WINNER and Questions Answered

The winner of our paperback book, "Totally Cliche" is.....Kimberlee!!!!  Kimberlee, please send an email to mormonmommywritersATgmailDOTcom with your full name and address!  Congratulations!


Now, I am going to try to answer the questions about self publishing that were asked.

1. What are some of the major differences between e-book and printed book formatting?
There are a few differences. For e-books, the formatting has to be as basic as possible because each type of digital format your e-book gets distributed through will have differences. Plus in e-books, the reader can pick their own font so the font you use is just a basic one. For e-books, you have to take out every formatting thing except spaces. Plus, page numbers are fluid. You can read a e-book and say to yourself, this story starts on page 5, then when you come back to it the next day the story starts on page 10. So simple is the key with e-book formatting. Printed book formatting gives you a little more room to be creative, but it also comes with alot more choices. Everything you do for the print will be printed that way exactly! So you have to choose what font and size you want on the title page, do you want a picture on the title page? What font and sizes do you want on the copyright page? What about the table of contents? What page does each chapter start on?
When I first did the print version I ordered a proof copy and realized that the font I chose for the title page and the chapter headings looked good on the computer but lacked something in print. I made some changes then liked it much more.

2. How long does it take to publish a book? What is the process?
How long it takes depends on you for the most part. Let's say your book is finished and been edited by everybody you could nail down. You're ready to publish. I'm going use Createspace as the example because that is what I used. First you make an account on Createspace which is free to do. Then you give the title information, including a summary of the book. Next you pick which kind of ISBN number you want. I picked the free one. Then you load the text or interior of your book. they will run it through their process then you will get a document that you can open in your software, that will have everything set up the way it will look in the book. That is the document you get page numbers from and check chapter breaks, etc. Then after you've made all the changes you want, you upload it again. Next you upload your cover. I'm afraid I'm not much help with this portion. Jenni James did the front cover for us, and my hubby had to figure out how to do the rest for me. Next, you review your files and make sure they were approved through Createspace. (They will try to let you know of any potential problems they see.) That part usually takes 24 hrs if I remember right. After everything has been approved, you order your proof copy. It does cost a little but this is a very important step! Then you pick the channels in which you want to sell your book. Some channels require you join their pro plan for $39. It also enables you to make more profit on the other channels. I ordered two proof copies in all before I felt it was ready to get out there. The proof copies take about 1-2 weeks to get to you. So it depends on how many proof copies you feel you need to get it the way you want it. It took me over a month to make the print copy happen. But I've been very busy and didn't have a lot of time to spend on it like I would have liked.

There you have it! All the mysteries of the universe have now been revealed to you! Ok well maybe just my universe! I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions. This was fun!