Studio8 - Uniting the Arts

I can't write this thing anymore-- need to move on. I will now put down the pen and just get it out... my dust busted cache of sunburnt scenes and general arid obsession, stretched over my last few years of pointless desert wander, selfish, unnecessary burning of fossil fuels, and general irresponsibility, mostly...

Any advice on self-publishing? How about the cover? And how difficult is it to add images to text?... etc... Thanks in advance!

naz...

no idea...!! but sure here someone can give you some advices, mnaz!! good luck!!

Thanks Arcadia!

I think it'll be a half-decent read... though I hardly know my larkspur from lily... Ol' Cactus Ed Abbey I'm not, but then who is?...

Woohoo! A mnaz manuscript! This is great news!

I don't know how other people do it using Word. I hate that program. You CAN insert images in it yes. But I can't give you any advice as far as set-up using Word, if that's the program you use and most people do. I use Quark Xpress or InDesign, page layout programs. If you have access to one of those, I can help by advise you how to do the initial set up of the pages..

Most of the POD (print-on-demand) self publishing sites I've found offer a set-up service for a fee. But I donno how much it costs or whether it's worth it, though I know several people who have used such services.

Cafepress and lulu.com both have areas on their site where they teach you how to set up your document, to a degree anyway. Those are the ones I'm working with for the S8 book. Both offer full-color covers. Lulu actually offers interior pages in color but it's a little costly... not bad tho. You could also try iuniverse or xlibris. I'm sure there are others. All of these sites, I'm pretty sure, have peer-to-peer forums where you can get help from others and detailed help documents plus templates for the various-sized book covers.

http://www2.xlibris.com/
http://www.iuniverse.com/
http://cafepress.com
http://lulu.com

I'd offer to help you myself but since it took me 8 months (going on 9 now) to put the S8 "Infinite Tide" book together (announcement coming soon).... well... by the time I helped you, you'd probably have 2 more books finished!

That said, if you want to email me or pm me with any questions about the process, I'd be happy to tell you about my experience with it and give you whatever input I can if you're stuck or something.

Can't wait to own a mnaz book! I'm so happy to hear this!

mnaz... it's about friggin time (I should talk!)... get going. Off yer arse and do the POD... hup! hup! Christmas is only 4 months away.

Good luck to you...

Consider one copy already sold! To me!
Would you autograph it? Pretty please!

H

this is good news.
yeah, selfish - just livin your life and writin your thoughts - time to emerge from the den of e-centred livin and hit the hard copy of life. unselfish is the new 'black'.
best of luck - i'm thinking sepia but then again, i would.

so, doreen, lulu.com - the goldenmyst house offers colour.
on Word, by the way, the publisher pages are very nice.
Cenacle Ray works on mac and has put out a number of Scriptor Press volumes - perhaps he could lend an ear, mnaz sir, if you mac.

best of luck.
doreen - perhaps we could think of a series of cafe press volumes - this was one of your original 'perhaps-ses'.

Thanks Doreen, Cecil, Hesty & Judih, for the encouragement and the references-- potential sources of help. I appreciate it much! I don't think color photos will be necessary... I just need to learn how to get them in to the text passages, etc...

... don't have much time to talk right now-- I lost my home internet connection for awhile (sorry for the delay in getting back to everyone)....

I'll be around...

m...naz

Well... I added the "Burning Man" segment, and added to others... so I guess I wasn't quite there... gotta get it out, though...

I came up with a title and chapter sequence... I'll lay it out chronologically, I think....

1. Re: Horizon (5/99-6/99)
2. Flight (5/99-10/99)
3. Vertical Cliffs (10/99-10/04)
4. Reset (4/00)
5. Religion (9/01-10/01)
6. Ramble (9/01-5/02)
7. Roundscape (10/01-6/02)
8. Bad Room (10/01-10/02)
9. Otis (11/01-4/02)
10. The Realm (2/02-6/02)
11. Moving Rocks (5/02)
12. Jean Lake in July (7/02)
13. Reverb (9/02)
14. Theology (6/03)
15. Silence (6/03)
16. Roy (7/03)
17. Vegas, Part 2 (7/03)
18. Blazer (5/04)
19. Lost (9/04)
20. Variables (12/04)
21. Wasted Space (12/04-8/05)
22. Drought (3/05)
23. Nevada, Part 1 (3/05-4/05)
24. Elevation (4/05-5/05)
25. Burning Man (8/05-9/05)
26. In California's Defense (12/05)
27. Gold (12/05-1/06)
28. Red's Camp (2/06-5/06)
29. One Room Cabin (5/06)
30. Lost Mines (5/06)
31. Trees (5/06-6/06)
32. Loss of Momentum (7/06)....

I think that should work. Now it's one last final edit/spellcheck, and I'm off to sort out the submittal process and join the self-publishing craze (affliction?)....

....btw... thanks for reading... not sure why I'm reporting all this... perhaps just a way of, you know, applying a little self-motivation....

wow!!! it´s almost already done!!!
(affliction?).... I´ll buy you a copy, don´t worry!!!

I look forward to getting a copy.

Thanks Arcadia and still-t... I appreciate it.

They say everyone should write at least one book...

They do? That would be a lotta books... and who's they?...
uhh... now I'm conversing with myself... not a good sign.
Anyway, yeh, I need to finish writing and start reading more...
I guess...

the chapter line-up sounds intriguing.
Really can't wait to see this process evolve.
(one question, if a person has written one book, does that mean there'll be no more compulsory editions? everything else is free choice? why i'm asking is because i wrote a book when i was 16. it probably said it all before i even knew how i knew, so maybe i'll just shut up and read what you have to say)

I can't count the times I thought I was done.

Oh yeah... I guess I can. 7 proofs sitting right here... 2 from cafepress, 3 from lulu and 1 from createspace. Hadda buy 'em at cost but it's beginning to cost a lot.

but this isn't about me, it's about you and I'm very happy you have the manuscript almost ready to go. The set-up and proofing process for you will no doubt be much easier than for the "infinite tide" book since you are publishing text only rather than images. It's been a struggle over here. Apologies you don't see your published words in this book yet. You all probably think I'm a flake. but believe me.. there IS a book.

And I hope to own one of your books soon, also.

All the best.

good news, doreen.
whenever it arrives will be fine.
can't rush infinite tide - surely that must be a quotation from someone.

& mnaz, your thoughts will be happily welcomed when they're wrapped up well and to your satisfaction.