Born in 1963, I had the great good fortune of being raised in a loving home with two wacky, wonderful parents and enough animals – mostly dogs, plus horses, chickens, ducks, salamanders, gerbils, and a goat – to fill up Noah’s ark.While my first grade teacher informed my parents that I had a reading disability (my Dad’’s famous quote: “WHAT?!”), that turned out to be a mistake on her part. The most likely explanation is that I was asleep during the test. But the upshot there is that I became an avid reader, so much so that later on in school teachers yelled at me to pry my nose out of whatever I was reading at the time (Robert Heinlein
Later, in high school, I intermittently kept a journal, and by the time I was in college I was actually dabbling with fiction writing. I regret now not having taken more English courses – creative writing, in particular – but that just wasn’t in the cards for me at the time: I was too busy learning Russian!
I also joined Army ROTC and was commissioned in the U.S. Army Reserves at the end of my sophomore year. I’d always had a keen interest in military things, which is one reason that the “combat SF” stories by authors like David Drake
After college I wound up working for “the government” doing a variety of jobs, ranging from technical reporting and analysis to management. It was there that I met the woman of my dreams (and married her!) and her two wonderful boys, who collectively make up the center of my universe.
So, there’s a little bit about my past. As for the future, I hope to keep writing! I have several book projects in the works, although between working full time, trying to promote In Her Name, and keeping up with the boys, I’m not sure when I’ll have enough time to write much!
- Michael R. Hicks
I’ve added a page for your book on my site. Let me know if you would like a Bio or add’l info.
Hi Michael;
Excellent post. I couldn’t have said it better. Now, if only there were a few more minutes in the day.
Jo-Anne Vandermeulen
Professional Support Network for Writers
Prolific Writer of Romantic Fiction
http://www.gr5mom2.wordpress.com
Hi Michael;
I have two polished unpublished novels. I’ve been hoping to snag an agent and hit the big NY Publishers…not. Thinking I may be barking up the wrong tree. Perhaps there’s another way to publish my books. I found this article interesting. You make it sound so easy. Is there a catch?
Jo-Anne Vandermeulen
Professional Support Network for Writers
Prolific Writer of Romantic Fiction
http://www.gr5mom2.wordpress.com
Jo-Anne:
Getting your work into print (either in paper and/or electronically on the Kindle and other eBook formats) isn’t necessarily difficult. Marketing it then becomes the trick. Of course, even if you get picked up by a major publisher, the burden of making the book a success is still largely on the author’s shoulders.
There are more articles queued up on self-publishing, and if you have any questions, etc., just let me know!
Cheers,
Mike
I’ve had mine for over a year
It was indispensable
for all the reasons you suggest
from the very first day
Great review! I’m not much of a sci-fi fan (too many romances in my TBR pile) but this story sounds very interesting.
May just have to purchase a copy for my son, who loves sci-fi and shoot-em-up lit!
Congrats!
Michael,
You have some great info here. Thanks for sharing. Don’t worry about linking up to writers on facebook because writers read books too!
Hey, Wendy! I definitely don’t worry about linking up with other authors – that’s who most of my friends are on FB (LOL!) – and will definitely continue to do so (in fact, I’d love to exchange links with all of them – our collective web site traffic would benefit tremendously!). But if you’re able to break into a market of readers focused on your particular genre, I think any given promotional efforts would have a bigger return on investment.
Cheers,
Mike
Smart move at Amazon. Management isn’t getting enough credit for being ahead of the market. Today with companies cutting back everywhere, Amazon management is finding growth. Superior! Read more at http://www.ThePhoenixPrinciple.com
We had a discussion on this once and some really interesting ideas came up
http://cinnamonteal.ning.com/forum/topics/how-to-promote-ones-book
Perhaps you could try some?
Hihi.., my comment was to short. So I’ll refrase it slightly. Here it goes:
Why wait?
Well, that was it really.
Cheers, and thanks for the pingback.
One could almost imagine that this inane law was championed by Amazon…
Read the law: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpsia.Pdf
Then read http://www.rrd.com/wwwCPSIA/home.asp
There’s no lead in ordinary books. Please don’t spread misinformation.
That’s a big problem with the CPSIA, targeting items that do not have lead — like books without toys or jewelry added.
Being thrilled that books may go the way of the dinosaur isn’t exactly helping the world. Children need books to hold, to read, to enjoy, as do most adults.
I for one could not afford a Kindle and couldn’t enjoy reading a book from one, at least my eyes couldn’t.
Yes, please don’t spread misinformation.
Holly, Vivian – Thanks for the additional information! I wasn’t trying to spread bad info, but the fact that books were even on a list (even if by default) was a shocker for me. That books are indeed lead-free is definitely reassuring, and I’ll amend my original post to include your information.
As for the Kindle, I have to confess to being an unapologetic Kindle proponent. I have always loved “real” books, too, but the resources to produce them and the waste they create are no longer trivial factors. And the Kindle has proven a much more pleasant reading experience – very easy on my eyes. For young children? No. For general reading? Absolutely.
Hi, Rogier! I would build an earthship today, but I’m tied to our current house for several years yet. We’ve been looking (not too seriously yet) for land in the southwestern U.S., but haven’t found anything quite yet.
Sounds good, Michael! I was always intrigued by the underground dome houses, and yurts. Do you have to be a vegetarian in order to make use of a composting toilet? I should think so… maybe not, but if not, it could be kind of nasty.
Holly, no, you don’t have to have any special diet or anything to use a composting toilet – everything breaks down naturally! You don’t put the resulting compost on food plants, of course, but you can use it on flower beds and that sort of thing (and it’s just like “regular” compost).
Thanks, Michael!
It is ONLY children’s books that are coming under fire from the CPSC (and the CPSIA) – because they are “products for children under 13,” not because they contain lead. Imagine giving your three-year-old a Kindle (which, ironically, probably does contain lead – but has exemptions for being an “electronic device” that requires a small amount of lead in order to work). If a book is damaged, okay – said three-year-old isn’t expected to keep a book in pristine condition. I put books in the crib with my babies, wanting them to grow up with books as familiar, comforting items. But imagine mom’s and dad’s shock and horror when the $300 eBook Reader gets repeatedly dropped or banged on the floor and stops working.
That a law purporting to PROTECT kids actually ends up depriving them of many beneficial things seems to escape the logical scrutiny of many of our lawmakers.
That a law purporting to keep kids’ products safe tends to harm businesses that went INTO business to make safer, healthier, more environmentally friendly products for kids also seems to escape the attention of the public. No one wants to vote against a law that says it’s PROTECTING children. Unfortunately, too many of the folks who voted this into law didn’t scrutinize the way it was written or the logical consequences of its implementation. And now, they can’t seem to unravel the problem.
But every time I see Amazon or Kindle mentioned in conjunction with the CPSIA (given that it was Amazon that clued in most book publishers to the fact that the law even applied to books at all – at the ELEVENTH HOUR – by threatening not to carry their products without certifications required by the CPSIA), I can’t help but think of the old adage, “Follow the money,” and ask myself, “Who benefits from this, anyway?”
I should note that recent announcements from the CPSC have taken some of the pressure off, where books are concerned – a one-year “stay of enforcement” means the CPSC isn’t likely to send anyone to jail for failure to test and certify most children’s products (though they will still be held strictly liable for the lead and phthalates in them) means books are practically a non-issue. Legally, they’re not a “non-issue” and there is some question as to whether the CPSC can issue such a stay (or whether the states’ Attorneys General will enforce the law, regardless – which would be a nightmare, I think, for interstate commerce). But I’m comfortable selling my book, because I’m confident that it does not contain lead.
What about the stay-at-home mom, though, who makes cute, age-appropriate kids’ clothes? Or knits baby blankets? Or makes handmade toys from organic materials? What about the small manufacturer of telescopes or microscopes? What about…
We can’t just breathe a sigh of relief and say, “Well, good, it doesn’t really affect books, after all…” and go merrily on our way. Think “Horton Hears a Who” – the folks in Washington only listen when we all speak out together.
Well, the aspect of the Kindle aside (anybody who hands an expensive electronic gadget to a very young child deserves whatever they get – LOL!), this sounds like another typical act of legislative lunacy in the government. I’ve worked for the Fed for over twenty years, and I’m intimately familiar with how ridiculous things can be.
Again, I apologize for the content of my original post (as I noted in the amendment I made to it), but it was worth some egg in the face on my part to get your insights on this, Holly – I don’t think I ever would have come across this otherwise!
The CPSIA was and is a poorly crafted law. They used a missile to try to kill a fly. Yes, flies carry disease and need to be killed, but a missile takes out everything else around the nasty fly, destroying many good, harmless things, too.
Even with the stay of enforcement, if everyone does decide to ignore enforcement for the year’s stay, the law still exists and will be put back into effect a year from now IF saner heads (are there any in DC?) don’t repeal this unfair law and draft another one in its place, one that really will make sense.
Question: Does Amazon actually pay anybody?
Elaine – oddly enough, they do! I’ve received royalty payments from Amazon for sales of my books in the Kindle Store, although the money was hung up for a while because my bank account info in DTP had been zapped during an “upgrade” to the system. The main trick is that your royalties have to top $10, and they don’t pay anything until a full two months have passed after the month the sales were made. But I do actually have a contact in their accounting department – he can’t help with DTP issues, but he may be able to tell if you’ve got royalties coming…
I feel your pain my newest bill was $407.87 Do I pay it or feed my kids? A friend was telling me he had a box installed by his meter and the box has something to do with controlling the serge when things like the AC or fridge kick in. When he gets his next bill he is going to let me know how it worked. Pricey by $450.00 materials and install but worth it if it works. We have even considered buying that ebook that tells you how to build your own windmill or solar panel for less than 200.00 and trying to run things like the dryer and water heater off it. I don’t know what else to do!!
Interesting! If you find out the name of that gadget, let me know, would you?
As for the windmill or solar panel gambit, I don’t know. I bought one of those books, and while it might help, the core problem is that conventional home designs are horribly inefficient in terms of heating and cooling. That’s one reason I like the earthship concept so much, but there are many ways new (or remodeled) homes could be built to drastically improve their efficiency and cut down on costs. You might be able to cut your bills some with a solar/wind installation, but there are other costs – inverters, batteries, etc. – that will likely come into play, too.
The first thing I’d consider doing is looking at “direct solar” energy in the form of a solar water heater, and radiant barrier material for your attic. That’s what I’m aiming for this year. And make sure you’ve replaced all your lights with compact fluorescents – I figure I saved several hundred dollars the first year just by doing that!
I think the exposure may be higher then you think, depends how on the website or blog is managed of course.
I know that my reviews are funneled into Twitter, Facebook, Friendfeed, bloglines, plus a dozen other social media sites. In addition, we have a tendency to link back and forth between each others blogs and websites, so a review on my blog is likely to be seen by the readers of alot of other blogs and websites.
You do make some valid points though. Once the review runs through all of the social media, feed readers, emails and backlinks, it is pretty much dead, unless it turns up in a search.
There is a similar problem with Amazon reviews, those are only going to be read if someone already knows about the book and goes looking for them.
This all leads me to believe that maybe the best method would be to stagger the review copies. Don’t send them all out at once or you get a flood of reviews all around the same time, then……nothing.
Send out a few each month instead so new reviews are popping up here and there and keeping your book out there in the public eye.
Just a thought….
Mulluane -
Thanks for the observations!
Don’t get me wrong: reviews are absolutely essential, but I think a lot of authors – particularly indie newbies like me – look to reviews as the main part of their promotion strategy, and also get caught up in the whole affirmation thing (“Hey, somebody agreed to review my book – I’m somebody now!”). It’s certainly a core piece, but only a piece.
I agree with the stagger strategy, which is what I’ve started doing myself. Initially I was soliciting for reviews anywhere I could right off the bat, but am now going to see if I can set up a rolling barrage over time.
The point you made about linking between blogs and websites is extremely critical, I think: that’s how you get more web traffic, and that in turn brings you more potential readers.
You are very welcome!
Helps of course that you hit on a topic that is dear to my heart :>)
This is a great article and your results are incredible! Just goes to show how by just cleaning up your eating habits can make a huge difference in your health, alone. Great job on the workouts! I’m a HUGE ChaLEAN fan, P90X, P90 and all the Beachbody programs. So much so, I had to becoming a Coach with them. I just love everything about their mission and message.
Hi Michael -
I didn’t realize you hadn’t seen this review yet – I wanted to let you know that In Her Name made my list of top 10 reads of 2008 – I really loved it! Thanks so much for creating such a wonderful world, and I hope to hear of more great novels from you in the future. It was my pleasure to read and review your novel!
Elizabeth
Thanks! This will come in handy.
You have just saved me WEEKS and WEEKS of tedious work converting a PDF to text. I had to strip out so many extra characters, carriage returns, reformat all the graphics, and a thousand other details. I’ll try this new service and see how it goes. MANY THANKS!
I keep getting an error message.
—– The following addresses had permanent fatal errors —–
pdf2html@access-sjc0-1.ntbe.adobe.com
(reason: 552 5.3.4 Message size exceeds fixed maximum message size)
I sent a file that was 5.5 meg. Lots of b&w art in my book. Any ideas on how to get around that or find out who at Adobe will know the maximum size file they accept?
Thanks!
Pat – Glad the tip was of help!
And no, unfortunately I don’t have the answer to what the max size is, but you should be able to contact Adobe tech support through their site and ask. And just remember that the conversion – if/when it works for you – *won’t* return any images, just the text.
Hey, Elizabeth! Yes, I had seen the review earlier, but didn’t see that it was in your top 10 reads of 2008! I’m gonna have to add a blog post on that!!
Just FYI, I’m doing this a bit backwards (well, I guess I’m that kinda guy), but I’m planning on releasing the individual books as a trilogy, and keeping the current version of In Her Name (slightly modified) as an omnibus edition. Then I’m going to get to work on some new stuff!
Michael, I’m new to the Kindle forum, and e-publishing, but you seemed to be the Forum de facto ‘expert’ if there is one; thought you may have some insight into a problem inserting and uploading a “cover image”.
Note this upload error:
Error code: ConversionError Error message: amazon.DigitalOpenPublishing.util.zip.UnzipException caught when trying to unzip file=/var/tmp/dtfc/s3Get/ticket_1216784/dtp_207096_USER_CONTENT_0.zip; ErrorCode=ConversionError
**
I’ve received the same “Zip” error repeatedly — as I’m trying to discern exactly how to add a cover-image to my file and I presume it’s to point the html doc image tag to the cover-image within the same folder and then zip the two documents (html doc and image) and then upload to DTP.
However, when I attempt to upload the zipped file, I receive the error message above repeatedly. I utilized BBEdit (I use a Mac) to write html file, saved it in Word, and zipped it in a folder with a Photoshop .jpg file of the cover (sized correctly iin all respects). Sorry for the verbosity, but I *greatly* appreciate any insight and kind assistance with process clarity.
And, am I correct in my assumption as to how to insert a cover image to a book doc?
(This forum is very helpful, but one has to dig continuously to unearth info that should be comprehensively included in the DTP tutorial… It makes far too many presumptive jumps.)
Thanks very much for the assist.
Sorry. When I refer to “forums” in my prior comment I meant Amazon’s DTP forum; not yours. This blog is great.
Gary – Okay, I think you’re adding too many steps for yourself here.
What you need to do first is take the HTML you saved out and zip that together with the image(s), but don’t both messing around with Word after that. The ideal format is HTML, so once you’ve got it there, stick with it! The only caveat is that you have to make sure that the HTML file is saved in Latin-1/Western format, and not Unicode.
Second, since you’re on a Mac (as I am), you need to make sure that you save the ZIP file in a format that is Windows compatible: DTP does *not* like Mac-flavored files. Most Mac archive programs have some sort of setting or check box for that.
Then try reuploading the resulting zip file to DTP.
Bravo, Michael! Well put. As someone who’s written a lot of crap, worked and worked and worked to make it marketable, and finally sold, I applaud this definition and celebrate that there is ABSOLUTELY a viable Indie Market. However, as you point out, the legitimacy of it, just as with film, has to come from doing it it as good as or better than NY Pub houses.
I’ve judged tons of contests w/ mainstream or self-pub, smallpress entries. Most are painful to read and riddled with typos and self-aggrandizement, but not all.
Before anyone throws tomatoes, one of the best entries I got to read a couple of years ago for the RWA Mystery Suspense Chapter’s Daphne awards was an ePub/small press. FAB-U-Lous.
(So was one of the worst.)
Worth no more than two cents as an opinion, I’m sure, but still, a Bravo for YOU for stating the case so clearly. :>
Thanks for the comment, Jeanne! There’s definitely some good self-published work out there, the trick is to just help those authors get the attention their work really deserves. That’s not to say that the path is easy for any author, but I think readers are really missing out on a lot of excellent stuff because the “little guys” have huge obstacles to overcome in terms of marketing and even distribution.
But the first step is definitely having something that’s clearly professional quality – nothing’s going to happen if that isn’t met. D’oh!
Absolutely on point. A quality product begins with knowing your target audience and writing a book that your audience is interested in. Next, you can’t have typos all over your work. And you need a bookshelf quality book. Correctly self-publishing a book will cost at least $5,000 and probably more like $10,000. If you are serious about a publishing career, then this kind of commitment is necessary. It’s the same as starting a business. Then once you have a quality book, authors need to focus on building a platform and social media is an excellent way to do this, but it needs to be done right. Again, I can’t agree more with what you are saying.
I’m not sure that it’s so much a question of money, at least to create the book itself: I believe a quality book can be created without a huge dollar investment (although if one doesn’t have the money to invest, one certainly must invest the time!). The marketing and promotion angle, however, is definitely a potential money pit. I think a great deal can be done online versus “traditional’ promotional methods, but even that is often a tradeoff of money or time. For those who may not have much of either, there currently aren’t many good alternatives that I’m aware of – yet, at least!
But the first step is definitely having something that’s clearly professional quality – nothing’s going to happen if that isn’t met. D’oh!
So true! Here’s to great reads…no matter WHERE they’re published! :>
Hi – this is great. Thanks. I have a question regarding converting and previewing. To see how my book is formatting for the Kindle I converted my Word doc to HTML and then have been editing the html version in Word. Then I convert using Mobipocket and upload the .prc files to my Kindle for viewing.
I uploaded to DTP but then I can’t preview through my Kindle to see how it looks. I have a lot of graphics and want to control the flow of the text somewhat so it doesn’t look funky. This is why i want to preview frequently chapter by chapter. My book is a 190,000 word historical novel, so it’s pretty unwieldy.
So, will there be a problem with doing my whole book this way and then uploading through DTP for the final version? Will it look different than the Mobipocket version? Mobipocket makes it pretty easy to add jpeg files and covers. But I have noticed that the Table of Contents I created in the HTML version does not sync with the TOC link in the Kindle. So the reader can’t jump to the TOC from anywhere in the book. I’ve noticed this a lot with sample books I’ve downloaded from the Kindle store. Table of Contents in the scroll bar menu is grayed out.
Will your html code above fix this?
Thanks for any help,
regards,
Michael
Michael -
I haven’t verified it myself, but I suspect that no, the Word-created TOC won’t work on the Kindle. The only two ways that I know of to create a TOC is 1) use the tags and anchors as displayed in the article above, or 2) to use the TOC utility in Mobipocket Creator.
The TOC utility in Creator is a bit tricky to use unless you understand what it’s asking for; it’s probably easier – if a bit more manually intensive – to add the tags/anchors by hand to the HTML. And yes, the above code will “enable” the menu feature on the Kindle.
Finally, if you built a PRC file and uploaded it to your Kindle, that’s what the file is going to look like to readers who but it from the Kindle store. So if it looks okay to you on your Kindle, you should be set.
Thanks Michael. A quick clarification and follow-up. I created a TOC by using bookmarks in HTML and the links work fine in the Kindle, but the Kindle file doesn’t recognize the TOC as a TOC so it doesn’t enable the menu feature on the scroll bar.
I’ll try using tabs and anchors as that seems cleaner. The TOC wizard in Mobipocket was too confusing with the terms used as I haven’t programmed in HTML much and I’m not sure what the headers and classes etc. refer to. Do you recommend a simple html guide?
Thanks again.
I am just at the point of finally getting my book out. I have a question regarding ISBN’s.
I am looking at Mobi pocket, kindle and Create Space. I know those are three different formats (which is fine). What I would like is to have my book available for POD, ebook and Kindle. I would like to be able to have a link to post to my web site and various places for marketing. This is most likely a pretty common desire.
My preference is to have the ISBN be through the POD publisher (i.e. Create Space) since they will put my book on Amazon since they are affiliated. I also believe (correct me if I am wrong) that if I publish through them they will handle the sales tax of the book when it is ordered.
I have read some posts on their member site that makes it sound like you can’t use the Create Space ISBN anywhere else. So I am looking for some guidance on the way to go. Would it be better to put it on one format first, or do them all at nearly the same time? Which first? POD and have an ISBN? Use it or not on the ebook and Kindle site?
I could get my own ISBN, but it isn’t my preference.
Thank you so much in advance, I appreciate your blog!!
Hi, Erika!
Okay, apples and oranges here: ISBNs are only required for print books, not ebooks. The only reason you worry about ISBNs for Mobipocket or Amazon DTP ebooks is so Amazon’s database can match them with the print version. That’s it.
It’s true that an ISBN assigned by CreateSpace can only be used by books printed by them. If you went with Lightning Source, say, you’d need a new ISBN ($125 a pop from Bowker).
But if this is your first time down this road, here’s what I’d do:
- Put the print copy out on Amazon via CreateSpace (they also distribute to other channels, but not to Ingram; but most self-published books don’t make it far beyond on-line retailers anyway).
- Prepare your Kindle and/or Mobipocket versions. Put the CreateSpace ISBN in whichever one you’re publishing to the Kindle store (I think I made another post or two on that somewhere).
Voila! Your book is now published! Then you can concentrate on promoting it. And you can change things any time down the line if you need to, so you’re not irrevocably committed to anything.
Hope that helps!
Mike
Thank you for responding so quickly I really appreciate it!!
It’s funny in some ways because I have had this book finished and edited for a couple of years now, gathered ways to promote it…but then kept hemming and hawing about which direction to take for publishing it (meaning no actual direction at all of course) and so the whole thing has been on hold.
I have even had people asking me for it for a while now ( I have a spiritual counseling practice, and teach a fair amount) and it felt very weird not to be able to give them a copy.
This month (after turning 50) I realized I had to just make some decision and go with it LOL.
I really want to thank you so much for saying “And you can change things any time down the line if you need to, so you’re not irrevocably committed to anything.”
I think that is really what I needed to hear.
You post totally helped.
blessings,
Erika
I am however, going to look at the Lighting Source and see what they have on their site as well. I have seen their name on various blogs but haven’t looked into them at all.
thanks again
Hahaha, OK one last thing I promise
I just bought your book from Amazon (it’s the rainy season here on the east side of Hawaii and I have been reading a lot).
I hadn’t originally intended to, but it sounded good, and I thought I would give it a try.
Looking forward to it.
-E.
Thank you for the most intelligent review of POD options I’ve read thusfar online!
i m always love Hrithik Roshan..he’s great in whatever he do…all character he play potray different sytle…love that…and he’s also a good dancer…
they pay me, not much, but they do pay me
I know for a fact that Kindle use to allow upgrades to already purchased titles because I did this myself several times. Now that I have a book of my own on Kindle I was really disappointed to find out I couldn’t get version 2 of my own book (so I could see the results of the changes) unless I got a refund and then purchased my book again. I eventually did this, but doing away with this benefit away was NOT an improvement! I hope Amazon sees fit to return this feature – and soon!
On a side note – thank you for all the good advice you have given in the forums. I really found it helpful and I was very happy to buy “Publish Your Book On The Amazon Kindle.” In case you are ever curious, check out my book “Emotional Triangle: A True Story of Overcoming Childhood Trauma, Years of Grief, and Post Traumatic Stress Syndrom.” It was your great advice that made the book possible. Thanks!
Glad to see you’re an Obama person too. My wife and I (both in our sixties) actually went out and knocked on doors for him. A first in polit participation for us. What a mess he’s got now, huh? Wish they would strip Dubya of all his ex-prez benefits. We pray for Obama and our country each day, but we know it could take many years to rebound. – Tim
Congrats on your 2008 success! I hope you will continue on to P90X in 2009 and make this a great year as well. I have also had great results with P90, followed by P90X. When Chalean was released, I had to try it because I’m such a Beachbody fan. Every single program has been beneficial to my health and fitness. I’m currently doing my 9th round of P90X and love every single round. You article is inspiring, and I hope others will follow your lead. Good luck!!
Hi Michael,
I’m back and having some difficulties adding a toc to my MobiPocket build. I’m dealing with an html test file and I have the href lines for toc links in the code. Then I added the and the before and after the Table of Content lines as you show above.
But it didn’t work when I uploaded to the Kindle.
Is this for a DTP build only?
I’m just trying to build a simple toc test file before I go to my book which is 190,000 words. But I want to use Mobipocket Creator for the Kindle.
My interior links in the book work fine, but no toc in the Kindle menu. I need this for navigation around such a big book.
Any ideas?
Okay, I understand that you don’t need an ISBN number to publish on the Kindle, but what if the book was formerly published by another publisher (with an ISBN number for Hardcover and one for paperback), and the rights have now been reverted back to me. The book is out of print and I have changed the cover art and all things that were not part of my copyright and I have the go ahead from my lawyer to put it on the Kindle (with me as the independent publisher). Should I apply for a new ISBN number for the ebook version, or should I still use my old ISBN number (from the previous publisher) in order to have the reviews follow me? I have roughly 150 amazon reviews on the book from when it was published in print 7 years ago. What do you think Michael?
River -
The only reason you “need” the ISBN for a Kindle version is so Amazon’s catalog can link it up with the print version(s). Think of it as a key that links the two catalog pages together. So choose whichever print version you want to link the Kindle version to, and enter that ISBN into the DTP ISBN field for the Kindle. In a few weeks the Kindle and print version should be associated (so a link will appear on the print version’s page for the “kindle version”, and vice versa).
Does that make sense?
does anyone know how to publish to kindle without an ISBN number? in the FAQ it says you don’t need one but it won’t let me publish with that field empty
Thanks for shedding light on this. You’ve helped me out a lot!
Hi:
Liked your thoughtful comments on the publishing scene. Perhaps what’s needed to differentiate the really good indie books is a group that would review and award the volume a sort of “Good Housekeeping” seal. These could be well-known and well-respected authors, agents or others with some obvious clout.
Of course, there are many other problems. Among them–and perhaps the most important: the lack of an e-book standard and the limited distriubution of e-book readers. The situation will be vastly different with 20 million Kindles out there!
Just a thought. I’m sure you can see the implications–and obstacles–much better than I–a low-tech, old-fashioned ex-publisher. In my day, it was dubbed “The Gentleman’s profession.” How times have changed.
Sig
Sig -
Yes, I think I had another post somewhere on just that sort of topic, kind of an “Underwriters Laboratory” seal. But you’re absolutely right – there are lots of problems in that! But I don’t really see any true way forward for indie books that really deserve to see some limelight…
Yes, Mobipocket is my other format, too. But I must say that this market is devilishly elusive–at least to me. I am selling the Kindle Editions of my three books at a nice clip, but the MP owners are hiding under a rock somewhere.
There are some excellent social networks for the Kindle Krowd. But I have yet to find any forums dedicated to MP. Now, admittedly, I am a doddering horse and buggy in the spaceship age. And maybe I’m lazy, or dense. But I have yet to crack the MP code.
I’ve been told that Google ads are the way to go here. But I am wary because you pay for clicks, not sales. And on the Web–as we all know–tire-kickers abound. Besides, I tried Web ads long ago for a different kind of sale. It was not rewarding.
So my question remains. I did a lot of research and mulling to come up with the MP/Kindle combo. If you–or anyone else can tell me how to reach the reluctant MP readers, I’d be grateful. Incidentally, my Twitter experiments have been fun. But that’s about all–so far.
Sig
I see numerous references to a zipped file containing the cover image and the rest of the book, but I’ve never been able to find a step-by-step guide to how to combines all that. Is there a thread or an Amazon help document or anything out there that will tell me how to do this, what to name things, what NOT to name things, all that? If there is, I’ve failed to find it. I managed to get a cover image on the Amazon sales page, but I’ve got no clue about how to get one on the ebook itself. Thanks! Great blog, by the way!
Frank-
Okay, this is an easy one!
First, in your HTML code, if you used the sample code I indicated in this blog post, look closely at the third line:
img src=”mycover.jpg”
Change mycover.jpg to whatever your cover filename is. Don’t worry about conventions – the only real things to make sure of is that 1) the name doesn’t have any spaces in it, and 2) make the .jpg lower case.
Now, I’m assuming you have a Windows machine, so you’ll need to do something like this:
1. Make sure both the HTML file and your cover image that you want “inside” the file (e.g., “mycover.jpg” or whatever) are in the same folder on your hard drive.
2. Select both files (left click on the first, and control + left click on the second to highlight both).
3. Right click over one of them (doesn’t matter which – they should both still remain highlighted).
4. In the menu that comes up, there should be something that looks like Send To -> Zip File. Left click on that option.
5. A ZIP file should appear on your hard drive that should contain the HTML and cover image files.
6. Upload the ZIP file to DTP in section 2!
Lastly, thanks for the comments on the blog – I’m glad it was of use!
If you have any other questions, just let me know!
I have just started thinking of publishing something I wrote on the Kindle. What do I need? Copyright? Sorry if this is the wrong forum
CE -
Technically, as soon as you write something it’s copyrighted, unless you sell those right to someone else (like a publisher). So you don’t need to jump through any hoops there.
There are a few different ways to get your book published on the Kindle – there’s a fair bit of info on the site here to help get you started, so check that out and see if it helps. If you need more help once you’ve scoped everything out, let me know!
Thanks for th info!
Thanks so much! That’s exactly what I needed. Now I too will soon have a cover inside the e-book. I absolutely detest that ‘no image available’ tag, and now I won’t have to face it. Thanks again, you, sir, doth ROCK!
Frank – That’s great, and you’re welcome!
It seems to me that this is the same problem posed within the movie industry as producers and actors sought to get out from under the yoke of the studio bosses. There has been some success there.
I suggest the start might be to form an Indie-Writers Guild. This would be made up of all those folks who write independently. As associate members, providers who offer services, publishing, ISBN numbers, etc. Let’s not leave out an approach to Amazon directly for financial support, it’s in their interest to stabilize standards, etc.
Anyway, that’s just my humble take. A key item would be to keep the dues low to allow maximum membership. The bigger the group, the more influence.
Hi, Michael…
I stumbled across this thread while trying to find an answer to a question I have about Kindle cover images. That’s the last thing I need to do (I think) before I can upload my novel. I’ve never used Kindle before–just have regular softcover book on Amazon.
Anyhow, what I’m trying to figure out is this statement: File names must consist of the product identifier (Amazon ASIN, 13-digit ISBN, EAN, JAN, or UPC) followed by a period and the appropriate file extension. Example: B000123456.jpg or 0237425673485.tif
Well, I don’t have an ISBN. I have no idea how I’d get a UPC (do I need one?) and I don’t know what EANs or JANs are. So how do I know what to title my cover image? I can’t find anything by searching Amazon’s site or the forums to answer this. The only thing I see is in the FAQ, where it says you don’t need an ISBN for a Kindle book. I’d originally assumed I could name my cover image file anything I wanted (ie. the title of my novel, maybe, without spaces, etc.) but it doesn’t sound like it. I need some sort of number … but I don’t know where to get it.
Any help would be VERY appreciated.
Deb
“
@ Deb
Deb – This is an easy one! Despite the instructions on DTP (which are woefully out of date), the only rules you need to follow for naming your cover image file are:
- don’t use spaces in the filename
- put the type extension in lower case (e.g., “jpg” not “JPG”)
That’s it. You don’t need any of th rest of that gobbledigook that the instructions say you do.
Oh, phew! Thank you so much. I’ve been perusing some of the other Kindle posts here in the meantime. This is more helpful than the Amazon site. Now to see what else is here….
Thanks again!
Hi, um … I’m back. I don’t mean to be a pest, but … to upload a Kindle cover image, I just click on Browse, click on my file, click open … and wait how long? I’ve been waiting and waiting. Seems like a half-hour already. And that’s the second time I’ve tried. Is it supposed to take this long? At the bottom of my screen, it says, “1 item remaining. Downloading picture…” etc. I don’t recognize the filename: https://images-na.ssl... (etc.) So I’m not sure what’s going on. Does this ring a bell?
The filename has the proper format and small .jpg. Sized according to their requirements. Hmm….
Okay, cancel that. I figured it out. It was an incompatibility issue with IE. I downloaded Firefox and all went well. So far.
I want my pdf submission t operate on the Kindle DX only so it will be interactive. How will Amazon DTP accommodate this desire?
Elbert -
Unfortunately, at this time – so far as I know – DTP hasn’t made any special accommodation for the extended features like this that are particular to the DX. So I’d keep a lookout on the DTP forums and elsewhere to see if/when such features become available.
KreelanWarrior,
Great, great info you’ve provided here. Very simple and clear, which the LIGHTNING SOURCE website IS NOT. My complaint with their website is that I could not find a word about costs or book pricing guides. Nada. Why not, I do not know. Since it is their strength — low costs.
Thanks again for this.
John L.
Hi Michael,
I’m trying to publish a graphic heavy book (where every page is a graphic). When I send a .zip file to my amazon free-conversion email address, it seems to individually convert every file rather than notice that one is an html file that USES the image files.
Any advice?
Thanks.
I like this! Obviously rough, as it’s the draft, but I dig your writing style. Easy to read. Good work.
Thanks, Jack! Appreciate the comment!
Michael,
Thanks for the HTML code for the TOC. Can you tell me how to treat sub-headings for chapters that would be down one level? How would I put that in terms of HTML Code?
Thanks!
Michael,
Disregard my last question, I am using the H1, H2 tags and putting it in by hand in my HTML document that Mobi created, then using the TOC wizard. That is enabling me to make headings and subheads.
Jonathan -
Sorry for the late reply! The problem is that a zip file is not the format that the Kindle is set up to accept, and when you use the email service, it does just what you’ve seen: unzips the file and sends the individual pieces to your Kindle.
Right now, the only way to really test what your file might look like on an actual Kindle is to use Mobipocket Creator to generate a PRC file, which is a close relative of the Kindle’s native AZW file, and that you can then send to your Kindle.
Hope that helps!
You can build a solar panel for a lot less than 200, and you dont have to buy any book. Just ask someone who installs them….The gadget that you are speaking of is the power save, and they do work. As for bills try 715.00 on for size when mine adv. 250-300. and I am being told I can do nothing about it…. The first time it happened they were guesstimating the usage. Now they are saying that it must have been a power surge and I can do nothing about it….Oh yeah I have to replace the breaker box, and the A/C unit.
In the middle of my first week and i am a runner, not a bulky person. I did all of chest and back but ab ripper x i did bout 1/2 to 3/4 of every exercise. same with plyo..a lil after 1/2 way through i would do 20 sec instead of 30 sec..
Do you think that’s the way to go?
Derek – Don’t feel compelled to try and do every single rep if your body is honestly saying “Enough!” I’m the same way: I can only do about a third to a half of the exercises, but I try to do more each round. I’m actually restarting P90X, because I had several weeks when I couldn’t do it because of illness and vacation. But just like I did with Power 90 when I started this whole adventure a year ago, I could only do some of the ab exercises, by after about a month and a half I could do them all. Try to add one or two reps on each exercise every time, and you’ll get there.
The same with plyo or any of the others: do as best you can. Don’t feel like you have to keep up with Tony and the others on the DVD: remember, if we could do all the exercises right off the bat, it wouldn’t be “extreme”! LOL!
As Tony says: do your best, forget the rest!!
I just started my second week! Week 1 felt good, lol, Ive never been so soar in that many areas in the same week. You mentioned last time through you had illness and vacation, did you just skip the workouts in general or hit a pause button and continue where you left off? What are your goals in doing P90x? Mine are really to stay/get fit/fitter, and make it to where my ribcage cannot be seen so much, lol.
Thanks for the advice last post! Hope all is going well if you have began your next round of p90x.
Hi Michael,
I’m ready to publish my ebook trilogy on Mobi and Amazon. With your book’s help I’ve gotten the files to format the way I want by using Creator and loading up to my Kindle.
Before I upload to DTP I was hoping to find out how to handle the Mobi files. There is the .prc file but what about the .opf and the subfolder of linked images? My book is 200,000 words with dozens of hyperlinks and about 30 images. (Should I use compression?)
To view on the Kindle I copy the whole Mobipocket folder over to my documents folder and it works fine. (BTW, I use bookmarks for internal links and for the TOC and it works fine with the toc guide in Creator.)
So, for DTP upload do I have to zip the .prc with the image folder? What about with Mobi deploy – does it grab the subfolder of images?
Thanks-
MH
Just upload the .PRC file – that’s all you’ve gotta do! Don’t worry about the other files: those are just part of the creation process. The final product – the .PRC file – is fully self-contained. You don’t even have to zip it for DTP – just upload the file, then check it out in the viewer. Note: the viewer is much better than it used to be, but is still only an approximation.
Happy publishing!
Mike
Muchas gracias!
MH
UNFORTUNATELY, due to a change in Amazon’s pricing structure, the books are *not* on sale in the Kindle Store – yet, at least. I think/hope the print version discount code is working, however.
I’ll post updates on that when I find out more…
Nice sharing about Print On Demand Options, Part 4: Lightning Source..To know more about pod visit http://www.bhavishgraphics.com/print-on-demand.html
Yeah…..great informative postings..Thanks
How big was the file, Mike? They are pricing them by size now. I have transferred a few that have cost 45 cents.
L
Leslie – It was right at 1 megabyte, for the one that cost $0.30. I can’t remember how big the other one was that cost $0.15. I suppose that makes sense – did you see where that was announced? I obviously missed it!
Thanks!
Congratulations! Do you self-publish?
Dave -
To this point, yes: all my books are currently self-published. Not that I’d mind getting picked up by a major publisher, but going the self-published route allowed me to get my work out where people could read it. I’m considering submitting First Contact for consideration by the larger houses, but…well, I might not…
Their pricing is mentioned here — don’t know of an announcement, though..
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200140600
What do you think is an optimal trade discount for my LSI book with no returns in order to optimize sales but not give away too much profit or raise the book price unnecessarily?
Steve – To the best of my knowledge, brick and mortar stores won’t even consider taking books without at least 40%, and many/most probably aren’t interested unless you can give a full 55%.
However, it’s incredibly difficult to get self-published books into anything more than local indie bookstores. So you may be better off to keep your discount at LSI racked down to the minimum 25%, which will get you distribution to Amazon, B&N, and a number of other places (BooksAMillion and some others, but not Dalton), and then sell books via local indie stores on consignment, or – if they want – give them the wholesale price (printing cost + your royalty).
So, there’s no “right” answer, really – it depends on a lot of things…
Thanks Michael. That’s very helpful and confirm’s what Morris Rosenthal says in his “POD Book Publishing.” LSI’s policy of setting just one discount rate for everyone seems quite limiting. How can Ingram or B&T resell the book and everyone make a profit at that rate? Or does this only work for STOP orders?
Steve, I suspect – but don’t know for certain – that LSI’s discount policies are tied to the agreements they have with the distributors. If I were a distributor or retailer (like Amazon) and found out that a book or set of books was discounted 25% for me, but somebody else was getting it for 55%, I wouldn’t be too happy. This way, nobody can really complain: for any given book published by LSI, the discount is the same for all the distributors/retailers they have agreements with.
The other thing you have to keep in mind is that the main constraint remains the print cost: POD books are still far more expensive per copy than mass-produced books. And in many cases, opting for a discount that might be attractive to brick & mortar stores would set the retail price so high (even if they gave it an in-store discount) that it wouldn’t be attractive to buyers.
Thanks again Michael. You make perfect sense in an area that seems quite unclear and murky.
one month before publishing the hardcopy of my book, i discovered the read out loud feature on adobe pdf. had i not made that discovery my book would have been a disaster.
YES !! Will be looking forward to it.
I’m trying Kindle publishing, but I’m on a Mac, and when I keyed to the site you indicated I would find this info, I only found the book you did on doing this in Windows. Did I miskey myself?
Thanks,
Jay Rogers in San Antonio TX
Jay -
It depends on which way you want to go. If you only want to publish via DTP, you can largely stick with HTML and be fine on a Mac.
If you want to publish via Mobipocket (both to Mobi’s site and distributors, as well as the Kindle store), you *must* use Windows. Mobipocket Creator is Windoze-only. However, you might consider getting Parallels or VMWare and an old copy of Windoze XP. Then you can use the Creator software (which itself is free).
I didn’t write the book to be Windoze-specific. I’m on a Mac, too, and made the book in Pages for Mac. But we’re limited by the software available to get the job done…
OK, thanks.
Jay
I have a book currently published with CreateSpace and listed on Amazon. If I publish the same book through LSI do you know how Amazon handles that in terms of the current listing? Am I correct that if CreateSpace is charging 40% of the sale, a 25% discount to Amazon through LSI would make more sense over time. Does Amazon take any other piece of the transaction other than the 25% discount?
@Pul
Pul – No, Amazon (and the other retailers LSI distributes to) only gets 25% of the retail. But guess what? Amazon then discounts LSI titles by at least 10% (even if you set only a 25% margin)! This is extra good, because they’ve discontinued the store discounts for CreateSpace (and, I believe, BookSurge) titles.
So, it’s more expensive up front with LSI – roughly $200 altogether – but you can better balance the sales price and your royalty. Brick & mortar stores won’t pick up your books at only a 25% discount rate, but still…
ChaLEAN Extreme is the real deal and every bit as effective as P90X in my opinion…
Thank you for the review. I recently had a couple of books published through CreateSpace and I thought the whole experience was very good.
That is a good point about the royalties. It is better to just pay the extra amount for the greater share of the sale otherwise you could end up with nothing.
Thanks again.
Can you tell me if the prices included in the article “Print On Demand Options, Part 4: Lightning Source” are current? Do you know what they charge for printing a hardcover book?
Thanks
@Bill
Bill – Yes, I believe the prices are still current. I’m in the process of getting First Contact published through them, and it looks like everything has pretty much stayed the same.
Thanks for the tip on finding the P9-0X Workout Sheets. These Excel based charting sheets are just what I was hoping to find (way better, actually). Anyone doing the P990X program should consider downloading these Worksheets to help her / him track progress. Thanks again for the link.
I have just finished reading Empire, Confederation, and Finial Battle and wanted to let you know that this series and all related books are now at the top of my must have list. I loved how I was sucked in from page one all the way to the end of the last book. I am a reading addict and am not that easily impressed. I would recomend this to all my friends as a must read. I liked that you also made it easy for readers to get these on the Kindle with Empire free. I look forward to more of this series and would read any of this authors work.
Carol – wow! Glad you enjoyed it so much!
Keep in mind, the first prequel, In Her Name: First Contact, is out for the Kindle and Mobipocket Reader (the print version should be available soon). So feel free to scope it out!
Cheers,
Mike
I’ve been using LSI for years, as a POD printer. I have yet to use their distribution services as I am mostly a publishing services provider. People hire me to format and print their books, and I let them figure out how to sell them. I am very discouraged lately, however. I uploaded a book fairly heavy with halftones and received a proof copy which, while some of the illustrations were not perfect, on the whole was acceptable. So I went ahead and ordered a large number of copies. When these arrived the illustrations looked terrible, not at all like in the proof copy. My client looked at the books and refused to pay for them (and I don’t blame him). When I brought this up to my client rep at LSI, this person told me that they could run another proof if I wanted to resubmit the file, but that I was responsible for the shipment of books I received. I’m going to speak with my attorney about my liability in this situation, but I still need to get this book printed. Should I find another POD printer? If so who (doesn’t LSI pretty much control the market)? What about the dozen or so titles in my LSI library? Should I crawl back to LSI and submit a revised file despite what they’ve done to me?
I’ve recently aquired a lot more free time seeing as how I’m deployed and don’t do much out here. Unfortunately for the last two months I haven’t really been that active but I’m not, by any means, a terribly out of shape person, just a little on the skinny side. I’m starting with the recovery week before I start the actual program to gain a little more flexibility and get back into the swing of things. I just did the Yoga X for the first time today and really only made it about half way through before my body said enough. Like you said, I have a heck of a lot more respect for people who do Yoga. It’s a rough workout to get through the first couple times but I can already touch my toes, which I haven’t been able to do since I was maybe 4? lol But thank you for posting the worksheets, that’s all I need to complete this program. I don’t have the bands because, to be perfectly honest, I couldn’t afford to buy this system so I’ve had to piece it together. Finally complete I will be able to start this extreme 13 week program in 7 days. Thanks again. Be well
Albert -
Something like this happened to me with CreateSpace. I received a proof copy that looked fine, but when I ordered a dozen books to use as review copies, *all* of the text was italicized! I emailed the CS folks about the problem, they looked into it, then sent me another dozen books that were correct.
If I were in your shoes, I would talk to your designated customer service rep:
1. The production copies you received were not the same as the proof. This is LSI’s responsibility.
2. If they want verification, I would consider sending them sample pages or scans from the proof you approved, along with a copy of one of the faulty production copies. I wouldn’t send them your approved proof, however – that’s your evidence for your claim.
3. If they’re like CS, they shouldn’t even bother to ask to have the bogus copies sent back – they can’t use them for anything. If they do insist on you returning them, then you should insist they pay the shipping. Someone at LSI clearly mucked around with the files between the proof copy and the production copies, and it should be their responsibility – the files you originally submitted were presumably fine, because that’s what the original proof came from; if they want you to resubmit files (because they screwed them up), they shouldn’t charge you for the changes.
4. I would only bring in an attorney as a last resort. If you can’t get satisfaction from your LSI rep, ask to speak to their boss. Also, don’t get emotional or angry: that never helps (at least it doesn’t help me – LOL!). But if they stonewall you and you can’t get anywhere, then bring in the legal beagles (or threaten to – sometimes that’s enough).
5. If you need an alternate POD in a situation where you’re mainly going to be ordering a lot of books for a client to use, CreateSpace is a perfect alternative. Their print costs are on a par with LSI, and the price of entry is only $39 for the pro plan and the cost of a proof copy. And I know they have been very responsive to issues I’ve brought up with them (like the books with italicized text). You can order as many copies as you like, and choose to have the book sold through Amazon or not (although the discount rate is fixed at 40%). So check them out at http://www.createspace.com.
Hope that helps!
Anthony -
Awesome! Good luck to you on the X! I’ve been tinkering around with some modifications to the P90X worksheets and developing/modifying some worksheets for Insanity, so if/when I finally get those done, I’ll post them here.
As for affordability, be sure to check out eBay and such. I’m not sure how that’d work for you being deployed, but I would assume folks should be able to ship to your APO.
Regardless, do your best, and forget the rest!!
Thanks very much for your advice and encouragement. My plan is to do exactly as you suggest, although I would not bother to go back to my client rep. She made it very clear that she would not do anything for me, that this was all my fault. So I will call and ask to speak to her superior. If they will waive the charges on the 250 copies I would be happy to tear off all the covers and send them back to them. The books are going to the dump anyway. I hope that we can come to an accommodation. I have a number books in my library at LSI, and my refusal to pay or legal action would only result in their dropping my account. Which means for those clients of mine I would have to start over again with another POD printer, Createspace or Booksurge. I have prepared files for submission to CS for another client, although I never got a look at the proof from that job. Their work couldn’t be any more careless than LSI’s. I guess the moral of the story with digital book manufacturing is: never order more than a few copies at a time. If only everyone could afford offset.
Considering how many readers have found my work on Mobipocket, that’s not great news. To be honest I’ve been bracing myself since last June, waiting for Amazon to more fully integrate Mobipocket.com. The real warning sign for me was the official news that there would be no Mobipocket reader app for the iPhone / iPod Touch.
Here’s hoping that indie authors and small ePresses can find another place to shine before Mobipocket is completely gone. I’m currently hoping Smashwords.com can pick up a lot of Mobipocket’s indie publishers / authors.
One more thing: hello Michael! Looking at purchasing histories, I’m seeing we have many of the same readers. Thought I’d stop in and congratulate you on your success on the Kindle and presence in the Mobipocket Science Fiction top 10.
Randolph -
Great to hear from you! Yes, the lack of an iPod/iPhone app for Mobi was a bit disturbing. Smashwords.com has potential, but I haven’t yet invested enough time there to see how well it might work out.
And thanks for the nice words about being in the Sci-Fi top 10! I keep eyeing those books of yours crammed at the top – I’ll have to check them out when I get a chance (in between writing and a day job – never enough time to read)!
Cheers,
Mike
To answer Steve Bohlert’s question about short discounting, it would be illegal for Lightning Source to give separate discounts to retailers in a B2B setting. Price discrimination for the exact same product is only legal in the B2C setting, at least in the United States.
Im working with LS right now and just wanted to put a word in on how to prepare your files. Since they only accept files that are to be ripped properly to their press, its all automated and uses the same basic technology as most high-end copiers in that your files, color, halftones, and even text, can fluctuate with temperature and from press to press. I suspect they are using the same printer as most shops, like Booksurge, an Indigo 5000, with an operator running the files through and not really checking proof-vs-print. The reason is volume. They make runs per order and pump those sheets through as fast as the industry demands. You get a proof and, again, its your file that is tweaked, not their end. This is not offset, although they do minimal offset runs of 1500, much cheaper if you have the upfront money, but then you have to store the books. Its their distribution and the 25% that wins them over. Also, I recieved color and black and white books from them and other shops and theirs was clearly higher quality. But I would never make a comparison to offset.
Setting up the files can be tricky if you don’t know what you are doing and if you have a color cover you want to do, as I did for my illustrated cover, a novel, then you need Photoshop, Indesign, Acrobat, and Distiller minimum. Once you understand what they want, and now that I understand why! (its all automated to rip fast with compressed files via 2001 pdf/x files, speed over quality) then it makes sense. Once I do my first tests, I will post a complete how to that is much simpler than their site- however, its all there, they actually did a nice job at explaining just what they want if you go through all the pdf pages, and thats a lot of work! But it will be worth it knowing I am bypassing these vanity pubs that basically send the files to them and then charge their authors a fee and markup, even though they claim not to. What a joke. I would guess nearly everyone of them uses LS anyway, except the Amazon ones, they have their own press, which, sample wise, was of poor quality.
By the way, a hardcover for the same book, according to the LS rep I spoke with, is approx $7-8 more than the soft cover perfect bound. Both the rep and the tech person I spoke with are extremely nice and willing to help. They want your books, because the company makes money off of any order. For my 500 page novel, a big book, at 6×9, they will make $7.40. (The same offset run might be around $1.50-$2) If I price it at $19.95, ($20) and go for 25% discount (the ‘wholesale’ price, what the distributors make, Amazon etc) that leaves $16- 7.40= $8.60 that they send to me at months end as the publisher. Anywhere else and I loose at least 15% more from the minimum 40% markup, even on Amazons 2 choices, BookSurge and Createspace. My only concern was, at 25%, will Amazon take, it, but the LS rep clearly said, they want to sell books, and she has never seen a book turned down. Their parent company is Ingram, so once its listed, they make it available worldwide, unlike Amazon’s being just in the US, I believe. So, things to consider. Just be aware, get the files set up right for their rip (printer) and I would avoid grayscale interiors and halftones, line should hold OK. I would be interested in hearing if anyone has done a color book with them yet as I had one set up for offset and then learned about LS’s service and the samples, I have to say, looked quite nice.
Michael, how are your books doing, by the way? Have you spent any money on marketing, promotion, etc. I was thinking of doing a net splash with video etc. Have you tried anything like that? Thanks!
One other question- once the book(s) go onto Amazons site ( I am only concerned with online distribution and sales as that must be over 60-70% of all sales now for books, according to several figures I have seen and the failing of the large store chains will only add to that figure)
Can you add Amazon’s features like look inside this book, and side by side sales, etc. I assume you can, they want your money, but I am not clear as to how to go from just seeing the book on Amazon’s site, and then actually adding features. Do you have to set up a webpage on their site? Just curious. The LS rep said she had heard it being done, but was not clear how to do it. Thanks again, Phil
Phil -
Thanks for the great comments!
As for how my books are doing, I certainly have no complaints, considering that I’ve been doing almost nothing in terms of marketing and promotion. Sales are percolating along mostly from word of mouth at this point. In Her Name (omnibus) and In Her Name: First Contact have been doing very well on Mobipocket, with both of them consistently in the top 15 (and the omnibus version in the top 10) of the sci-fi category, and the omnibus in the top 15 or so of overall Mobi bestsellers. Kindle goes up and down, but again, no complaints there.
Print sales are by far the lowest in terms of sales. They’ll make money over time, but it’s nothing to write home about. Again, that’s probably because I haven’t been doing much promotion, and that’s basically a time factor: with a full-time job and kids, it’s a tough balancing act to find time to write new material and promote existing work. I decided to favor new material for now, as I’d like to try and get this next novel (In Her Name: Legend of the Sword) done by Christmas, if possible.
As for Amazon’s Search Inside the Book feature, you’ll need an Amazon Seller Central account, and you can sign up for it here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html. Once you get your account, you’ll have to upload a PDF file (they’ll give you the specifications) from which the search feature will be created. I think it normally takes a couple/few weeks to show up in the catalog entry for the book.
Actually, I think I’ll make that a separate post so others can make sure to know about that!
This is very helpful information. Thank you very much. As a new author trying to promote my website and my personal development workbooks, I appreciate sites such as this one. I think that soon I will spend the money for an ISBN number for my printed work. Right now I am having to list them under a category other than books on ebay. I have the books also available as ebooks but have not yet started promoting them.
This is all quite a process.
Michael, looking forward to seeing you there. Let me know if you need some restaurant suggestions.
Michael, if the Kindle version is out/published before the printed version, do you still suggest putting the printed version’s ISBN in for the Kindle DTP ISBN field?
Thanks,
Larry
Larry – Cool! I’m just hoping to be able to run the whole thing with my goofy left knee. Ack!
Larry – Yes, I’d just go ahead and put the ISBN field in the DTP metadata as soon as you have it. DTP currently doesn’t use it for anything other than to help match up the DTP and print versions, so you won’t lose anything by putting it in there before the print version is available.
I just wanted to say thank you again for this great information. I also wanted to let you know that I bought your book, and while I am still waiting for my own book to be finished before I sit down with it to read, my husband, who is an avid SF reader, snatched it away and read it and LOVED it
I was happy to tell him (coming back to your site today) that you had more books in the series. He is really happy, he said “he’s are really good” (and he is quite picky).
I just wanted to share, because I think it’s good to pass on praise to authors!
Erika – Awesome! Glad he enjoyed it (and hope you will, too!), and thanks so much for the feedback! That’s always great to hear. I’m about a third of the way through the second prequel (Legend of the Sword), and hope to have that out around the first of the year, and First Contact is out on Amazon and B&N now. Oh, and reader reviews are always welcome!
Do you have any sense of what the difference in sales volume is between CreateSpace and LSI? That is, if I’m removing a title from CS and publishing it through LSI, all other things being equal, how much of a jump will I see in sales, due to new distribution channels (e.g., Barnes & Noble. I will be offering a short discount, so no brick and mortar.)? 10%? 50% 100%?
I am using CS to sell public domain books which might sell, say, 4 copies/month, so the setup cost is prohibitive. If the wider distribution yielded even a couple more sales/month, it would be economical in the long term, however.
Michael -
I don’t think I can really qualify for you how much, if any, sales increase you may see from CS -> LSI. I don’t have any books that are published through both routes for comparison, so it’s really apples and oranges. However, as a general rule, I don’t think it really matters what distribution channels you have available; what matters far more is your ability to get the word out about your book to help spur sales. The two main reasons to consider LSI over CS at this point are 1) books published through CS don’t receive any discounts in the Amazon catalog (unless that’s changed recently), and 2) you have more control over the retailer discount with LSI, whereas with CS its fixed at 40% (so Amazon gets 40% of your retail price). I make more of a profit from my LSI-published books, but I sell a lot more ebook versions than print, so the statistics are sort of meaningless. The bottom line, I guess, is that don’t expect your sales to go up because LSI offers more potential venues, because if people don’t know your books are out there, they won’t buy them, regardless of the retail channel.
Great article, thanks! We’ve used LSI (actually both LS UK and LS US) for over 2 years now with great satisfaction. But the last batch of 200 books they sent for a book launch next week is unsatisfactory: the books all have a pronounced wave and cannot be made to lie flat even after being pressed for a couple of days. Although the covers and text are perfectly legible, we don’t think we can sell them on without having return problems of our own. Is anyone else having problems with LS UK production quality? I believe they may have begun production on a new press; the printer has told us that the wave is “normal” and they won’t be able to do better with another batch. The books don’t look normal to me.
I have a book that I am publishing and have my ISBN number. It is now up loaded to kindle. I charge half of what the book is in print. Is this okay? I heard that some people are charging full price as if the kindle version is in print. What do you say the pricing should be and do I get a third and amazon kindle get the rest. ? One last thing. Is there any data concerning how many readers are using kindle ? Does it look like the price will go down so ther will be more main stream users?
L.D. – The price you charge is really entirely up to you. While some publishers are charging the same price for their ebooks as for their print versions, I can’t help but think that’s hurting their sales: people have an expectation that ebook prices should be lower since there’s no physical book. I’ve read arguments both pro and con, but since the profit margin on self-published ebooks is comparatively high, I’d shoot for lower rather than higher (fifty percent sounds quite reasonable to me). As far as the cut you receive, if you publish through DTP or Mobipocket to the Kindle store, your cut is 35% of the price you specify. Note that Amazon has the right to sell it at a higher/lower price, but you’ll still get the 35% of your set price. As far as how many readers are using Kindle, I haven’t seen any specifics from Amazon, but they sell a LOT, and I read a figure that 30% of Amazon’s book sales last year were for Kindle (I don’t know if that’s true, however). I suspect the price for Kindle will continue to come down, I’ll wager to somewhere around $150 in the next two years. Regardless, though, with Amazon’s release of both an iPhone Kindle app and now one for PCs, there’s huge market potential well beyond the actual Kindle device.
Thank you for answering all of my questions!
If you are doing P90X you are going to need these sheets. Keep “Bringing It”
Can anyone tell me, can you send hard copies of your book to be printed to LS.
Ty – I believe they do have a scanning service, which of course will cost extra per page…
Hi, The preferred, and certainly the safest, method for LS is by sending a PDF file, one for the cover spread, one for the text (interior) They have it all laid out on their site, http://www.lightningsource.com/
go to the File Creation tab and you can see the screen shot documents that are downloadable. Adhere to those and you should be good to go, but I would like to add a few things here to help those interested, as this is a nice thread that seems to be full of shared ideas and that, in itself, is pretty cool.
1-For novels, First download their template, filling in the book pages which will give you the right size for the book’s width. This is an InDesign file, so if you aren’t using InDesign, I suppose there are other ways around it, but this is what they use. I found that if you do the base art design in Photoshop and then flatten the image but keep the text on a layer, you can save this as a PDF file, which will be big, but workable, and you can place that into the InDesign template (on a new layer) and the text is still vector and not rasterized (pixelated). Don’t try this if you have a block of small text, that is best set in InDesign, or copy and pasted from MS Word. The Photoshop PDF file only works if you have a few areas of text. (I am noting color books, not for novels. For novels, they want Word docs sent to Distiller as a final PDF file saved with the ISBN number)
For my color book, which I am still waiting to get the proof on, I did a test to see if parts of the 300 ppi photoshop text will look similar to the vector text from InDesign. If so, that means you could, if in a jam, just do all the design work, text and all, in Photoshop and flatten the image to place it in InDesign. (Vector text, typed in a layout program like InDesign, rips at 1200 ppi, not 300, so it is considerably sharper- however, the eye can only see so much detail and at 300, unless I put a loop on it, it should visually look the same to most readers. We’ll see. It could save a lot of time for non- InDesign users).
The other reason to download the cover template is to get the file name with ISBN number in process so that it can tie in to their system files. I made the mistake of sending my entire book and cover (2 big files) on DVD without uploading the cover separately and they confused the book with the novel so that screwed everything up. I lost 2 weeks because of that. Next book, I will definitely upload the cover and send interior files (for color books, which can be several hundred megabytes, on dvd/cd. Again, just for color books.
For color books, after you ‘print’ the InDesign files, creating very large files as postscript, you need to drop them into Adobe’s Distiller program, which condenses the file down to a fraction of the original size and maintains all the info, images, etc. You take that distilled file, which is your PDF, and open it in Acrobat and make sure the fonts are embedded.
So- it is a lengthy process and can be a bit daunting if you don’t know the programs but, through Ingram, my books are already selling on several sites and now its a matter of marketing. The color, by the way, was good and I don’t doubt it is better than what I have been hearing are complaints about CreateSpace, which is an Amazon company and very easy to upload but no real control over quality. With LS, as a publisher, you can, if you know what you are doing, control the color by simply asking for another proof and tweaking it until ready. (Around $40 each time) With the vanity presses, most of which use LS anyway, they will charge for that and you may never get what you want or you end up keeping your work so simple- basic text on a simple color background or photo, that it looks like a POD setup. All the vanity shops take a cut as well, even though some use other terms, it still comes out of what you would otherwise make, and over time, that can be a lot.
I think my books are selling a bit because I did the cover art and used LS, with gave me more control. I wouldn’t have had that flexibility with another outfit, certainly not the distribution. I believe CSpace is just US and Canada, not sure on that and they use Baker and Taylor and the percentage is 35-40% whereas with LS I have it at 25% but if they take off, as everyone hopes for their books, then I can up the percentage that the distributors will take (called the discount or margin) and around 50%, they could go into bookstores. From everything I have been following, however, the stores can’t compete with the online sales so concentrating on Amazon and B&N sites, etc, is the way to go…. I think! It would be nice to see the books in the stores and I have been told more that once that if you have a hot seller, they will take the books even with a small discount- wanting a piece of a sale rather than nothing. It would be interesting to hear other perspectives on this.
Sorry for the long explanation- it might be simpler to help people by just having them contact me and I can answer questions with what I learned through the entire LS process.
I did have one question that concerned me about Amazon’s look inside the book feature- a free but contracted service where you can see sample pages inside the book.
After looking over their lengthy contract, article 4 clearly states that they have the right to do with the work what they want and redistribute and apply it how they see fit, basically asking the author/publisher to hand them the rights. Also, they want the full book uploaded, not a problem with novels, but a big one for color books. So I was really disappointed with that and said forget it. I asked them to clarify this, to find out if they really meant that they simply were using it for distribution purposes and had no real rights to the work, but, like other issues with Amazon, they did not respond. After a week or so, I gave up, checked out Barnes and Nobel, which has a great site now, by the way, and had the book up within 5 days with the look inside feature and no contract hassles. Dealing with Amazon can be a real lesson in patience and if you have ever tried calling them, that’s nearly impossible to get a hold of anyone who actually knows any answers. I tried one day to ask a simple question, trying to get a local Amazon live person to speak with and literally, and I am not kidding, I spent 3 hours on the phone being passed various numbers and spoke with 8 people in Taiwan, Indonesia, 2 in England, one in South Africa, a couple of receptionists on the east coast, and finally landed some young kid in Costa Rica, of all places, who said he was freelancing for them and maybe I should try yet another number. Finally, I got a local guy, in Seattle, who said, oh, beats me, why not try- and I was back to the same number I started with! I have nothing against Amazon, they certainly hold their share of the market, but compared to Barnes and Noble for answering simple questions and getting things done, and they even list their numbers to reach people! they are now my first choice for marketing my books. Just info in case anyone wants to try that inside the book feature.
Michael, a newbie catching up on your site. Very helpful, thanks. Your comments about having the integrity not to trade reviews with other authors or have friends or family submit essentially “pnony” reviews was especially welcome. I have been resisting this temptation and thanks to you I will continue. Fortunately I have been getting good, honest reviews thus far. When I have received unsolicited positive feedback from a reader I have not been averse to asking them if they wouldn’t mind sharing their opinion on Amazon and some have.
I also appreciate your comments and source list regarding digital reviewers. It is disheartening to learn too late that perhaps I should have held off publishing my book for three or four months so that I could have mailed out proof copies to some of the big reviewers, but at least I can still approach the digitals as well as magazines in my target market.
BTW, my new novel is “Sex, Lies & Spinnakers”
Hopeful message. I hope you’re right. Perhaps the digital reviewers are our UL for the moment. I also think I saw a post somewhere about Standards for Self-Published Books.
I too would welcome a set of standards and a quality seal that would set my work apart as one who cares about form and accuracy as well as content.
+1 on the thanks, Michael. Even with Create Space’s recently announced Extended Distribution Channel (EDC), it seems there are still advantages to going with LSI. With EDC the discount is automatically 60%–no options. Returnability is not an option either, which might become necessary should you want to have your book stocked at the brick & mortars. And so far it is unclear whether the distribution will extend as far around the world as LSI’s even though EDC is a partnership between Create Space and LSI. I’ve just set up my new account with LSI, so all this is helpful.
BookSurge has now been merged into Create Space and a few authors are going through the trauma of no longer having the support services they had before. Although it appears that CS has begun to add services for a fee, that should help bring the BookSurge crowd along. The Create Space experience for me has been a good one. It only took me two months from the time I decided to self-publish to the time I received my first proof. I received prompt email replies from CS customer service. The CS Community Forum is one of the most helpful forums I’ve ever been associated with and will tirelessly answer the same questions over and over (but please read all the FAQs and Guides first!). And finally, the CS experience of having to learn how to convert my book interior and cover from Word and Photoshop to the CS standards has been good preparation for the next step, LSI.
Hey Mike, great articles and thanks for the advice. Things might actually work out for me after all.
Thank you so much for all this info! Am just getting started in the process of self-publishing with my first book. Does “color book” mean a book with many color photographs, such as an interior design book might have, for example? A friend is going to try to draw a cover for me (I’m praying about this a lot!) according to my design. After she has it drawn and colored on a piece of paper, what’s the next step? Michael, you have really beautiful covers for your books. Did you both design and draw them yourself? Thanks! Donna Hamilton P.S. What is HTML?
Donna – You’ll have to then scan the image (I’d recommend 300 dpi), then incorporate that into your cover graphics. I do my own using royalty-free images and a bit of Photoshop-ing, but there are lots of graphic artists out there who can help you with cover design. As for what is HTML…well, that’s the language of the web and what many eBook formats are based on. There’s LOTS of info on it on the web…
Envious. My Achilles tendinitis prevents from running more than 15mi/week or so
That sucks! Have you checked out ChiRunning? That very likely may help. It sure helped with the tendonitis in my knee. Check out http://www.chirunning.com...
On my first book sale Amazon credited my account 0.35 cents. The book sold for $9.99 and my contracts states that I receive 35% of the sale price less taxes. I can’t believe that the taxes were $3.15. Why don’t they pay?
Ralph – Here’s the trick: your royalty has nothing to do with the price Amazon actually sells the book at. You get 35% of whatever price you set in the DTP interface. If you got $0.35, I’m assuming you set the price for your book at $1.00, and Amazon decided to charge $9.99. They can do that by the terms and conditions. By the same token, they can also sell your book for less than the price you specify, but you’ll still get 35% of your set price, and Amazon takes the difference out of their cut.
My recommendation? If they don’t drop the price to something you like in a week or so, I’d go into DTP and up the price that you set to whatever Amazon is selling it for. You can’t control what they charge, but if they’re going to charge more than you want, at least that way you can make an appropriate profit on any sales!
Super-Duper site! I am loving it!! Will come back again – taking you feeds also, Thanks.
It’s also worth noting that cs now has what they call their Expanded Distribution Channel (EDC) as an option for pro-plan publications, which are then listed through Ingram and seemingly printed by LSI. The main reason I previously considered LSI was the ability to get books listed through Ingram and thus available through places like bookdepository – but with a whole lot of cs stuff now available at bookdepository there are now a whole lot less reasons for me to consider LSI over cs. There are of course a whole lot of things that LSI can do for you that cs can’t – returnable sales as an option, for starters – but they’re not important to me just yet.
Mark – quite true! However, the biggest advantage (depending on one’s individual needs and priorities) that LSI still retains is your ability to set the discount rate. While CS can now distribute books through Ingram, they’ve added yet another cost element to the pricing of the books using the EDC. So you either have to raise the price of your book to retain the same royalty, reduce your royalty amount, or both. With LSI, while it’s more expensive up front, you can set the discount rate to whatever you want, down to 25%. Considering that very, very few brick and mortar stores will carry self-published titles – not least because it’s difficult to offer a full (up to 55%) discount rate and still have a book’s price be at all competitive – this can be a big consideration. Again, it just depends on what you need: LSI is certainly not for everyone!
I’ve been trying to run with pain for two years. I’m thinking of checking this out. What media do you recommend to get started? Book? DVD? Post a link
Check out http://www.chirunning.com. We started with the book, but the DVD would probably help a lot, because it’s sort of hard to visualize how to do it. So either one of those would be good to start with, but I *highly* recommend that – if it appeals to you – you check out one of the ChiRunning clinics…
Also, if you are looking to keep track of your food I have an excel download available on my blog. It is in the sidebar. The P90X plus workout sheets, P90X fit test, P90X workout log are also there if you need them. Keep “Bringing It”.
I Couldn’t find them anywhere! It was driving my nuts. Thank You.
Looking for the link for P90X workout sheets, I couldn’t find them. Thanks in advance!
Ron – It’s the link at the end of the first paragraph to the Beachbody Fitness Tools Page.
thinking more about the shopper. This is the only way that i buy books anymore. The actual price ranges for brand spanking new hard cover books is usually exorborant. This is not really to yet refer to the obscene prices they ask for for paperbacks. Score yet another triumph for corporate greed.
Hi,
wow, this is a fantastic post!!! Thanks for all of that.
So to sum it up, if I go with LS, they take 25%, then amazon takes 25%, and then the rest is basically production of the book, and what is left over goes to me, correct?
I am doing a book, but also just did a film I want to distribute on amazon. there seems to be a similar concept, where you can have your DVD’s made outside of amazon (not using create space), and then either use the advantage or the fulfilment program. does anybody know how that works?
My best
Elke
Elke -
Well, LSI’s print costs (which are a bit higher if you buy the books yourself than what the distributors pay) are their cut: they don’t get a further percentage on top of that. Then the retailer “discount” (the retailer’s cut) can be set at a minimum of 25% (and higher, of course). And your royalty is what’s left: retail price minus print costs minus the retailer discount equals your royalty. So you need to make sure to calculate the retail price (which you set) based on those factors.
I can’t comment on the DVD biz, though – that’s out of my element!
Actually, the lowest percentage is 20% that Amazon will consider, but the lower you go, the less likely you are to get into the other online distributors. Remember, what percentage YOU set is what they call the ‘discount’ which means the wholesale price. So to get into bookstores, they want 50% (some55%!) and a return policy of buying back the books that don’t sell. At 25% you can forget about the bookstores, concentrate on the online, which is around 60-70% of the market anyway and growing, Amazon holding around 40% of that. Just call LS and ask them what your novel would cost to print it. At 500 pages, for example, mine is a high $8.40 for me to order, or $7.40 for an online distributor like B and Noble. I discount 25%, and the book is priced reasonably (very reasonably since its 500 pages, 6×9) at $17. Doing the math- $17-7.40=9.60 less 25% that Amazon or other makes$4.25) 9.60-4.25= net $5.35
Other important factors with LS- $75 set up fee per title, you must provide the ISBN (go to the Bowker site to get it, buy in blocks, much cheaper) and its around $30 a proof, they cover shipping. Color books are the same, my 136 8.5×11 is $15 to print, 25%, $32 to sell, I make 8 or 9 per book. Costs me nothing but the time I spent writing, editing, editing, editing…. editing…
rewriting and editing… and doing the art for the cover, which is of paramount importance, in my humble opinion. Once you approve the proof, its $12 to hook up with Ingram, the biggest wholesaler of books in the world, and guess what, they own Lightning Source, so its a no brainer. Thats exactly why most vanity presses don’t want you to know, when they order books, they just call or email LS and take their cut, something you can easily do on your own.
Downside- you must know the programs to get the PROPER files sent as final pdfs. I use 5 programs to do it, have had no problems. The people at LS are nice, and thats an understatement!
Michael, I like the idea here of the paper edges, but its really hard to see on my calibrated screens. You might want to darken that just a bit.
Phil
Phil -
Just a quibble or two: the minimum discount you can set with LSI is 25%. It used to be 20%, but they changed that a year or so ago. Also, the $12 annual fee is to keep your digital files active with LSI, not to hook up with Ingram – you’re automatically hooked up with Ingram and the other LSI distribution channels simply by virtue of printing through them.
And not sure what to do about the paper edges on the site – you must need to recalibrate your calibrated screens! LOL!!
Oh, thought it was 20% for Amazon. I thought that was what the sales rep said. Must have changed.
Yes, $12 for the renewal, each title. And so far, being with Ingram is a real plus.
The reason I mentioned the screen is that when I look for where to type in a comment, there is no box, so others may overlook it. Maybe you can put a box or square or make the background a very light gray or tan so the box shows up…?
How do I put weight training in with the p90x. So far I think the tape are great, time goes very fast i like the new changes to my work outs. but i would still like to weight train. God gave my very muscler body for a female in her late 40. My main thing i would like to change in my legs age has taken it told on the skin firmness help
Charlann -
P90X definitely includes weight training with dumbbells and/or resistance bands. I’ve found this to be really effective on the upper body in combination with the other “push/pull” exercises, like chinups and pushups. If you feel you aren’t getting enough of a workout, then you need to increase the weight you’re using.
If you have really strong legs, the Leg and Back routine may not challenge your lower body enough. You might want to do something like add in or substitute some squats or similar exercises with heavier weights.
Thanks for the link to the spreadsheets. BTW, they do work on Macs.
Ruben – Yes, the spreadsheets work, but not all the macros do (at least on mine). It’s not a huge deal, just a minor inconvenience…
In Danish it is ~ Sibiriske kat
Thanks, Doris!!
Bought your PUBLISH YOUR BOOK book and downloaded mobipocket creator to convert my book, CHARLES MARTEL AND THE LANCE OF DESTINY. Wrote it in OpenOffice saved as MS Word. Works everywhere else!!@#. Must I use the MS demon?
Lou – Yes, you should be able to save it from OpenOffice in .doc format and upload that to Creator. If for some reason you want to have more control over formatting, you can also save it off as HTML and edit it a bit…
Are you planning on publishing a Mobipocket version of Legend of the Sword? If so, when? Love your books!
Bobby – Absolutely! In fact, it should be up on Mobipocket tomorrow. If you want, book mark this link for all my books on Mobipocket, and I’ll also update the site, Facebook, and Twitter…
I’m so glad to have found your web page. My pal mentioned it to me before, yet never got around to checking it out until now. I must express, I’m floored. I really enjoyed reading through your posts and will absolutely be back to get more.
I have been into pilates and such for about 3 years and can not get enough, especially since I got my new reformer.
Very informative post and blog – thanks for the info.
Great information and fantastic blog you got here!
Thank you for this awesome review!
A few additional point:
- The Beachbody worksheets were actually created by us (WorkoutSoft). We sold the rights to Beachbody and they’re now distributing them. The only issue is that they don’t provide tech support for them (they even left my contact info on them but I’m not allowed to provide support)
- You’re right about Mac support. The vast majority of the Excel products out there won’t work in Office 2008 for Mac because of the lack of VisualBasic macro support.
- XtremeFit Tracker is the only P90X tracker out there that’s an actual software. This not only allows us to provide many more great features such as customization of the workouts but it’s also the only solution that allows us to provide feature updates. With Excel sheets, there is no way to provide updates to the sheets without forcing the user to erase all of his/her data.
- Our software is fully cross-platform (Windows, Mac, and Linux)
- We’re working on a very significant update of XtremeFit Tracker. Your readers may want to keep their eyes on our Forum (http://www.workoutsoft.com/Forum/) for previews and updates.
Thank you again for this exhaustive review.
Best of luck to all with P90X.
I just bought this book today, Michael, and found I had to keep shifting gears because Mobipocket no longer is allowing for new signups. Since you recommend using their Creator and then uploading to Amazon, virtually all your content is still pertinent, but it would be lovely if you would edit it!
Rosana – Sorry about that! Yes, Amazon – which owns Mobipocket – closed it down to new publishers and redirected new folks to Amazon DTP. I plan to update the book at some point to reflect that and other changes that have come into play since it was published, but haven’t yet had the time…