In late summer 2023, I was introduced to a software package that allowed for far more customization when creating the finished versions of my novels. Up to that point, I’d used some other tools that did a fairly good job but, to my eye, looked just a little bit too generic. The first book to use the updated software was Focus, and I was so pleased with the results that I went back and re-did all of my prior releases using the enhanced fonts and layouts that were now available to me. For those of you who purchased my works on Kindle (or read them on Kindle Unlimited), the revised editions will automatically appear the next time you open one of my novels; paperbacks and hardcovers were also updated, but those will only kick in for any orders placed after I made the changes.
Concurrent with those changes, I also made the tough decision to shift away from the printer I was using for my hardcovers; as much as I liked the physical book that was being created, the amount of time it was taking to fill an order was extraordinarily long, and the price was far higher than I would have liked. The upside to using this particular printer was the ability for my books to be available in a traditional bookstore as well as online outlets; while my new printer does offer a similar service, I know it’s less likely independent bookstores will work with them. I had to weigh many factors in making this call, one of them being that, overwhelmingly, most of my readers favor a digital edition over print; I nonetheless continue to offer print versions for as long as it remains a viable option.
I continue to analyze whether to produce versions of my novels on other e-reader platforms beyond Amazon; industry numbers tell me that the majority of sales are done through the Kindle platform, so I am reluctant to diminish my presence there by diverting advertising dollars. Many of the independent author groups I belong to have long, vibrant discussions around this very topic, and, honestly, don’t seem to have reached any sort of consensus. For the moment, it’s a “stay the course” path I am choosing, with a watchful eye on which way the wind is blowing.
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2 responses to “Formatting Updates”
Out of curiosity, to what software package did you switch?
Heavens, I can’t believe I left that part out! I’ve shifted to using Vellum; I first read about the software in one of ALLI’s publications, and then saw it referenced in one of the indie author forums I belong to. I absolutely love the software — it’s very easy to use, though unfortunately it’s only available on the Mac. The best feature is how it can create properly formatted files for all of the major e-publishing formats as well as print (paperback and hardcover); the time I’ve saved in being able to use a single manuscript for every publishing vector has been huge.
I’ve used Scrivener for years to produce my first drafts, and though it, too, can produce an EPUB file or PDF, I generally do my ultimate polishing in Word. I could actually export Scrivener -> Word -> Vellum and do the formatting work entirely within Vellum (and I do see comments in the ALLI forums that authors will take that approach) but I’m old school enough that I want to edit entire thing in Word first.
–C