So, I've tried my hand at making a Kindle book. I have to warn you, this is just kind of a trial run, and it's just really one of my longer stories. It's only about 18 pages; what they call a Kindle "single". On the plus side, though, I set the price at just $.99 cents, if you're interested. I had a little trouble with the formatting. The first time I submitted it, I tried to use normal paragraph indentations, but that didn't come out right, so then I switched it to spaces between the paragraphs. Then I forgot to fix the paragraphs in the last section, so they're still screwed up. (The first paragraph is very long, and goes on for several pages, so don't let that fool you.) Anyway, I promise that the story is much more interesting than listening to me ramble on like this. If anyone decides to actually buy this thing, I would certainly appreciate any feedback on how the formatting turned out. I don't have a Kindle myself, so I'm working almost completely in the dark here. If any one has some helpful tips for my next attempt, I appreciate hearing about that as well.
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| I'll hopefully be coming up with something better. |
The Kindle is awesome. You should get one. I'm willing to spend a buck to read your story, and I'm eager to see how this works out for you. I'm really curious about the process of self-publishing. Perhaps you could dish a little bit for us.
ReplyDeleteIt Just Got Interesting
I checked it, and I think I forgot a step in the publishing process. I don't know if it's available now or not. It might take another 24 hours. Arrrgggghhhh!
ReplyDeleteBryan, you are a published author and have sold one copy at least!
ReplyDeleteFirst I downloaded the free sample. It was sufficiently encouraging for me to make the serious investment of buying the whole thing.
Scanning briefly, I note that typographically it’s not bad. The first paragraph is indeed long. Space between paras looks all right. Italics came out ok on The Human Struggle. The nd on 52nd Street was raised but not reduced in font size. There is a minor issue with your punctuation in quoted speech, e.g.
“I admit of course that these are troubling times .”, the doctor began.
This should be
“I admit of course that these are troubling times,” the doctor began.
with similar changes throughout.
But nitpicking apart it looks good and I hope that when I have read it, my comments on “the story [will be] more interesting than listening to me ramble on here.”
I've submitted a review to Amazon. Whoops! I could have posted it here too, but I forgot to take a copy. They say it will be published within 48 hours.
ReplyDeleteDarn. I tried looking for the review, but it wasn't there. Isn't it strange for them to wait 48 hours to post a review? It's been years since I posted one on there, but I thought they were instantaneous.
ReplyDeleteI noticed the "nd" being raised. The word processor seems to do that automatically. The raised letters make for awkward spacing between the lines.
ReplyDeleteRight. I shall refrain from attempting to paraphrase my review here, but merely assure you that it was favourable!
ReplyDeleteI think once I get this nickel fee for Atypical Reads up and running I can use that to purchase your story, but times are apparently hard and I cannot get 20 people to commit. I should have known better.
ReplyDeleteBut seriously, I will check this out later and can say I too am looking forward to seeing a full on story by you.
Thanks...I think.
ReplyDeleteI would be happy to buy it. Can I borrow a buck?
ReplyDeleteI can give you the one I have left from the strip club. Just don't flip it over.
ReplyDeleteHmmm... Don't have a kindle. Can I buy it and just read it on my PC? I really want to read it, tho. Peering inside your brain always makes my day that much more interesting.
ReplyDeleteYeah, there's something on the Amazon site that you can download to read it on your PC. I don't have a Kindle either.
ReplyDeleteThere's a link to it on the right sidebar on the product page.
ReplyDeleteI bought your book.
ReplyDeleteIt ended sad. I felt sorry for Peter.
Yeah, a lot of my stories tend to end that way.
ReplyDeleteThe Kindle reading app is giving me grief and won't let me get it as yet. However I am in tense negotiations with amazon and won't release my hostages until they submit to my demands. Of course if I actually had any hostages it would make my bargaining position better, but I'm doing the best that I can under the circumstances. Solidarity, brother!
ReplyDeleteYou could always kill one of the hostages to let them know you mean business.
ReplyDeleteDoug told me he was having trouble too. I'm not sure what the problem is.
I've been thinking of gathering up my short stories and compiling them into an e-book. Kinda a test run before I finish my novel. Keep us updated. Like Brent, very interested. If I had a kindle I would be all over the biz like a monkey at a traveling flea market of domesticated efalumps.
ReplyDeleteWhat the hell happened in the basement? I don't read to think, Bryan, I read to be entertained mindlessly so I don't have to think.
ReplyDeleteI told you I like concrete answers, and then you go publish that story. Does my opinion not matter?
Except for the making me think part, I liked it. Funny, though, if I was describing a priest and a shrink, I would have given each of them the physical description you gave the other - the quack being the severe one. I had to do a quick shift of the mental gears when you detailed them.
I left out the part where he had a tea party with his brother. As they drank their imaginary tea, and ate their imaginary crackers, they got to talking about all the mice in the basement. This led them to catching some of the mice. They squeezed the blood out of the mice into a couple of squirt guns. When they had filled them both, they had a big squirt gun fight. They made such a ruckus that the neighbors called the police, who arrived and took Peter away with mouse blood all over his shirt.
ReplyDeleteO and by the way my Kindle review which you might have been waiting to see is only on Amazon.co.uk. You can see it here. I could put it on Amazon.com as well but only if you like it enough.
ReplyDeleteAs you can see above, Doug was also frustrated by the ending. I probably should have developed it a bit more.
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking some time to leave a review, and giving your sincere opinion. I appreciate it.
Oh, well now it makes sense. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteAnd I wasn't really frustrated with the ending. It actually was pretty good. Most stuff I read I just move on afterwards and never give it a second thought. Yours I thought about later. It stuck with me, and that should probably be a definition for "good story."