How powerful is GIMP?

Since GIMP is free software, I've been asked how powerful it really is. I figure the easiest way to answer that is to show you some of what I've done with it. I'm going to put in the original photos I started with then the final covers I got from these photos.

These two pictures became the cover for THE WIDOWER'S FOLLY.

 

 

Note that for the cover her dress changes, his suit changes, the chandelier, electric lights, etc. are gone. 

 

Kindle           Nook 

 

 More dramatic even that that was how these two pictures below became the cover for THE RECKLESS WAGER.

Notice that the face changes, the dress changes, her hair changes and that in the original, the background stops at the top of her head and the back cover is from the part of the photo not used on the front cover so the effect is a wrap around.

 



 The good thing about GIMP is that the more one uses it, the more one discovers it's possible to do with it. There are also youtube videos online that explain how to do things--though it didn't always seem to work quite the same for me. But for free software, GIMP is amazing.

      

Kindle    Nook   Large Print Paperback

 

 



Createspace--more lessons in humility...

So my Book in a Week Workbook was up in paperback. Woohoo! I had this thing nailed--right? I could go ahead and put up one of my Regencies in paperback. Piece of cake!

Picture me shaking my head. I should sooooo not ever say that!

What I learned from putting up 2 of my Regencies in paperback through Createspace--one in large print:

1) Remember to right justify the text.

2) Remember to put a carriage return on the last line of each chapter so it doesn't right justify a few words at the end of the paragraph of that last page of the chapter.

3) Headers. Things have changed since the last time I put headers in a file in a previous version of Word. THIS version insists I use "fields."

4) DOUBLE CHECK the file by saving as pdf before uploading the Word file to Createspace. The fields in the header worked fine for DANGEROUS MASQUERADE but somehow screwed up when I did it for THE RECKLESS WAGER.

5) Createspace offers templates for each size trim one might want to use.

6) The templates don't work all that well. I need to expect to experiment with margins.

7)  Different fonts are different sizes for the same pt setting.

8) Large print books need at least 16 pt font. That means lots of pages.

9) The cover template that allows one to upload one's own covers works pretty well.

10) Don't even try to create the cover until you're sure about the trim size. Resizing a cover meant for 6x9 to one for 7 x 10 does NOT always produces usable results and I had to redo it completely.

11)  Going from a 6 x9 with moderate size font to 7 x 10 in large print with lots more pages meant I could not use the same margins from one for the other. More experimenting.

12) Covers that work for an ebook do not necessarily work for a paperback. (See below for the two versions each of DANGEROUS MASQUERADE and THE RECKLESS WAGER.

13) Almost forgot--page numbers should be on opposite sides for opposite facing pages. Headers need to alternate.

14) Make sure to set the headers so that the first page is different which means headers won't show up on the first pages of chapters. (This is what you want--no headers for those pages.)

15) Changing the font size means double checking that one doesn't have a page with only one or two words on it at the end of any chapter. If there is such a page, maybe see if somewhere a tiny change can be made so those words fit at the end of a full page. This helps keep down the cost of the book.

16) Even when the book goes first to Createspace and then Createspace sends one over to Amazon Kindle, the two versions of the book are not necessarily automatically linked. One may have to email support to have it done manually. (Note: The support staff is wonderful!)

I'm sure I will learn more with my next efforts at using Createspace. That won't, however, be for a little while. First I want to see how the two different paperback sizes do. If there's more demand for, say, large print, then that's what I'll bring out in the future with my other books. If readers prefer the more ordinary size type, I want to know that.

It's a whole new world out there. I'm just glad my older books can be available again.

Now, as promised, the two versions of the two book covers:



Kindle

Nook

paperback

 

 

Kindle    Nook

 

large print paperback

Next Book in a Week class

I've been getting so many requests for information about my online Book in a Week class that I thought I'd post a quick note here. I've come to realize that the ideal times for the class seem to be:

end of September
end of January
late spring
sometimes a summer class as well

As I know specific dates I'll post them here and on an email loop I have to let people know if I have an upcoming class. If you want to sign up for the class notification loop, the link is:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AprilKihlstromwritingclasses2/join

With luck, this will make it easier for everyone to plan if they would like to take my BIAW class at some point.

Createspace--A Lesson in Humility

I've been putting up my backlist books for Kindle and Nook so when I decided to make my APRIL KIHLSTROM'S BOOK IN A WEEK WORKBOOK available through Createspace, I thought it would be a piece of cake. I mean, how hard could it be?

First I reformatted the workbook for print. Time consuming but not difficult--or so I thought. And I had a cover I loved plus lots of quotes for the back cover. Piece of cake. I signed up, went through the steps and sat back to wait for my book to appear in print. And got a profound lesson in humility. (Hey! I see you laughing out there--cut it out!)

What I learned:

1) Everything takes longer with Createspace.

2) They have amazing people who can fix some cover mistakes--up to a point.

3) Covers--unless one uses one of their templates--have to be uploaded as a pdf file.

4) Microsoft Word created pdf files have too low a resolution for covers.

5) Turns out my photo software program GIMP can save in pdf format. Woohoo!

6) If one uses something like photoshop or GIMP it's essential one pays attention precisely to their instructions because their staff can't fix things if one doesn't leave room for a barcode.

7) Even trying to calculate exactly the sizes, margins, etc. they asked for, it's possible to screw it up.

8) Did I mention their people are amazing at fixing things if one enough is close to what they need? (One should not depend on that, however, and it has to be "close enough.")

9) (Okay, I can hear the laughter starting already....) Print books need page numbers. Seriously, I know it sounds dumb, but I forgot that. I'd been putting up so many of my back books for Kindle and Nook that I FORGOT TO PUT IN PAGE NUMBERS for the print version! Mind you, I had a Table of Contents that listed page numbers--I just hadn't remembered to put them on every page.

10) Adding page numbers can change the layout of the pages.

11) If you have a Table of contents, it's really important to double check that when the file is uploaded, the page numbers in the Table of Contents match the actual page numbers for each section. Sometimes in the uploading things change.

12) (More laughter coming, I can just tell....) Text in a print book is right justified on the pages inside the book. I know, I know--but I really didn't think of it until my third attempt to get things right!

13) Once the cover is finally accepted and I had the interior text and layout the way I wanted and page numbers correct, I approved the book and it went "live" on Createspace and I got a message that within 5 to 7 days, the book would be live on Amazon. Fortunately, Sheri Cobb South clued me in that it might happen much faster. It did--in a matter of hours. Woohoo!!!

14) I still have no idea how soon it might be available other places besides Amazon. (It's now been just under a week.)  Update: As of today, the workbook is also available at Barnes and Noble (at least online)!

In other words, this was a lesson in humility for me--and a chance to learn a whole new way of doing things. Having now learned these things, I'm seriously considering making some of my older Regencies available in paperback, through Createspace, as well as for Kindle and Nook.

I hope my experience saves you some trouble and time if you are planning to use Createspace to publish. And hey, look at it this way, odds are you won't make as many mistakes as I did with my initial efforts!

Oh, and if you're curious about APRIL KIHLSTROM'S BOOK IN A WEEK WORKBOOK, you can find it here in on Amazon in paperback.

Author's Cut of a book

Let me start by saying I've had really good editors. Both Hilary Ross and Talia Platz made my books better by the questions they asked and input they gave me.

Sometimes, however, an author's vision just differs from the editor's. This happened to me with MISS TIBBLES INTERFERES. Now that I have the rights back to the book, I can put out a double volume which includes both the "author's cut" and the "editor's cut" of the book.

In this case, I had some of the digital files I needed to create the author's cut but I also had a fair amount of new writing to do to make it all work. It was both fun and a challenge. Which version will readers prefer? I have no idea but I want to include those elements I feel give the story a deeper emotional depth.

If you read the double volume and strongly prefer one version or the other, I hope you'll let me know. One way I grow as a writer is by hearing how readers feel about the choices I make.

The double volume of MISS TIBBLES INTERFERES is available now as an e-book for Kindle and Nook.

Creating E-book covers

Now that I have the rights back to the rest of my backlist titles, I need to get them ready to be uploaded for sale. Naturally, I’m starting with the books for which I have digital files so that all I have to do is proof, format, add a cover and upload them.

If I only had one or two books, I’d probably buy covers. But we’re talking over 20 books! So...I decided to see if I could create covers myself for the Westcott series and Miss Tibbles books. I knew a few things I wanted for these covers:

1) Title and author that can be read even in thumbnail size
2) A consistent look to the series so that if someone had lots of books (especially my books) on their reader, they could spot the ones in the series quickly.

3) I wanted covers that would catch the eye if one were scrolling quickly.

4) I wanted covers that indicated something about the story.
 

Next I researched covers--both what were on my e-reader and on websites for sale. I looked at image websites and pored through literally hundreds of pages of images. And I began to research photo/image manipulation software

What I discovered:

1) Gimp is a good, free software program but with a steep learning curve. Fortunately there are YouTube videos on how to do various things with it.
2) Often what I thought would look great didn’t. Thank heavens I was experimenting with preview images before I had to buy any!
3) It is sometimes easier to change details in the text than try to find exactly the right image or try to change an image you've got that works otherwise.
4) Image websites offer either subscription membership or purchasing images with credits or both.
5) It gets easier and faster, the more one works with the software. The real time sink is still finding and choosing the right images.

Here are a couple of the covers I created. You can see more in the carousel at the top of the page. You’ll recognize the ones I did by the common elements on the bottom half of each cover.

 

 

 AN OUTRAGEOUS PROPOSAL   AN HONORABLE ROGUE

 

 

 

May 2013 Book in a Week class

Well, it's that time....

Here's the information on my next Book in a Week class--one of the best gifts I believe an author can give himself or herself. It's a chance to write better, faster and have more fun doing so. It's a new way to look at the process of creating a book.

Dates: May 26, 2013 to July 5, 2013 (Note: Last week of class is wrap up and relatively low key.)
Cost: $85 ($45 if you've taken the class before)
Deadline to sign up: May 24, 2013
Lessons: Everything is handled by email so you do the lessons at YOUR convenience
Class size is limited.

Payment for the class may be made by check or by PayPal. To sign up send an email to aprilkihlstrom@yahoo.com with the title of the class you wish to take in the header and in the body of the email please put: your name and whether you prefer to pay by check or PayPal. Also, please let me know if you have taken the class before.

 

Note: If you do not get a response back from me, please try emailing me at april.kihlstrom@gmail.com. Unfortunately email does sometimes simply disappear into cyberspace.

 

Class Description: I try to ask questions no one else thinks to ask and suggest new ways of looking at your writing. In doing so, this class takes you through every step of the writing process—from beginning to brainstorm all the way through sending material out to be published. And it will help you discover who YOU are as a writer. You can participate as much or as little as you like in email discussions.

 

Weeks 1-3: This is when you do the prep work with lessons that are designed to get you thinking in new ways about your project. Among other things, I'll cover characters and book structure, imagery and use of names, POV and how to make sentence and paragraph structure work for you. If you choose, you can post answers and get help brainstorming ideas for your book but NO ONE is required to do so!

 

Weeks 4 and 5: Intensive Writing Weeks (June 15, 2013 through June 30, 2013)This is your chance to write better and faster than you ever have before, to discover what YOUR natural first draft will look like and ways to fit writing into your life that you may never have thought of before. Among other things, this allows for days/times you can't write.

 

Week 6: Here's your chance to look at the experience of weeks 4 and 5 and use it to create a writing method that works for YOU and is tailored to your most natural writing style. We'll also look at how to revise your work in the fastest, most effective way possible and I'll be sharing some of my thoughts on query letters, synopses, etc.

 

Does BIAW work? Well, a number of people who have taken this class are now published or under contract and/or finalled in or won contests with material they worked on during my classes! One author has had her book optioned for a movie!

 

Bio: April Kihlstrom is an award winning author of 32 published romance novels. She offers coaching to fellow writers as well as classes and workshops on writing and has spoken at many conferences including: the Romance Writers of America

 

Normally at this point I list a lot of testimonials. Basically people rave about the class. If you'd like to see some of those raves let me know--otherwise I'll spare you reading them, at least this time. Just know that my goal is to offer a class that helps each writer discover his or her most natural process and well as look at the writing itself in new ways so that writing becomes easier, more fun and leads to success.