Recently, I decided to investigate releasing my novel, The Hero of Gucci Gulch, as an audiobook. Frankly, it's something I never thought could be possible. I imagined the process as being too expensive, or something I'd have to narrate myself with equipment and skills I don't possess.
Still, I came across an invitation from Audible.com to check out their service, called ACX. I was surprised by what I found. First, there are tens of thousands of what Audible calls "producers" willing to narrate books, far more than there are books ready for narration. Second, while you can certainly pay high fees to have your book read by a well-established producer, you can also arrange to pay for narration by splitting the royalties obtained from sales on a 50-50 basis. If you are able to negotiate that kind of arrangement with a producer, it makes the whole project affordable and, hence, feasible.
ACX allows you to specify the kind of voice you want for your book, including gender, age, regional accent and voice quality in a wide range of types. This is very helpful in letting producers know what you are looking for and narrowing down the potential producers from the thousands available.
So, I signed up (free) and created a profile on ACX and uploaded a short piece to be used by prospective producers for auditions. ACX then notifies me when their auditions have been posted and I can listen to them and decide which is right for my book.
So far I've received three auditions and am expecting at least one more in the next couple of days. I'll wait a week or so, then select the one that seems best for my book and start negotiations on terms, that is, whether we can agree to split royalties or whether I need to pay a per hour of narration fee to go along with that. My book is estimated to be 8.1 hours long when narrated and I offered to consider payments of $50-100 per narrated hour.
I have some work to do yet. I'll need to make notes for the producer on the pronunciation of key words and on the accents I want for key characters.
What will this do for sales? Frankly, I have no clear idea. But given that Audible.com is very popular and publicizes its offerings well, I'm hoping that sales may be good, even if the asking price is low. In any case, it seems to me that it's worth taking a shot at it.
Have you written a novel or a non-fiction book that's suitable for narration? If so, I encourage you to check out ACX at acx.com.
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Sunday, April 10, 2016
My Book on Handplanes in the Woodshop Released!
My newest book, Choosing and Using Handplanes, has just been
released. Intended for the beginning and newer handplane user, its 90
pages include nearly 100 color illustrations. In this book, woodworkers will
learn:
For woodworkers who are hankering to learn how to use handplanes, I think they'll find this a useful guide.
I used CreateSpace to publish it, which automatically also posts it to Amazon.com. It's a very easy way to publish. It only requires a properly formatted pdf file. I chose a glossy cover (which I photographed and designed myself) and color interior on white stock. The photos and drawings (nearly all of which I made myself) reproduced quite nicely; the color was faithful to the originals. I'm very happy with the result. Now my attention is focused on marketing it to the thousands of woodworkers around the world!
Norm
- The types of handplanes, names and functions
- The first planes you should get
- How to set up and adjust your planes
- How to sharpen your plane blades
- The kinds of sharpening stones
- The different bevels you’ll want on your blades
- How to hold your work for planing
- The body positions that work best
- How to determine the direction to plane boards
- How to plane cupped, bowed, and twisted boards
- How to plane end grain
- How to buy and restore old planes
- How to store and care for your planes
- Sources of new and used handplanes
- How to solve handplane problems
For woodworkers who are hankering to learn how to use handplanes, I think they'll find this a useful guide.
I used CreateSpace to publish it, which automatically also posts it to Amazon.com. It's a very easy way to publish. It only requires a properly formatted pdf file. I chose a glossy cover (which I photographed and designed myself) and color interior on white stock. The photos and drawings (nearly all of which I made myself) reproduced quite nicely; the color was faithful to the originals. I'm very happy with the result. Now my attention is focused on marketing it to the thousands of woodworkers around the world!
Norm
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Publishing on Amazon
I've been chugging away hard on my newest book, Choosing and Using Handplanes. This is a book for woodworkers who are relatively new to the use of handplanes that describes them and how to set them up for effective use. My plan is to publish the book as an 8-1/2 X 11 inch paperback and also in a Kindle edition.
I wrote the book section-by-section in Word, then pasted it into Microsoft Publisher for laying out the 99 photos and figures in a pleasing format. I am now only lacking the foreword from having a complete text. Once I have that in hand and know my final pagination, I'll finish the Table of Contents, convert the book to pdf format and upload it to Amazon. The cover has already been designed, so that will get uploaded at the same time. So the hard work has been completed on the paperback version.
Not so the Kindle version. Kindle books are best submitted in Word format, which means I had to convert the Publisher file back to Word. Unfortunately, that process stripped all the photos and figures out of the book and they will have to be re-inserted. Also, for some reason the sections of the book were saved in Word in the sequence in which they were originally written, not their final sequence in Publisher. That meant I had to do a lot of cutting and pasting to get things back into the correct order. Then there are the headings to establish so Word will create a Table of Contents that Kindle can use. And hyperlinks to add; I didn't need those in the paperback version, but I want the Kindle edition to be as user-friendly as possible and that means adding links to resources and to various points in the book to which readers might want to jump.
It'll take a lot of work to get the Kindle version finalized and submitted for publication review by the folks at Amazon. Kind of makes me wish I had taken the time to study Adobe's InDesign program, which I believe would have generated a mobi file for Kindle without all the extra steps. Next time, I promise.
I wrote the book section-by-section in Word, then pasted it into Microsoft Publisher for laying out the 99 photos and figures in a pleasing format. I am now only lacking the foreword from having a complete text. Once I have that in hand and know my final pagination, I'll finish the Table of Contents, convert the book to pdf format and upload it to Amazon. The cover has already been designed, so that will get uploaded at the same time. So the hard work has been completed on the paperback version.
Not so the Kindle version. Kindle books are best submitted in Word format, which means I had to convert the Publisher file back to Word. Unfortunately, that process stripped all the photos and figures out of the book and they will have to be re-inserted. Also, for some reason the sections of the book were saved in Word in the sequence in which they were originally written, not their final sequence in Publisher. That meant I had to do a lot of cutting and pasting to get things back into the correct order. Then there are the headings to establish so Word will create a Table of Contents that Kindle can use. And hyperlinks to add; I didn't need those in the paperback version, but I want the Kindle edition to be as user-friendly as possible and that means adding links to resources and to various points in the book to which readers might want to jump.
It'll take a lot of work to get the Kindle version finalized and submitted for publication review by the folks at Amazon. Kind of makes me wish I had taken the time to study Adobe's InDesign program, which I believe would have generated a mobi file for Kindle without all the extra steps. Next time, I promise.
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
My Handplanes Book
For the past several months, most of my writing energy has gone into the writing (and photographing) of a 90+ page book on handplanes in woodworking. Titled Choosing and Using Handplanes, it contains well over 90 color photographs and figures that clarify the types of planes available, how to set them up and sharpen them, hold lumber during planing operations and techniques for successful handplaning. A key feature is a section on diagnosing and fixing common problems encountered in handplaning.
The photo shows the cover I'll be using on this book, which is expected to be released on Amazon in paperback during November and in a Kindle edition soon after that.
I've discussed the process I used to build this cover on my photographic blog, PhotoPlusMore, if you are interested in knowing more about how I did it.
The book will be for sale on Amazon and on my web site.
The photo shows the cover I'll be using on this book, which is expected to be released on Amazon in paperback during November and in a Kindle edition soon after that.
The book will be for sale on Amazon and on my web site.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
A Return to Africa
Some years back, I went on safari in Africa, mainly to Kenya but also to Botswana and Zambia. While there, I amassed many memories, a number of stories and about 5,000 photos. I've longed to share these ever since. Finally, with the ability to publish eBooks, I've decided to convert my work into publishable form.
The text is written, pending some edits. I'm now in the process of selecting the photos that will accompany it, after which I'll edit them for final publication. Then will come the challenge of laying out the final publication using Adobe InDesign. This software holds great promise, but I am not yet fully conversant with all its features so there is on-the-job learning to complete.
My target for publication is April 1. When it's been released, it will be available on my web site at http://positives.biz.
 |
| A newborn elephant begins walking only hours after birth, keeping pace with the herd, which must move on to new feeding sites. |
The text is written, pending some edits. I'm now in the process of selecting the photos that will accompany it, after which I'll edit them for final publication. Then will come the challenge of laying out the final publication using Adobe InDesign. This software holds great promise, but I am not yet fully conversant with all its features so there is on-the-job learning to complete.
My target for publication is April 1. When it's been released, it will be available on my web site at http://positives.biz.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
A New Writing Project
I've been a semi-professional photographer for over 30 years. Though I've published many photos during my career and written many articles illustrated with my shots, I've never ventured to write about the craft of photography. Until now, that is.
What I'm about now is a book about landscape photography. It will be a short work, perhaps 30-40 pages, with brief tips for making better landscape photos. The intended audience is the amateur photographer with minimal experience who wants to achieve more professional-looking photos. I'll illustrate the book with photos that underscore the tips.
My plan at the moment is to market the book myself, at least initially. I'll first release it in a pdf version. Later, after I've learned to use InDesign, I'll publish an ePub version that can be read on iPads and Nooks.
The principal points I'm making are that great and inspiring photos must be made, not merely taken, and that they depend more on the photographer's vision than on his or her equipment. I'll give tips on how to go about making photos that inspire. That, in fact, is what my tentative title states--Making Landscapes That Inspire.
I've already drafted the text and I'm now in the process of selecting and editing the photos I'll use to underscore my points. I will soon set up a web site that I'll use for marketing the book. At the same time, I'm practicing with InDesign to see how I can build great-looking layouts so the book will look its best.
I've not yet decided whether to include dynamic content in the ePub version of the book. Frankly, I'm not sure what I would want that to look like. I think dynamic content could be a very effective way of teaching photography, but given what I still need to learn about InDesign, I think it is something I'll take up after I've released the static versions.
If anybody has any suggestions for how to approach dynamic content, or has good examples to recommend, I'm all ears. Please leave a comment.
What I'm about now is a book about landscape photography. It will be a short work, perhaps 30-40 pages, with brief tips for making better landscape photos. The intended audience is the amateur photographer with minimal experience who wants to achieve more professional-looking photos. I'll illustrate the book with photos that underscore the tips.
My plan at the moment is to market the book myself, at least initially. I'll first release it in a pdf version. Later, after I've learned to use InDesign, I'll publish an ePub version that can be read on iPads and Nooks.
The principal points I'm making are that great and inspiring photos must be made, not merely taken, and that they depend more on the photographer's vision than on his or her equipment. I'll give tips on how to go about making photos that inspire. That, in fact, is what my tentative title states--Making Landscapes That Inspire.
I've already drafted the text and I'm now in the process of selecting and editing the photos I'll use to underscore my points. I will soon set up a web site that I'll use for marketing the book. At the same time, I'm practicing with InDesign to see how I can build great-looking layouts so the book will look its best.
I've not yet decided whether to include dynamic content in the ePub version of the book. Frankly, I'm not sure what I would want that to look like. I think dynamic content could be a very effective way of teaching photography, but given what I still need to learn about InDesign, I think it is something I'll take up after I've released the static versions.
If anybody has any suggestions for how to approach dynamic content, or has good examples to recommend, I'm all ears. Please leave a comment.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Facing the Truth of Climate Change
The Hero of Gucci Gulch is a murder mystery set in the world of lobbyists, corporate representatives and members of Congress and their staffs. It takes place on Capitol Hill--sometimes known as Gucci Gulch--for the prized brand of Italian leather often worn by the well-paid corporate lobbyists who patrol its halls.
But the novel is much more than the story of murder, muggings and mayhem, though it has plenty of these. It is set against the backdrop of the global challenge of climate change and the need for meaningful U.S. policy to address out-of-control carbon emissions into the environment. It revolves around the struggles of environmental lobbyists to persuade a reluctant Congress to cap and trade legislation as a way to curb those emissions and bring the U.S. into better alignment with environmental actions being taken in much of the rest of the world.
The protagonist, Henry Wright, is an environmental lobbyist for a public interest organization. He coordinates his work with Alicia Cummings, a pretty young intern. But the impetuous intern gets too close to the nefarious secrets of the anti-environmental opposition. When Henry finds her body in a lonely Washington garden, the investigation begins.
While the police slowly follow up false leads, Henry tries to assuage his grief by working members of Congress to support environmental legislation. At the same time, he is drawn deeper and deeper into the murder investigation until at last his own life is put in danger.
Throughout, the story follows Henry's attempts to get a cap and trade bill passed over the objections of industry's heaviest polluters. In the end, the book not only traces the chase to find the guilty but also the difficult path of facing up to global environmental challenges.
The book is available from Amazon.com and the CreateSpace eStore. A Kindle edition is also available.
But the novel is much more than the story of murder, muggings and mayhem, though it has plenty of these. It is set against the backdrop of the global challenge of climate change and the need for meaningful U.S. policy to address out-of-control carbon emissions into the environment. It revolves around the struggles of environmental lobbyists to persuade a reluctant Congress to cap and trade legislation as a way to curb those emissions and bring the U.S. into better alignment with environmental actions being taken in much of the rest of the world.
The protagonist, Henry Wright, is an environmental lobbyist for a public interest organization. He coordinates his work with Alicia Cummings, a pretty young intern. But the impetuous intern gets too close to the nefarious secrets of the anti-environmental opposition. When Henry finds her body in a lonely Washington garden, the investigation begins.
While the police slowly follow up false leads, Henry tries to assuage his grief by working members of Congress to support environmental legislation. At the same time, he is drawn deeper and deeper into the murder investigation until at last his own life is put in danger.
Throughout, the story follows Henry's attempts to get a cap and trade bill passed over the objections of industry's heaviest polluters. In the end, the book not only traces the chase to find the guilty but also the difficult path of facing up to global environmental challenges.
The book is available from Amazon.com and the CreateSpace eStore. A Kindle edition is also available.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)