I reach the bottom of the second stairs I am in the middle of the largest kitchen I have ever seen. the smells are so interesting and I feel like I should linger but it causes anxiety to stay. The companions are still there but they are like a radio left playing…background noise. I am focused on the door to the outside. I can clearly see the yard now but I know that I will not reach it. The moment my hand touches the doorknob I wake up.
I have sought dream interpretation before because of the frequency and vivid nature of the dream. Now I know how it ends, sort of.
I went to bed yesterday and I immediately had a night terror.
So I sat up and spent a few hours trying to get my head back together. When exhaustion finally consumed me and I simply couldn’t hold my head up anymore I tried again.
This time I knew I was in the same dream but I was not in the house. I was behind it. The yard had a rusted swingset covered in thick webs. The yard was overgrown and I could see things in the grass. I didn’t spend time trying to figure out what. I still had compainions. We walked carefully around the house. There was only one door into the house and when I started the dream I was staring at it. I had always assumed that it faced the driveway. it did not. after I got around the house there was a dirt driveway that went out as far as I could see. I started walking down the driveway and I woke up. For the first time feeling like I finished the dream.
Now, I know it doesn’t seem like that is the end of the story but I understand it. sometimes the journey is not supposed to end. Sometimes it is more about the journey than it is about either end.
[Intro: Addie Nicole] I’ll bite my tongue ’til it bleeds Metallic tranquility The pain gets buried beneath When I bite my tongue ’til it bleeds
[Verse 1: Addie Nicole] I know the guilt and shame you hide Kept your secrets deep inside I internalized them, blamed myself and Stepped in the line of fire Sacrificed myself but why You resent me every time So when you point that finger point it at the mirror like
[Chorus: Addie Nicole] I’ll bite my tongue ’til it bleeds Mеtallic tranquility The pain gets buried bеneath But I’ll bite my tongue ’til it bleeds ‘Til it bleeds
[Verse 2: Bradley Amick] I could destroy you with one line And the world would take my side But I’d never go that low like you seem to go every time Just be human, fuck your pride You’re addicted to the fight I want off this ride so I won’t spend another night
[Chorus: Addie Nicole & Bradley Amick] I’ll bite my tongue ’til it bleeds Metallic tranquility The pain gets buried beneath The road is high and it’s steep I waive white flags, keep the peace In Eden’s garden of trees You place the traps, plant the seeds But I’ll bite my tongue ’til it bleeds
[Bridge: Bradley Amick, Addie Nicole] Pain, pain, I put you through this Pain, pain, I put you through Pain, I put you through this Pain, I put you through Enjoy the hell that you need Deploy the darkness you seek Destroy yourself without me I’ll bite my tongue ’til it bleeds
[Pre-Chorus: Addie Nicole] I know that you don’t believe
[Chorus: Addie Nicole & Bradley Amick] I’ll bite my tongue ’til it bleeds Metallic tranquility The pain gets buried beneath The road is high and it’s steep I waive white flags, keep the peace In Eden’s garden of trees You place the traps, plant the seeds But I’ll bite my tongue ’til it bleeds
[Post-Chorus: Addie Nicole] I’ll bite my tongue ’til it bleeds
My 2 cents –
I actually had a hard choice with this song. There is this version and the official version. The imagery is amazing. I decided to do a volume of cut poetry because of this song. (I have done Cut Poems before but this one made me realize I had a ton more to write). The vocals are amazing.
Cut poems have references… Here is the song list I gathered from for this one…Of Course I added words as needed to make the poem work.
(I’ll bite my tongue til it bleeds by Halocene, Hurt by Johnny Cash, Secret by the Pierces, Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel, Dirty little secret by All-American Rejects, Silence by Grace Carter, Live to Tell by Madonna, Bad Habit by Steve Lacy, Bite my tongue by You me at six)
Pattimouse 