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Aaaaaargh!

Journal Entry: Wed Dec 23, 2009, 8:29 AM




Well, after all my hard work it looks like I'm going to have to swtich to Lulu. Blurb's software program is a major pain. It turns out that the program itself adds two blank pages between every chapter -- which is one reason the page count is running over. Plus, when you finally edit out those blank pages, it won't let you add the rest of your novel in at the end. Worse: it won't let you indent paragraphs. You must use line breaks -- which ads even more pages to your book. If you do try to indent using the tab, it indents the line 15 characters in! And you can't change the tab size. If you try to manually indent, say 3 spaces, it doesn't wrap the sentence into the next line. It forces it over the margin where it is cut off and lost in limbo somewhere. All in all, a mess -- with crappy customer service as well. They never have an answer for any of these questions, except to say "there is no workaround at this time."

Lulu forces me to charge more per book, but at least it gives me plenty of pages to work with and has the know-how to provide relevant information to authors, such as the mandatory requirements for national and global distribution.

Ahhh, but all those days of work getting the manuscript ready for Blurb -- all lost. Console me. Tell me it's okay. Shit. Where's the scotch!?



Features





  • Mood: Rant
  • Listening to: Wind Beneath My Wings
  • Reading: Bushworld
  • Watching: The day tick toward my mini vacation
  • Playing: With the Lulu software
  • Eating: Way too much Christmas candy
  • Drinking: Ice water

Shoot me. Shoot me now.

Journal Entry: Sat Dec 19, 2009, 6:46 PM
Facebook l Gallery l dA Portfolio l Watch Me l Note Me

jon.com cover: check. (Thank you, Heather.)
Back cover copy: check.
Dedication: check.
An entire weekend to simply upload the whole thing to the publisher's software: Double check.

Eight hours later -- no break for dinner or lunch (God bless Christmas cookies) -- I get the dreaded error message for the 10th time! The damn thing is still too long! By my count, I'm at 411 pages -- 29 pages under the limit. By their count, who knows? It doesn't say. So I keep cutting and crying with no end in sight.

I read it yesterday at work from start to finish (slow day, the bosses are all starting their holiday vacations early) and I loved it! That's hard for me to say because I'm my worst critic. How do I fix this without gutting the stuff I am now committed to heart and soul?

Shoot me.

CSS made by =BloodPromiser
Texture by `Princess-of-Shadows
  • Mood: Miserable
  • Listening to: My heart breaking
  • Reading: Between the lines
  • Watching: My day come to an unproductive end
  • Playing: The poor-me card
  • Eating: A cutout sugar cookie with green sprinkles
  • Drinking: Ice water

Sorry, Jules. Please don't send Peter after me.

Wed Dec 2, 2009, 5:41 PM
I did it. I got jon.com whittled down to under 440 pages. Whew. Unfortunately, the tattooist's wife, named for Spidey Geek, had to be sacrificed to the publishing gods. I hope you don't hate me too much, Jules. Forgive me, Peter. (Or not. Just please don't leave marks. They'll look at me funny at work.)

Next project: Writing the teaser copy for the back cover, and the dedication. I also need to revamp the cover slightly. I want to replace my current "blood splatter" dot in jon dot com with the very cool drip :iconquickreaver: used in her t-shirt design. That will be a killer. I know squat about design software. Anyone want to volunteer? Pretty please?

Otherwise, all is progressing smoothly. Should be able to take orders very soon -- or forward you to the publisher's website to make your purchase. Thanks to all of my dA friends for their patience.

I am so excited! Wait till you read all the unexpected changes!

  • Mood: Joy
  • Listening to: The phone ring... damn junk phone calls!
  • Reading: The new Vampire Diaries... horrible!
  • Watching: The glimmer from the lighthouse
  • Playing: Fish World (I know, I know)
  • Eating: Salted almonds
  • Drinking: Ice water

Ready or not...just became NOT!

Journal Entry: Sun Nov 22, 2009, 4:21 PM
...who wants hard cover and who wants paperback?

Postscript:
You can take your time deciding, because I've just discovered that despite all my careful editing jon.com is still 40 pages too long for the publishers softward program. :sigh: So I have to finish formating the pages to accommodate their program -- and then start looking for scenes to ax. If you remember the story and recall scenes you hated, let me know. They could become candidates (assuming I haven't sliced and diced then out already). Patience, gang. I'm in the home stretch.

  • Mood: Relief
  • Listening to: The quiet
  • Reading: Even Money by Dick Francis
  • Watching: The fog roll in off the lake
  • Playing: With the publishing software
  • Eating: Waffles
  • Drinking: OJ

She's a Week Old

Journal Entry: Fri Oct 23, 2009, 10:29 AM
Sorry I've been MIA on DA. Parents still needing help with house and health. Job demanding more of my time. Freelance work starting to come in again (my checkbook says "thank you"!). And... I became a grandmother again. Ariel Louise was born last Friday, making her debut at 7 lbs. 6 ozs and 20 1/2 inches long. She has dark brown hair and blue-black eyes. Sweet as candy corn but much kinder to the waistline. I'll try to be better about checking in here more often. I have 92 deviations to wade through and 99 messages to answer! Cover me... I'm going in.

BTW, my mood is NOT questionable. The emoticon won't change.

  • Mood: Questionable
  • Listening to: The office's very noisy furnace!
  • Reading: The Vampire Diaries... why, I do not know.
  • Watching: The heavy rain outisde the window
  • Playing: Nothing. No time for play.
  • Eating: A KitKat
  • Drinking: Water from the office cooler

I know I'm a few weeks late with this, but some of you might actually have Halloween candy left, so... What did you do with your Reeses Peanut Butter Cups? 

29%
14 deviants said I bought them to give away to the kids, but hid them under cheaper candy so they would all be leftover for me.
25%
12 deviants said I didn't buy/get Reeses Peanut Butter Cups because I forgot.
23%
11 deviants said What's a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup?
13%
6 deviants said I went trick or treating myself and dug through my stash that night looking for them so I could eat them first.
8%
4 deviants said I don't like Reeses Peanut Butter Cups.
2%
1 deviant said I saved them for special kids I like who came trick or treating.

ShoutBoard

:iconsmurfetteinred:
My daughter's photography account -
Check it out!


MARCUS'S STAMP>

DINA'S STAMP>

NOT LOVIE'S STAMP>
JON'S STAMP>

GUESS WHO>

ZACH'S STAMP>

LUNATICSTAR'S STAMP>


LOOKIE, LOOKIE>
THIS ONE TOO!>
FRIENDS ROCK>
FOR BEAU>

FROM :iconladywolfheart:>

I'd hardly rate me "G", would you?>



LORIN'S STAMP>
ASHER'S STAMP>
TREECE'S STAMP>

Shoutbox

*Penfury:iconPenfury:
We wish you a Merry Christmas, We wish you a Merry Christmas, We wish you a Merry Christmas, and a Published New Year! :music:
Mon Dec 21, 2009, 8:12 PM
*denlm:icondenlm:
Thankies, ma'am! :wave:
Wed Apr 22, 2009, 4:55 AM
~bearingz:iconbearingz:
Ooo, no1's said anything in a while :o w00t I just did! :XD:
Mon Apr 20, 2009, 1:54 AM
*denlm:icondenlm:
Ah, someone saw the G stamp. Yep, no General Audiences for us, eh, Peter?
Mon Dec 15, 2008, 9:24 AM
=peterdawes:iconpeterdawes:
you? g-rated, dear? that would make both of us, right? ;)
Tue Nov 11, 2008, 2:52 PM
*denlm:icondenlm:
If you want uninterrupted sleep, be careful where you lay your head.
Tue Oct 7, 2008, 3:29 PM
=BeauEromantica:iconBeauEromantica:
Hrumph - Never wake a sleeping bear!
Tue Oct 7, 2008, 12:22 PM
*denlm:icondenlm:
Bye!
Thu Sep 25, 2008, 4:43 PM
=mystery-of-sorrow:iconmystery-of-sorrow:
I'm going, I'm going, yeesh.
Sun Sep 14, 2008, 1:56 PM
*denlm:icondenlm:
You stumbled into the shout zone. The exit is that way...
Wed Sep 10, 2008, 11:35 PM

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ShoutBoard

:iconsmurfetteinred:
My daughter's photography account -
Check it out!


MARCUS'S STAMP -->

DINA'S STAMP -->

NOT LOVIE'S STAMP -->
JON'S STAMP -->
GUESS WHOSE STAMP --> <-- ZACH'S STAMP (my ZACH!) <-- LUNATICSTAR'S STAMP
LOOKIE, LOOKIE -->
<-- AND THIS ONE TOO!
FRIENDS ROCK --> FOR BEAU -->
--> A Faved Stamp from :iconladywolfheart:
I would
hardly rate me "G",
would you? -->

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