Friday, July 26, 2019
R.W. Murphy Books Published by Aqua Clara Press: R.W. Murphy Book News Podcast now on Google Podcas...
R.W. Murphy Books Published by Aqua Clara Press: R.W. Murphy Book News Podcast now on Google Podcas...: You can now natively subscribe to the R.W. Murphy Book News podcast on any Android phone that has the Google Podcast app installed. It will ...
R.W. Murphy Book News Podcast now on Google Podcasts
You can now natively subscribe to the R.W. Murphy Book News podcast on any Android phone that has the Google Podcast app installed. It will open in your browser otherwise. [Note: it is also on iTunes for iPhone users... but not via the below link.]
Click here to go to Google Podcast
P.S. Some listing services are slow in responding to changed RSS feeds. A podcast was deleted at the host level today and it is still showing in various catalogs. Unfortunately, it renders as a dead link if someone clicks on it.
Click here to go to Google Podcast
P.S. Some listing services are slow in responding to changed RSS feeds. A podcast was deleted at the host level today and it is still showing in various catalogs. Unfortunately, it renders as a dead link if someone clicks on it.
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Monday, July 22, 2019
R.W. Murphy Books Published by Aqua Clara Press: R.W. Murphy Book News Podcast Now Live on iTunes
R.W. Murphy Books Published by Aqua Clara Press: R.W. Murphy Book News Podcast Now Live on iTunes: R.W. Murphy Book News podcast went live on iTunes in the last few days. Not sure of the precise date. I never got a formal notification fro...
R.W. Murphy Book News Podcast Now Live on iTunes
R.W. Murphy Book News podcast went live on iTunes in the last few days. Not sure of the precise date. I never got a formal notification from them.
Click on Image for Link
 |
| Screen Shot from Apple Podcasts Preview |
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Monday, July 15, 2019
Sunday, July 14, 2019
R.W. Murphy Books Published by Aqua Clara Press: Podcast: America's Response to Existential Fear
R.W. Murphy Books Published by Aqua Clara Press: Podcast: America's Response to Existential Fear: Check out this podcast. It's one of the essays R.W. Murphy wrote in 2016.
Podcast: America's Response to Existential Fear
Check out this podcast. It's one of the essays R.W. Murphy wrote in 2016.
Thursday, July 11, 2019
R.W. Murphy Books Published by Aqua Clara Press: New Podcast Book Samples
R.W. Murphy Books Published by Aqua Clara Press: New Podcast Book Samples: Listen to Chapter II: A Redneck Yankee (Full Chapter Sample). Click for Podcast
Thursday, July 4, 2019
Bending the Curve: An American Healthcare Imperative Audiobook Sample
Below is a link to the ACX audio book production site. When you click on it, the audio .mp3 file for the Prologue of the book is downloaded. You will have to click on the download to activate whatever software you use to play .mp3s on your device.
I also noticed that the dedicated Blogger app on my phone required that I click the button to open the web version to access the link. Once I did that, the download was as expected.
Link for Audio Book Sample
I also noticed that the dedicated Blogger app on my phone required that I click the button to open the web version to access the link. Once I did that, the download was as expected.
Link for Audio Book Sample
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
Errata for Bending the Curve
Being somewhat compulsive, I can never wait for a well-proofed version of my work. No matter how many re-reads I do, I always end up putting up stuff full of typos. My audio guy (yes I actually have an audio guy) sent me a summary of errors he spotted while narrating. Corrected manuscripts went to Amazon today. It still may not be perfect; however it certainly is a lot better.
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
R.W. Murphy Books Published by Aqua Clara Press: Bending The Curve To Be Produced as Audio Book
R.W. Murphy Books Published by Aqua Clara Press: Bending The Curve To Be Produced as Audio Book: Contracted with an audio producer yesterday to narrate Bending the Curve: An American Healthcare Imperative. It will be done via Audiobook ...
Bending The Curve To Be Produced as Audio Book
Contracted with an audio producer yesterday to narrate Bending the Curve: An American Healthcare Imperative. It will be done via Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX) a service of Audible, Inc. The finished product will be marketed on Audible, Amazon and iTunes. Target date to be live is July 15th.
This is only a small little project (estimated at 1.6 hours finished audio). I wanted to limit my investment until I could see how all the moving pieces fit together. I agreed to a split royalty with the producer to minimize my out of pocket costs. Though, I offered enough direct investment to make the narrator work break-even right out of the chute. If we make no royalties he won't be in a loss position. If we do, it will be pure profit for him.
This is only a small little project (estimated at 1.6 hours finished audio). I wanted to limit my investment until I could see how all the moving pieces fit together. I agreed to a split royalty with the producer to minimize my out of pocket costs. Though, I offered enough direct investment to make the narrator work break-even right out of the chute. If we make no royalties he won't be in a loss position. If we do, it will be pure profit for him.
Saturday, June 22, 2019
A Crash Course on Amazon Self-Publishing
Getting Ready
1. Make sure you really want to do it first. It can end up being quite time consuming.
2. If possible, have a partner or two. That speeds up the proof reading (slowest part of the process).
3. If possible, have high visibility people write cover blurbs, endorsements and internal intro section.
4. Unless you are willing to study book basics from front matter to back matter have someone help with the structure.
5. Purchase ISBNs from Bowker Identifier Services (buy more than you think you might need). Every format difference and every new edition of the same book should use one separately. You may also find yourself wanting to write a second or third book.
6. Learn the basics about copyrighting. Anyone can self-file one. You don't need to pay a third party service.
7. If you don't have all the rights to an image do not use it. A lot of stuff on the web shown as "public domain" has an asterisk. In general, with ebooks minimize images used (makes flow better).
8. Self-publishers have a stigma. It was once called the "vanity press." Consider setting up an imprint (an entity under which you publish). A d/b/a (doing business as) over a personal name works fine and usually costs less than a hundred dollars to file with most states.
9. Decide where you want those millions of royalty dollars to go. If you have used the d/b/a method above, it will be 1099 income against your personal social security number. It can be direct deposited into any personal checking account you specify - you don't need a new business account.
10. Make sure you have an up to date version of Microsoft Word that will save in both a .docx and .pdf format.
11. Make sure you have Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat installed for reading the .pdf file.
12. Download and install the Kindle Direct Publishing (i.e., KDP) add-in for Word. Note that it can be turned off if it causes problems. However, it's good to get a new book started with it for formatting purposes.
13. Download and install the Kindle Previewer 3 (or later) for proofing and .mobi file conversion (n.b.,final ebook upload format will be in .mobi and print upload format will be .pdf).
14. Have someplace in the cloud to save your work. Don't ever leave it on one machine or in one physical location. Google My Drive is free and easy to use for that. Even the Evernote system will work. Just recognize that a robbery, fire or hurricane could ruin your day.
Setting Up Your Amazon Account
1. If you are not already an online Amazon user, you need to set up an account.
2. Go https://kdp.amazon.com and log in with your Amazon account credentials
3. Set up a new KDP account
4. Specify social security number and bank routing for direct deposit
5. Answer any other questions required in KDP set up.
6. Once your KDP account is ready, log-on to it and go to the Bookshelf tab.
7. Click on Create a New Title (ebook).
8. You will be walked through all the set up for your new book. If you're missing info or are making decisions about something, you can just save your work and come back to it later.
9. Once all your ebook info is entered, you can select a corresponding print book if you plan to publish one. All the set up info from the ebook pre-populates over to the print book.
10. You will be asked to either submit a cover or use the embedded Cover Creator. There is a stand-alone template that can be used but it is cumbersome. Better to just used the Cover Creator. If you have a pic that you really want to use, it can be uploaded. Otherwise, use one the stock ones provided. If you want consistency between ebook and print versions, you can save a copy of the ebook cover (while in Cover Creator Preview, right click and select Save Image). The saved image can then be uploaded as the cover for the print version (with a little mild tweaking for size and resolution).
Getting Your Manuscript Ready
1. Follow the guidance of the KDP Word add-on for getting started. It will save a bunch of headaches later.
2. Margins will be a major consideration depending on the length of book. Ebooks require no left-side "gutter" but print books do. The longer the book the more gutter is required. You can find the standards on the KDP help pages. They run from .375 (up to 150 pp.) to .875 (700-828 pp.). It's actually quite easy to adjust margins if the book runs longer than you anticipate (Word > Page Layout > Margins > Custom > Mirror Margins > Apply to Whole Document).
3. Images also have to be high resolution. Read up on KDP for standards.
4. You will need to insert a Table of Contents. You can used one from the KDP add-in or one of Word's stock versions. Before your final manuscript save, make sure you click on it and update all the pagination.
5. The name of the book and the author will need to be in the header on alternate pages. It can be a little tricky in Word (read all the menu choices at top as you go along such as "different on first page").
6. Page number will need to go in the footer. That can be tricky too. You don't want headers of footers showing on your title page. You also may need to change the formatting from Roman numerals to Latin when you go from all the front pages to the main body. You can highlight any page number and change its format. Every number that follows will be in sequence and in same format unless you manually change it.
7. SAVE SAVE SAVE. BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP. Don't loose your work by being lazy.
8. Proof read for style and intent. Proof read for spelling and grammar. Repeat and then repeat again. Have some other eyes help you if you can.
9. When you think everything is right (n.b., it never is), click Save As and select the PDF format in the pull down menu. Before saving, go to Tools and click on Compress Pictures. Make sure Use Document Resolution is selected.
10. Name the document something like "MyStory_print.pdf" and then hit save.
Processing Your Manuscript
1. You may have already used Kindle Previewer 3 to review your manuscript as you wrote it.
2. Open it and from the File menu select Open File. If necessary navigate to where your manuscript is saved in .docx format. Click to open it in the Previewer. Usually takes a minutes depending on file size.
3. Scan the results. This is precisely the way your ebook will be rendered. If needed, do some more editing in Word and repeat the process.
4. Once satisfied click on Export. A new .mobi file will be created.
Uploading Ebook to KDP
1. Go back to your Bookshelf and select the ebook version of "MyStory" navigate to the Content tab (you might need to go through the Details tab to get there).
2. Click on the Upload Manuscript tab.
3. Select your .mobi file and hit save. You will get a message that it has been successfully transmitted to KDP. You might get a question about content not be objectionable.
4. Read up on the alternatives in the Pricing section. Unless you have plans for using outlets other than KDP use the KDP Select service. There are other issues you might want to address there as well.
5. Once you click Publish you should get a message within 12-24 hours that your new book is live and selling on Amazon.
Uploading Print Book to KDP
1. You don't use the .mobi file.
2. You do use the .pdf file.
3. Make sure the margins are right
4. Makes sure image resolutions are right
5. Make sure that if you uploaded a cover image that text doesn't bleed over allocated space.
6. Be prepared for at least one thing you didn't expect.
7. Fix it and reload.
8. Process might take a few days.
9. If everything was right the first time, it usually takes 24 hours to turn around.
10. Order a proof copy
11. If you find any further mistakes in the proof copy, you can edit the .docx file, re-save it to .pdf and then upload it again.
12. Note that you can order a proof before the print book goes live but it takes a week or more to get it.
Marketing the Book
1. Read up on the various KDP services.
2. Consider press releases and blog entries
3. Have a dedicated web site set up for your writing using your d/b/a imprint name
4. Get an agent if it makes sense
5. Project a presence in the local and national marketplace if possible.
6. Read various tips from the pros.
1. Make sure you really want to do it first. It can end up being quite time consuming.
2. If possible, have a partner or two. That speeds up the proof reading (slowest part of the process).
3. If possible, have high visibility people write cover blurbs, endorsements and internal intro section.
4. Unless you are willing to study book basics from front matter to back matter have someone help with the structure.
5. Purchase ISBNs from Bowker Identifier Services (buy more than you think you might need). Every format difference and every new edition of the same book should use one separately. You may also find yourself wanting to write a second or third book.
6. Learn the basics about copyrighting. Anyone can self-file one. You don't need to pay a third party service.
7. If you don't have all the rights to an image do not use it. A lot of stuff on the web shown as "public domain" has an asterisk. In general, with ebooks minimize images used (makes flow better).
8. Self-publishers have a stigma. It was once called the "vanity press." Consider setting up an imprint (an entity under which you publish). A d/b/a (doing business as) over a personal name works fine and usually costs less than a hundred dollars to file with most states.
9. Decide where you want those millions of royalty dollars to go. If you have used the d/b/a method above, it will be 1099 income against your personal social security number. It can be direct deposited into any personal checking account you specify - you don't need a new business account.
10. Make sure you have an up to date version of Microsoft Word that will save in both a .docx and .pdf format.
11. Make sure you have Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat installed for reading the .pdf file.
12. Download and install the Kindle Direct Publishing (i.e., KDP) add-in for Word. Note that it can be turned off if it causes problems. However, it's good to get a new book started with it for formatting purposes.
13. Download and install the Kindle Previewer 3 (or later) for proofing and .mobi file conversion (n.b.,final ebook upload format will be in .mobi and print upload format will be .pdf).
14. Have someplace in the cloud to save your work. Don't ever leave it on one machine or in one physical location. Google My Drive is free and easy to use for that. Even the Evernote system will work. Just recognize that a robbery, fire or hurricane could ruin your day.
Setting Up Your Amazon Account
1. If you are not already an online Amazon user, you need to set up an account.
2. Go https://kdp.amazon.com and log in with your Amazon account credentials
3. Set up a new KDP account
4. Specify social security number and bank routing for direct deposit
5. Answer any other questions required in KDP set up.
6. Once your KDP account is ready, log-on to it and go to the Bookshelf tab.
7. Click on Create a New Title (ebook).
8. You will be walked through all the set up for your new book. If you're missing info or are making decisions about something, you can just save your work and come back to it later.
9. Once all your ebook info is entered, you can select a corresponding print book if you plan to publish one. All the set up info from the ebook pre-populates over to the print book.
10. You will be asked to either submit a cover or use the embedded Cover Creator. There is a stand-alone template that can be used but it is cumbersome. Better to just used the Cover Creator. If you have a pic that you really want to use, it can be uploaded. Otherwise, use one the stock ones provided. If you want consistency between ebook and print versions, you can save a copy of the ebook cover (while in Cover Creator Preview, right click and select Save Image). The saved image can then be uploaded as the cover for the print version (with a little mild tweaking for size and resolution).
Getting Your Manuscript Ready
1. Follow the guidance of the KDP Word add-on for getting started. It will save a bunch of headaches later.
2. Margins will be a major consideration depending on the length of book. Ebooks require no left-side "gutter" but print books do. The longer the book the more gutter is required. You can find the standards on the KDP help pages. They run from .375 (up to 150 pp.) to .875 (700-828 pp.). It's actually quite easy to adjust margins if the book runs longer than you anticipate (Word > Page Layout > Margins > Custom > Mirror Margins > Apply to Whole Document).
3. Images also have to be high resolution. Read up on KDP for standards.
4. You will need to insert a Table of Contents. You can used one from the KDP add-in or one of Word's stock versions. Before your final manuscript save, make sure you click on it and update all the pagination.
5. The name of the book and the author will need to be in the header on alternate pages. It can be a little tricky in Word (read all the menu choices at top as you go along such as "different on first page").
6. Page number will need to go in the footer. That can be tricky too. You don't want headers of footers showing on your title page. You also may need to change the formatting from Roman numerals to Latin when you go from all the front pages to the main body. You can highlight any page number and change its format. Every number that follows will be in sequence and in same format unless you manually change it.
7. SAVE SAVE SAVE. BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP. Don't loose your work by being lazy.
8. Proof read for style and intent. Proof read for spelling and grammar. Repeat and then repeat again. Have some other eyes help you if you can.
9. When you think everything is right (n.b., it never is), click Save As and select the PDF format in the pull down menu. Before saving, go to Tools and click on Compress Pictures. Make sure Use Document Resolution is selected.
10. Name the document something like "MyStory_print.pdf" and then hit save.
Processing Your Manuscript
1. You may have already used Kindle Previewer 3 to review your manuscript as you wrote it.
2. Open it and from the File menu select Open File. If necessary navigate to where your manuscript is saved in .docx format. Click to open it in the Previewer. Usually takes a minutes depending on file size.
3. Scan the results. This is precisely the way your ebook will be rendered. If needed, do some more editing in Word and repeat the process.
4. Once satisfied click on Export. A new .mobi file will be created.
Uploading Ebook to KDP
1. Go back to your Bookshelf and select the ebook version of "MyStory" navigate to the Content tab (you might need to go through the Details tab to get there).
2. Click on the Upload Manuscript tab.
3. Select your .mobi file and hit save. You will get a message that it has been successfully transmitted to KDP. You might get a question about content not be objectionable.
4. Read up on the alternatives in the Pricing section. Unless you have plans for using outlets other than KDP use the KDP Select service. There are other issues you might want to address there as well.
5. Once you click Publish you should get a message within 12-24 hours that your new book is live and selling on Amazon.
Uploading Print Book to KDP
1. You don't use the .mobi file.
2. You do use the .pdf file.
3. Make sure the margins are right
4. Makes sure image resolutions are right
5. Make sure that if you uploaded a cover image that text doesn't bleed over allocated space.
6. Be prepared for at least one thing you didn't expect.
7. Fix it and reload.
8. Process might take a few days.
9. If everything was right the first time, it usually takes 24 hours to turn around.
10. Order a proof copy
11. If you find any further mistakes in the proof copy, you can edit the .docx file, re-save it to .pdf and then upload it again.
12. Note that you can order a proof before the print book goes live but it takes a week or more to get it.
Marketing the Book
1. Read up on the various KDP services.
2. Consider press releases and blog entries
3. Have a dedicated web site set up for your writing using your d/b/a imprint name
4. Get an agent if it makes sense
5. Project a presence in the local and national marketplace if possible.
6. Read various tips from the pros.
Friday, June 21, 2019
R.W. Murphy Books Published by Aqua Clara Press: Got burned out slogging through the editing of CCW...
R.W. Murphy Books Published by Aqua Clara Press: Got burned out slogging through the editing of CCW...: Got burned out slogging through the editing of CCW: The Action Manifesto. Decided to slip in a short book (almost an essay) on the effects U...
New US Healthcare Book
Got burned out slogging through the editing of CCW: The Action Manifesto. Decided to slip in a short book (almost an essay) on the effects US healthcare being perfectly inelastic (i.e., patients will buy goods and service at the same level no matter where they are priced). It's both an indictment and a strong suggestion that Americans get knowledgeable on the subject before voting in November 2020. Its titled "Bending the Curve: An American Healthcare Imperative."
The ebook version is live. I don't like ebooks in general because they adjust the formatting too much. However, I just found out that fixed format versions (created in Kindle Textbook Creator) are not readable in standard Kindle readers. As a result I have relented. If anything looks quirky... blame the MOBI gods. The print copy will be a clone of the PDF.
I priced the ebook at what most people pay for a beer and a tip on a Friday night ($4.25). The print version will be $6.95 when released in the next day or so. Working out some formatting issues with the latter now.
Click here to go to Amazon.
The ebook version is live. I don't like ebooks in general because they adjust the formatting too much. However, I just found out that fixed format versions (created in Kindle Textbook Creator) are not readable in standard Kindle readers. As a result I have relented. If anything looks quirky... blame the MOBI gods. The print copy will be a clone of the PDF.
I priced the ebook at what most people pay for a beer and a tip on a Friday night ($4.25). The print version will be $6.95 when released in the next day or so. Working out some formatting issues with the latter now.
Click here to go to Amazon.
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