Publishing Ebooks on Smashwords
August 30, 2011 by Lillie
Most of my readers know I’m a big fan of ebooks. I read on a Kindle, but I believe in making my books and my clients’ books available for a variety of ebook devices. The easiest way to accomplish this is to publish on Smashwords, a platform that allows anyone to publish their work as an ebook for free. Currently I have eight titles available on the Smashwords website and in its Premium Catalog.
- Trapped by Love, a free novelette that has been downloaded more than 5000 times on Smashwords and has five 5-star reviews
- Dream or Destiny, a romantic mystery with a paranormal touch and a theme of domestic violence
- Stroke of Luck, a contemporary romance, five-star rated, featuring a disabled heroine
- Fern’s Fancies, a humorous contemporary romance with four 5-star reviews
- The Secrets of Fantastic Houseplants, an indoor plant care guide based on a small booklet I wrote for customers in my plant shop many years ago
- Finding the Information You Need: Research Tips for Your Family, Business, or Personal Pursuits, a short how-to guide to research, useful for writers as well as individuals and families
- Preserving Memories: How to Write a Family History, tips for writing a family history or memoir to share with family or to publish
- Creating Fictional Characters, my newest offering, based on a series on my blog—at least three of the posts rank among the top 10 in Google for the keywords “creating fictional characters” as well as among my most popular posts
All except Dream of Destiny and Stroke of Luck, which are published by a small press, are self-published and available only as ebooks through Smashwords. All my self-published ebooks sell for $1.99. In addition to my own books, my associate and I have published a dozen ebooks on Smashwords for clients, so I’ve been through the process enough to share a few words of advice.
The magic of Smashwords is the Meatgrinder, the system that takes a Word document and converts it to a variety of ebook formats for sale on Smashwords and other retailers across the Internet. Books in the Premium Catalog are distributed to Barnes & Noble, Sony, Kobo, Apple, Diesel, and Scrollmotion and will be distributed to Amazon when the two companies complete technical integration. While authors can upload ebooks directly to most of these stores, letting the Meatgrinder do the conversions and Smashwords do the distribution saves a lot of time and frustration.
Preparing a manuscript for Smashwords takes some time and occasionally causes some frustration, but when it does, the simple solution is to follow the Smashwords Style Guide. Mark Coker, Smashwords’ founder, has spelled out in detail exactly how to prepare your Word document (be sure to use .doc, not .docx) to make the AutoVetter (the technology that Smashwords uses to check your manuscript for formatting errors) happy. In my experience, when a file has been rejected by the AutoVetter, the reason is failing to follow the Style Guide exactly.
You don’t have to learn from your own mistakes when it comes to Smashwords. I’ll share my mistakes with you so you can learn from them. The following tips suggest things to do and not do—for details see the Style Guide.
- Do remove all formatting—even the hidden formatting you don’t know is there. Mark explains how to find and remove the formatting and how to normalize your text. When the Style Guide says to remove all formatting, believe it. Don’t think you can get by using that fancy font that you love so much. Stick with Times New Roman, Garamond, or Arial.
- Don’t mix a lot of different styles. Start with everything in Normal paragraph style, then add the variations you need for headers and font attributes such as bold and italics, but keep styles to a minimum. Elaborate formatting doesn’t translate well to most ebook formats.
- Don’t use tabs, paragraph returns to create blank lines between paragraphs, tables, columns, or text boxes. Instead use paragraph indents and set the “space after” to 6 point in your Normal paragraph style; convert tables, columns, and text boxes to plain text.
- Don’t use Word’s AutoCorrect, AutoFormat, or automatic table of contents creator. All of these features are apt to put garbage into your ebook. You may think it takes a little longer to create the table of contents manually, but, believe me, if you corrupt your file with an automatic table of contents, you’ll wish you had spent a little extra time initially.
- One simple rule for success: Do follow the instructions in the Style Guide. Mark Coker has provided step-by-step instructions that work if you follow them exactly. And if you still get AutoVetter errors after following the instructions, fall back on the “nuclear option” and paste your text into Notepad to remove whatever hidden formatting or corruption is causing the problem. Then start over following the Style Guide instructions.
Anyone can publish anything on Smashwords. As an editor, I have one piece of advice that isn’t a “how-to” but a “what-to.” Ensure that your book is ready for publication before you start formatting. Hire a professional editor or find a knowledgeable friend who can edit your book for you. Smashwords will produce a lovely ebook in nearly a dozen formats. Make sure the quality of the content is commensurate with the quality of the formatting.
Thanks to July 2011 Commenters
August 26, 2011 by Lillie
Thank you to the 93 commenters who left 138 comments in July. Your comments extended the conversation and added value and interest, and I enjoyed replying to every one of them.
Every month when I post thanks to commenters, I get questions about how I compile this list. I have explained my system in detail in Compiling Thanks to Commenters.
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| Major Contributors (6 comments) | |||||||||||
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Outstanding Contributors (5 comments)
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Significant Contributors (2-3 comments)
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Important Contributors
Congratulations to the Winners of the Global eBook Awards!
August 21, 2011 by Lillie
I am so excited! Both of my clients who made the finals in the Global eBook Awards won their categories.
Nancy Nicholson—who happens to be my “baby” sister, so I’m doubly proud!—for Help! What Do I Do Now? Caring for Your Loved One with Alzheimer’s in the Parenting/Family — Non-Fiction category
Aggie Villanueva for The Rewritten Word: How to Sculpt Literary Art no Matter the Genre in the Writing/Publishing — Non-Fiction category
Mega congratulations to Nancy and Aggie. I am so proud of both of them.
Here is the slideshow announcing the winners. The first slide of each category lists all the finalists, and the second slide shows the winner.
Help! What Do I Do Now? ebook at Smashwords
The Rewritten Word ebook at Smashwords
Global eBook Awards Finalists Announced
August 19, 2011 by Lillie
The finalists in the Global eBook Awards have been announced. Books by several of my clients were nominated for awards, as was my novel Dream or Destiny.
I’m pleased and excited to congratulate two of my clients who made the finals:
- Aggie Villanueva for The Rewritten Word: How to Sculpt Literary Art no Matter the Genre in the Writing/Publishing — Non-Fiction category
- Nancy Nicholson—who happens to be my “baby” sister, so I’m doubly proud!—for Help! What Do I Do Now? Caring for Your Loved One with Alzheimer’s in the Parenting/Family — Non-Fiction category
Congratulations to Aggie and Nancy. I hope both of you go from finalist to winner!
The Rewritten Word ebook at Smashwords
Help! What Do I Do Now? ebook at Smashwords
Happy Belated Blog Birthday!
August 16, 2011 by Lillie
I don’t pay much attention to statistics like numbers of visitors and page views to my blog. In fact, I seldom login to Google Analytics. However, I generally pay close attention to blog milestones, such as numbers of posts and comments and my blog’s birthday/anniversary/blogiversary/whatever-you-call-an-annual-blog-milestone.
So I was surprised to realize my blog turned five years old a couple of months ago, and I totally ignored the occasion. Matt left a comment on my post about funny spam, saying he wished he got the spam I got because he’s not getting many comments on his blog. I responded that I didn’t get many comments either when I started my blog. However, after being online (counting on my fingers) five years …
But wait! I don’t remember writing a fifth-blog-birthday post. I checked my archives in case my mind was playing tricks on me and confirmed that I had, indeed, ignored this occasion.
Maybe I overlooked the birthday because “time flies when you’re having fun” or “the older you get the faster time passes” or <insert your favorite cliche here>. Maybe it slipped up on me because it hadn’t been long since I recognized 1000 posts. Obviously, I overlooked the date when I transferred important dates from my 2010 editorial calendar to the 2011 calendar.
So help yourself to some virtual birthday cake and punch and join me in wishing a happy belated birthday to A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye.
As I’ve said in every milestone post, you—my readers—make blogging fun, and I appreciate each one of you.
I plan to keep blogging for many more years as long as you keep coming here to read and comment.
Another Round of Fun with Comment Spam
August 12, 2011 by Lillie
It’s been a while since I last chuckled over funny comment spam. I gave up even looking at spam unless someone emails me about a missing comment. Then I will check spam to see if that’s where it landed. Today I was searching for a comment and came across more laugh-inducing spam comments.
<Note: The comments in brackets are mine.>
We know spammers don’t read the posts, but really … the following comments certainly have nothing to do with thanks to commenters, which is where all of them were posted:
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What would my husband think of all these endearments?
- Special someone, this excellent website is usually fabolous, we think its great
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When in doubt, choose a nonsensical comment and see how many times you can spin it by changing individual words:
- How much of an useful guide, have creating spouse
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- How much of an exciting guide, continue publishing significant other
- What an significant write-up, retain posting spouse
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- How much of an appealing report, continue producing special someone
Or this:
- hi, your websites are really special. I really do appreciate your function
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Or this:
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Sometimes, you just have to say, “Huh? What is the heck is this supposed to mean?”
- I pilfer amusement in seeing sites that fulfil the advantage of providing a prime resource for fully free.
- I also conceive so, perfectly pent post!
- Hi there I am wondering if I can usability this article on entire of my blogs if I element bankroll b reverse to you? Thanks!
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OK, the words make sense, but what do they have to do with anything I wrote on my blog?
- I admire what you have done here. I love the part where you say you are doing this to give back but I would assume by all the comments that is working for you as well. Do you have any more info on this?
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Over-the-top praise that has nothing to do with anything:
- Can I just say what a reduction to search out somebody who actually knows what theyre speaking about on the internet. You definitely know easy methods to convey an issue to gentle and make it important. Extra people need to read this and understand this aspect of the story. I cant imagine youre no more common since you positively have the gift.
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Making demands?
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Insult, back-handed compliment, or just plain garbage?
- The heart of your writing while sounding reasonable in the beginning, did not really work properly with me after some time. Somewhere within the sentences you actually were able to make me a believer but just for a very short while. I nevertheless have got a problem with your leaps in logic and one might do nicely to help fill in all those gaps. In the event you can accomplish that, I could surely end up being amazed.
- I have not checked in here for some time as I thought it was getting boring, but the last few posts are good quality so I guess I will add you back to my daily bloglist.
- I see an excellent improvement in your writing, I’d love to get in touch. Keep up the great work! Your writing is really inspirational for somebody who is new to this type of stuff.
- well, that’s good, i think you can do better.
- Just thought I’d drop you a note – I’m a avid follower but recently your site has had some obstructive formatting problems.
- Hi, I think your site might be having browser compatibility issues. When I look at your blog site in Chrome, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other then that, awesome blog!
- I am outranking you in google. Want to know how? <followed by ad>
- I was suggested this web site by my cousin. I am not sure whether this post is written by him as nobody else know such detailed about my problem. You’re incredible! Thanks! <Does he think his cousin writes my blog posts?>
- The next time I read a blog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as a lot as this one. I imply, I know it was my option to learn, however I truly thought youd have something fascinating to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you could repair in case you werent too busy on the lookout for attention. <This was on a thanks to commenters post.>
- There may be noticeably a bundle to find out about this. I assume you made sure nice points in features also.
- This really answered my downside, thanks! <Not sure what his/her downside is, but it doesn’t sound good.>
Guest Post from Randall Davidson: Ten Proofreading Tips You Cannot Afford to Ignore
August 9, 2011 by Lillie
No matter how skilled of a writer you are, it is easy to submit work that is filled with errors. Even the best writers often miss the mark when it comes to proofreading. However, correcting errors in your work can give you the edge over the competition, making the following 10 proofreading tips of the utmost importance:
- Use fresh eyes. Proofreading after a break from writing can help you see your work with fresh eyes and catch things that need to be fixed. Try proofreading all the work completed in one day the next morning. If time is of the essence, read something else before returning to your own composition.
- Know your weaknesses. Most writers have errors that frequently pop up in their work. Keep a list of the common errors that you are prone to and check specifically for those items when proofreading.
- Watch for little things. Small words that are misspelled or misused are commonly missed when proofreading. For example, keep a close eye on words like “it” and “is.”
- Know the style. Different publications and editors adhere to different style guides. Decide which style you prefer and adjust your writing to meet those guidelines. AP style, for example, may support different punctuation and grammar preferences than the Chicago Manual of Style.
- Vocalize your work. Read your piece out loud to yourself. Hearing your writing vocalized can help you access different areas of your brain than writing and reading, making it easier to pick up on the mistakes.
- Find a friend. A fresh set of eyes is often one of the best ways to ensure error-free writing. Have someone read the work and point out the errors that they notice. A new reader may also be able to offer new proofreading tips.
- Split the tasks. There are numerous types of errors that can be present in your writing. Focus separately on each type of mistake. Use one read-through to look for spelling issues and a separate proofreading session for things like grammar and style mistakes.
- Change it up. Reading the text in a way that is not intended can make errors more obvious. For example, read your work from bottom to top or from right to left. This separates each word from the larger context and makes it easier to spot errors.
- Watch the lighting. Subtle nuances can impact your success at finding and correcting errors. For example, fluorescent lights make it harder to see small mistakes in your work. It is better to proofread under natural lighting.
- Check the obvious. Don’t assume that you are infallible to mistakes in any particular area. Overconfidence can hurt your finished product. Double-check headings and boilerplate text, and regularly review grammar rules that you are unsure about.
Using these proofreading tips can improve your writing and help you accomplish your goals as an author.
About the author: Randall Davidson is a cofounder of ProofreadingServices.Us, a proofreading service that offers book proofreading. Randall enjoys discussing proofreading and editing tips and best practices with other writers.
World eBook Fair: Last Day to Download Free eBooks
August 4, 2011 by Lillie
The World eBook Fair almost slipped past me this year. It started July 4 and ends today.
According to the event website:
Our goal is to provide Free public access for a month to 6.5 Million eBooks (7/4/11 to 8/4/11).
World eBook Fair is sponsored by the World eBook Library, Project Gutenberg, Internet Archive, MyeBook, and Wattpad. Many of these sources offer free ebooks all the time, so even if you miss the World eBook Fair, this page is a good source of finding free ebooks.
Are You an Editing Geek or a Word Nerd?
August 2, 2011 by Lillie
A while back someone sent me an email suggesting I share a blog post with my readers: Word Nerds Rejoice: Top 25 Blogs For Editing Geeks. I reviewed the list and even subscribed to several of the blogs. Some of the listed blogs deal in editing minutiae, but there are several funny ones as well.
I love words, and I love editing words to make the stories or advice or information a pleasure to read. One editor described me as “the pickiest person I know!” I am a fanatic about misspelled or misused words, awkward and convoluted verbiage, and grammar errors that interfere with readers’ enjoyment or understanding. However, I don’t believe in being a slave to rules. Looking over this list of editing blogs made me think of a post I wrote in November 2006. Since most of you weren’t reading my blog back then (actually, I don’t think anyone was reading my blog then!), I decided to share it again.
Rules or Artistic License?
I’ve been following a discussion on a writers e-mail list. Must writers follow all the rules of grammar, spelling, and punctuation, or do the rules stifle the writer’s creativity?
Some writers consider themselves artists who can’t be restricted by rules, while others consider themselves craftsmen bound by conventions.
I fall in the middle—as noted in a previous post, a publisher has called me ”the pickiest person she knows.” As an editor, I have to know and follow grammar rules or I wouldn’t have any customers. On the other hand, my writing style is informal and simple, and I usually don’t worry about all the rules that may be used in formal writing. For example, I don’t mind ending a sentence with preposition. Often it sounds more natural and understandable to do so.
In my view, there are several critical elements to good writing:
- The reader must understand it. Using the right word is essential. Using it’s when you mean its or using their or they’re when you mean there can confuse your meaning. Punctuation to show when sentences start and end is critical. Writers must follow some rules to ensure that their readers know what the writer is saying.
- The writing must be consistent. Some style guides call for serial commas (the comma before “and” in a series of three or more: bell, book, and candle). Other style guides say to leave out the last comma if the meaning is clear (bell, book and candle). If you’re writing an academic paper or a newspaper article, you need to follow the appropriate style guide. But if you’re writing a blog entry or an article for your Web site, you can take your choice of using or not serial commas. But whichever you choose, do it throughout the document. Writing “bell, book, and candle” in the first paragraph and “boys, girls and parents” in the second paragraph won’t work.
- The style of the writing must be appropriate to the subject and the situation. I’ve been editing an academic paper for a doctoral student—that paper is more formal and uses more “big” words than I use in my blog posts. An academic paper should demonstrate that the student has the vocabulary and the formal writing skill appropriate to the level of education. Depending on the purpose of the blog, posts should generally convey the message in a way that is easy and enjoyable for the reader.
- Dialogue should reflect the education and personality of the character speaking. An uneducated laborer shouldn’t sound like a college professor. But even if dialogue contains improper grammar, it should be punctuated correctly so it is easy for the reader to understand what is being said. And if a character speaks in a dialect, just enough of the dialectal spelling should be used to convey the impression without making it difficult for the reader to decipher what the character is saying.
Understanding the rules and knowing when you can break them is one of the hallmarks of a good writer.
Of course, since even good writers (and editors) are human, sometimes we all break the rules without intending to. Most editors say we can find everyone’s errors but our own. So if you see me breaking the rules … maybe I did it on purpose, and maybe I just goofed!
