Publishing Demystified

Publishing Demystified

The purpose of this one is simple. Most likely everyone here knows I run Fae Corps Publishing and I have been doing this in the background for a while now. I plan on talking clearly about the tools I use for publishing, and the way that each one works. Demystifying what I do. Is that to say that I will be making my own self unnecessary? No, because my experience is valuable. I just feel like so much of the process is made out to be harder than it needs to be.

Okay. Finally we are going to talk about the covers.

I do the original designs on Canva. I sometimes will adjust with art programs on my computer to get the exact look the author (or I) am aiming for. I do have the pro version of Canva. This allows me access to all of the images, and only costs me $12.95 a month. I feel like it is worth the cost as much as I use it.

Then I have the template downloaded for the 6×9 from Amazon. I make the front and back and use the templates for the front and back covers in pdf to set it up. Since I have Master Pdf Editor…I add the image, make sure it sits right…then I use the arrow tool to Select all…It will say I have 61 objects. I click on the image holding the control button until it says I have 59. Then I hit delete. that will delete everything behind the image.

I do that for both front and back covers. Then I use Barnes and Nobles to create the spine. I can download the full cover (and often do) from there and make minor adjustments as needed.

All of Fae Corps books have the logo in the Left corner of the back cover. The spine text if there is any always is in Libre Baskerville. This small continuity keeps a easy to recognize brand across our books.

If you need to find the template to download for the book you are working with…Amazon has all of them with a calculator to get the right one here

I will leave on the bottom of the post the upcoming calendar. I feel like that will help.

June –

4th – Anthology The Owl Light Menagerie (a special venture with the owl light network)

14th – Hope Splashes by Patricia Harris

21st – Chasing Ghosts by Serena Mossgraves

July –

1st – The Life Collection by Ashira Datya

5th – The Lightning War: Grounding Unit by Parker LaVitte

19th – Falling in Flames by Ashira Datya

August –

16th – Darkness lies heavy in the heart by Joshua Pavelsky

23rd – Beneath the Deep Wave by Andrew McDowell

September –

6th – The Fall by Mariah Lynde

20th – The Magick Saga Collection by Ashira Datya

October –

18th – My Gothic Angel by Laj & Khoury Hawkins

25th – Anthology Nightmare Whiskers

November-

15th- Would You Like Fries with That By Mariah Lynde

December –

1st – unknown by Raz T Slasher (middle grade) (*though I don’t normally have an unknown in my list of release dates… from a couple of authors I will take the chance for “kids week” and save the spot. If I don’t get the book from them I will just have an empty spot for the day. But I think that they are worth it.)

2nd – where’s my Sugar by Patricia Harris

3rd – Pip 4: Pip that is not Yours! By Patricia Harris

4th – Anthology Fae Recipes

5th – Unknown by CM Snow

6th – kids week open

7th – kids week open

8th – Hood of Sedna by Mina Skye

13th – Anthology Honesty in Verse

2025

I will get those listed closer. I feel like if I were to put them on the blog it would put too much pressure. I have “penciled” in dates for several authors for 2025 already.

Monday Poetry

Monday Poetry
Poetry

Building Walls

By Patricia Harris

Everyone is so busy building walls
that we forget the reasons why
we try to hide within.

Keeping your heart from feeling,
keeping it from breaking,
is safer than trying to live
don’t you know?

building walls in front of my dreams
stops the pain from ever entering,
it stops people from touching the tender places
that I can’t heal from the other hands
that left me broken.

Friday Share

Friday Share

So you found a new book?

Or maybe you just published one?

Did you find a new webcomic that you like?

Or a song you think everyone should hear?

No need for explanation…Just Share it.

You find a good deal that you think we should all see? Just share!

Or hey even a joke you think too fun not to share, Just share it.

Post links in the comments.

Occasionally I will too.

Artsy Fartsy Thursday

Weekly Blog image

Today I want to discuss book covers.

This is in some ways a very commercial art. And it is regulated by genre. People expect each book in a genre to have similar covers. To the point that unique covers in the industry are the stand out instead of the standard.

When I started my journey with publishing, I was sure that I had to follow those rules. My original covers were very bland. As most poetry volumes have…

Then someone I respected quite a bit told me that the only thing wrong with my books was the covers didn’t match me. (next week on publishing demystified I will be talking about the covers and the tools I use to deal with them).

I think my covers have become more unique and I really enjoy the making of them. Here’s some of the ones I have made.

Celebrity Wednesday

Blog Weekly image

Today I am going to be on the Owl Light network on their Unprinted pages reading Pip and Friends.

Being on shows like that makes me feel like such a celebrity. The show starts at 9pm est. Come cheer me on.

chasing ghosts teaser

spooky

chasing ghosts teaser

Tuesday Tunes

A day for me to discuss music

Lyrics –

Now he’s thinkin’ ’bout me every night, oh
Is it that sweet? I guess so
Say you can’t sleep, baby, I know
That’s that me, espresso
Move it up, down, left, right, oh
Switch it up like Nintendo
Say you can’t sleep, baby, I know
That’s that me, espresso
I can’t relate to desperation
My ‘give a fucks’ are on vacation
And I got this one boy
And he won’t stop calling
When they act this way
I know I got ’em
Too bad your ex don’t do it for ya
Walked in and dream came trued it for ya
Soft skin and I perfumed it for ya
I know I Mountain Dew it for ya
That morning coffee, brewed it for ya
One touch and I brand newed it for ya
Now he’s thinkin’ ’bout me every night, oh
Is it that sweet? I guess so
Say you can’t sleep, baby, I know
That’s that me, espresso
Move it up, down, left, right, oh
Switch it up like Nintendo
Say you can’t sleep, baby, I know
That’s that me, espresso
Is it that sweet? I guess so
I’m working late ’cause I’m a singer
Oh, he looks so cute wrapped around my finger
My twisted humor, make him laugh so often
My honey bee, come and get this pollen
Too bad your ex don’t do it for ya
Walked in and dream came trued it for ya
Soft skin and I perfumed it for ya
I know I Mountain Dew it for ya
That morning coffee, brewed it for ya
One touch and I brand newed it for ya
Now he’s thinkin’ ’bout me every night, oh
Is it that sweet? I guess so
Say you can’t sleep, baby, I know
That’s that me, espresso
Move it up, down, left, right, oh
Switch it up like Nintendo
Say you can’t sleep, baby, I know
That’s that me, espresso
He’s thinkin’ ’bout me every night, oh
Is it that sweet? I guess so
Say you can’t sleep, baby, I know
That’s that me, espresso
Move it up, down, left, right, oh
Switch it up like Nintendo
Say you can’t sleep, baby, I know
That’s that me, espresso
Is it that sweet? I guess so
That’s that me, espresso

My 2 cents –

The beat of this is contagious. I have been an insomniac for so long that I tend to be drawn to songs and art that feels like I am being seen.

Publishing Demystified

The purpose of this one is simple. Most likely everyone here knows I run Fae Corps Publishing and I have been doing this in the background for a while now. I plan on talking clearly about the tools I use for publishing, and the way that each one works. Demystifying what I do. Is that to say that I will be making my own self unnecessary? No, because my experience is valuable. I just feel like so much of the process is made out to be harder than it needs to be.

Last time I said I would be discussing covers. I decided that will be next week. I realized that I was not as in depth about the epub as I should have been.

When you first open the epub with Sigil it will ask you if you want to add the doctype html to the document. For some reason open office forgets to add this and it is necessary.

In the stylesheet section there is a line that says something about direction. I don’t remember the exact line but it is the only line that says direction. That has to be removed.

You need to go through and check your pages for the way you want it to be laid out. Merge pages and cut pages as needed. Adjust the toc.

When you go through if you notice your text is not colored properly you can take the color information out of the stylesheet.

The last thing I recommend is taking out the <title><title> at the top of each page. I don’t know why but it causes error messages if you leave it in.

Don’t forget to save your work.

I will leave on the bottom of the post the upcoming calendar. I feel like that will help.

May –

29th – (not a release date but I will be on the Owl Light Network reading Pip and Friends Live)

June –

4th – Anthology The Owl Light Menagerie (a special venture with the owl light network)

14th – Hope Splashes by Patricia Harris

21st – Chasing Ghosts by Serena Mossgraves

July –

1st – The Life Collection by Ashira Datya

5th – The Lightning War: Grounding Unit by Parker LaVitte

19th – Falling in Flames by Ashira Datya

August –

23rd – Beneath the Deep Wave by Andrew McDowell

September –

6th – The Fall by Amima Raziel

20th – The Magick Saga Collection by Ashira Datya

October –

18th – My Gothic Angel by Laj & Khoury Hawkins

25th – Anthology Nightmare Whiskers

December –

1st – unknown by Raz T Slasher (middle grade) (*though I don’t normally have an unknown in my list of release dates… from a couple of authors I will take the chance for “kids week” and save the spot. If I don’t get the book from them I will just have an empty spot for the day. But I think that they are worth it.)

2nd – where’s my Sugar by Patricia Harris

3rd – Pip 4: Pip that is not Yours! By Patricia Harris

4th – Anthology Fae Recipes

5th – Unknown by CM Snow

6th – kids week open

7th – kids week open

8th – Hood of Sedna by Mina Skye

13th – Anthology Honesty in Verse

2025

I will get those listed closer. I feel like if I were to put them on the blog it would put too much pressure. I have “penciled” in dates for several authors for 2025 already.

Monday Poetry

Poetry

Bitch with me

By Patricia Harris

The urge to just complain,
Not that you want to
Really anything change,
Just venting steam to release
And start again.

This is in the nature of the game,
Instead of fixing the problem
Whine and complain,
To feel better again.

Friday Share

Friday Share

So you found a new book?

Or maybe you just published one?

Did you find a new webcomic that you like?

Or a song you think everyone should hear?

No need for explanation…Just Share it.

You find a good deal that you think we should all see? Just share!

Or hey even a joke you think too fun not to share, Just share it.

Post links in the comments.

Occasionally I will too.