Use the Speed of Digital to Experiment

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: experiment!]Here’s one place where you might choose digital only: to experiment.

Because it’s so easy to publish your own digital book (or novella, or short story, or poetry chap book) why not put one together right now?

Yes, the words in it should be good stuff. Yes, it should be professional enough so your readers are enjoying the words, not stumbling over them.

But why not test the waters? Thomas Watson, Jr., the man who made IBM a household name, said … more … “Use the Speed of Digital to Experiment”

Launch Print and Digital Versions Simultaneously for Better Sales

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

Another reason to make both versions available at the same time is to avoid alienating your fans.

“What? No print version?”

“What? No digital version?”

[image: photo http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1115981 by meral akbulut http://www.sxc.hu/profile/merala]

Whichever you publish first, someone will feel left out. Don’t miss an opportunity for a sale because you weren’t ready when your fan was ready.

Multi-format sales are slowly bleeding into Amazon. … more … “Launch Print and Digital Versions Simultaneously for Better Sales”

Overcoming the Enormous Technical Challenges to Digital Conversion . . . is Already Done

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

Sigil. calibre (yes, with a lower-case first letter.) There’s even one called Hamster.

If you’ve ever searched for a tool to convert your manuscript to an ebook, you’ve come perilously close to drowning in geekness.

Stop. Step back. Put down the chainsaw; you don’t need one to make a toothpick. Especially if you already have a box of toothpicks.

[image: making toothpicks” width=”460″ height=”198″ class=”size-full wp-image-3804] making toothpicks

Everything I say in the rest of this post will have exceptions. I’ll mention a few at the end, but if your manuscript doesn’t fall into the exceptions, don’t go to exceptional lengths to get the job done.

… more … “Overcoming the Enormous Technical Challenges to Digital Conversion . . . is Already Done”

Digital or Print? Both! Always Both!

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: chocolate or peanut butter?” width=”222″ height=”222″ class=”alignright size-full wp-image-3793]For some reason, one of the questions I’m asked most frequently is “Should I publish an ebook, or have it printed?”

Perhaps when I waded into self-publishing I was too ignorant to realize I needed to choose.

Turns out I was right: you don’t have to choose. In fact, doing both simultaneously is efficient and sensible. All the work of preparing your manuscript is the same, whether you’re preparing a digital or printed book. Writing, editing, proofreading: the words will be the same in any version of your book.

… more … “Digital or Print? Both! Always Both!”

Kindle and Nook, Dead Trees and eReaders: What Does It All Mean?

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: round and round the dead tree” width=”128″ height=”383″ class=”alignright size-full wp-image-3786]My illustrator is moving from Florida to Utah this week and wouldn’t be available to chat with y’all about working with an illustrator. We’ll reconnect with Davina next week. This week, let’s talk about digital books, eh?

Some people still think self-publishing = ebooks, that is, digital only. They’re unaware of print-on-demand, assuming that print is only available to traditional publishers, or that you’ll have to print a garage full of books.

Self-publishing means only one thing: … more … “Kindle and Nook, Dead Trees and eReaders: What Does It All Mean?”

Doors (Excerpt from an Unpublished Work)

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: c'mon in!” width=”222″ height=”263″ class=”alignright size-full wp-image-3776]No one door opens and closes properly. Some do one or the other quite nicely. Some do neither.

The front door technically opens and closes just fine, but since we don’t have a key for it, well, there’s that. The screen door (no longer a storm door because half of the glass is missing) has to be kicked open and closed, which we wouldn’t except the mailbox is hanging right there beside it.

The nice solid pine doors on the coat closet, which match the solid pine walls in the dining room/office, open just fine, but neither will really close. … more … “Doors (Excerpt from an Unpublished Work)”

When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Have a Decision to Make

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

What about pausing when the writing gets hard? Ah; this is a place for nice judgment and some brain science.

[image: mind the mind]When a mental project such as solving a puzzle or overcoming a design challenge becomes difficult, there are two options: push through, or take a break to allow your unconscious to gnaw on the problem without your pesky conscious mind interfering.

How does one know when to do which?

… more … “When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Have a Decision to Make”

Taking a Break Without Breaking Momentum

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: sea the pause]All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. It can make writers collapse in a gibbering heap in the corner, which might also be dull.

Yesterday I was telling you to keep your momentum. Today I’m telling you to take a break. Coping with conflict is part of the writer’s life. Here’s my perspective on how to balance these opposing needs.

… more … “Taking a Break Without Breaking Momentum”