Many of you may know this stuff already but some of you probably don’t. I’ve looked more into the Amazon Digital publishing, and I’m definitely going to try it. My pic today is a rough mockup of a cover idea. Submitted covers have to be in jpeg or tiff format and I’ve found out how to change msword files to jpeg if I need to.
However, Amazon is about to change their rules for publishing ebooks in July and I will wait until those changes kick in first. Otherwise I’d have to ‘republish’ what I publish now. Since I’m going to be waiting a bit anyway, I’m going to try to do a new western story to add to the publication. Right now it has three tales in it, “Killing Trail,” “Showdown at Wild Briar,” and “Once Upon a Time with the Dead,” as well as a short essay on Louis L’Amour. I’m going to fiddle today with a story I’m calling “Busted Flat in Broken Axle” to see if I can get it going in a reasonable way. I figure to charge the lowest price I can for it once it is published, but Amazon has rules about how much or how little one can charge based on size of the file. You can’t give something away free.
I also need to write the “about the work” piece that is posted on Amazon with the book. I’m working on the assumption there that it’s kind of like a short back cover blurb. I’ve found it’s harder to do these for collections than it is for regular novels.
So far all I have is: “When they dumped Angie Hutton in Lane Holland’s yard she was close to death. She managed to speak only a few words, but they were enough to make Lane strap on his guns and ride out on a killing trail.”
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33 comments:
It will be fun to see how this format works --and fun for us to read your stories!
I am all for the project and the new story seems exciting.
Though about the cover. I'm not sure I dig it entirely. The fading title text is making it a bit unnoticebale and maybe by making the title larger it would stand out more. Otherwise I like the gray hue you used.
Best of luck with it all...if you want help with the cover graphic I'd be happy to put something together for you in Photoshop :)
I'm there as soon as you release it. I dig the lines you're writing. A little rough prose from me today: Eddie unlocked his shackles, snagged his own pistol from Cash’s saddlebag and took aim, returning fire. The shots were being flung from a steep cliff above them. They ducked again as the horse flesh ripped away.
love that blurb, charles... ties in with the title, if you go with that, though i also like the 'once upon a time...' one
I want to read it, especially excited if you can fit another tale in there.
looking forward to seeing what you'll do next!
Aloha from Waikiki
Comfort Spiral
Richard, so far I'm definitely learning a lot.
Harry, that's just a mockup. I'll get someone with more experience than I to do the real title. And definitely find some other fonts. That one might look ok on a printed book because it is wavy like the plank where the pistol is, but not on an ebook.
Heather, I appreciate that. I may call on your aid, although I've got some ideas and some other help too. I apprecaite your thought for sure.
David Cranmer, flying bullets. Gotta love when that happens in a story!
Laughingwolf, I was considering including Whiskey, guns and sin, although it's not western specifically.
David J. West, I should be able to get a new one written by my own self imposed deadline.
Cloudia, I guess I'm full of ideas. :)
That is right on . . . good luck when you launch it!
"You can’t give something away free" (on Amazon) strikes me as funny, and true. I once tried to find a home for two stray rat terriers -- no one would take them. Then I charged $200 apiece and people came in droves. What does that say about human nature and the nature of "value"?
What did Angie say? What's Laine going to do?
I'm going to have to buy the book, aren't I? :)
I like the blurb. The cover is a little bland though.
Erik Donald France, something similar happened to us when we put out an old refrigerator that still worked in our yard and said for people to take it. No one did, but when we put a price on it someone stole it that night.
Steve Malley, well this one wouldn't run you any shipping costs all the way over yonder. :)
BernardL, that won't be the final cover. It'll probably embody that theme, though.
Those words of Angie are enough to entice me to buy when this book is ready. Sounds good, Charles.
This is really interesting, because I was thinking about doing something like this.
Love the picture for the cover. It fits.
Charles, this all has a great feel to it. How can we help? Are you up for an interview on your most recent projects?
Barbara Martin, thanks. I appreciate that.
Christina, thanks. That's a pic Lana took of my pistol laying on an old weatherworn bench.
Rick, that would be cool. Perhaps once I've gone through the whole process then I could answer some questions that might be really helpful to those who'd like to follow that track. Would that be OK?
Amazon Schwamazon.
You're cooking with gas now. Good.
But now it sounds like forms and formats.
I am doing something similar, but am too stupid a "bureaucrat" to realize there are huge sums available for a project like this in Canada from both Federal and Provincial government here.
Ah well. Always had trouble with forms. I sent a form to The Walking Man to do with his publishing, of STINK, the Detroit poetry collection, and he reports he doesn't like forms either. "Do you have to do them in both Englisn and French? :)
Maybe I should have gone to university not in the Sixties, but today, where they train real good typists and paper shufflers.
Good titles, Charles. For once, I agree. Good blurb.
That short synopsis sounds concise and intriguing enough to make me buy the book, and I'm not usually much of a western fan. I also like the title of the new story, and I'm glad to see "Once Upon a Time with the Dead" will be part of the collection -- great short story.
Why not allow another aficionado of the genre read the book and write
the "back cover" for you?
ivan, I've gotten several grants for nonfiction stuff I've done, but have never applied for one for fiction. I should. glad you like the title.
Greg Schwartz, I had fun with "once upon a time," a play off my favorite western movie, Once upon a time in the west.
Mark, that's a good idea. I didn't even think of that. I may have to do that.
I'll be looking out for it if I can figure out the option for PC. I tried it once for something I wanted to try and couldn't get it working for some reason.
Ain't Amazon a bitch ?!?
Sounds like a good start.
Randy, I know there is an option for dowloading Kindle books to the PC. I'll have to look into it. I'm glad you mentioned that.
Heff, since I'm about to get in bed with them perhaps I should refrain from using profane names for them. I'm sure that Amazon is every inch a lady.
Pattinase, thankee.
I like the cover and I love that excerpt.
Those couple of sentences are great! Very evocative.
Good luck with the project.
Bernita, thanks. I appreciate it. And congrats on your great review for Dark and Disorderly.
Travis Cody, glad you liked 'em, and thanks.
Would you think less of me if I told you I had never read Louis L’Amour? My brother has read a bunch of his books and I think that may be why I haven't :)
My daughter uses Picnik.com to edit photos and it's free. She has done some really cool stuff on that website.
http://www.picnik.com
Have a wonderful weekend Charles.
Jennifer, I will try to find it in my heart to forgive you. Perhaps...over time. :) Thanks for the heads up on picnik. good name. I'll check it out.
I was a HUGE western fan as a kid. This collection sounds like fun. And I'm going to be watching your e-publishing venture with interest.
As for the cover, love the photo, but the title needs to be bigger and bolder.
Candy, Lana will fix that title up for me. SHe's already made some suggestions and showed me some alternatives.
You won't be including "Holed up in Box Canyon," then? ;)
Lana, I can't believe you posted that! But I think that story is for another market entirely. ;)
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