Making sure the format files for your print book and ebook are as good as they can be is essential for a smooth book launch. My main task for yesterday was to go through the print version of the script on Vellum and remove all the widows to ensure the print book set up files were in good order. In the end, I think I cut out around 5 or 6 pages. I had to edit the text slightly, but nothing changed significantly. The printed text will be a few words shorter than the audiobook text, but I doubt anyone will notice unless they’re reading along. I’m sure this happens a lot. Having one or two lines of text at the top of the page at the end of a chapter looks terrible, and it’s a rookie mistake for indie authors. I’d like to avoid any and all rookie mistakes, so getting the format files done right is imperative.
I exported the format files from Vellum and opened the PDFs to double and triple check them. They looked good, so I checked off that task on my to-do list.
Once I locked that down, and it only took an hour or so, I reached out to my book cover artist Pintado to let him know what the final page count is. It’s important information because it tells him how wide the spine needs to be for the printed book. I also told him I need to update the back cover blurb and the bio, and I want to talk to him about a dust jacket for the hardcover copy, images for branding, and illustrations for the interior of the book. He got back to me right away and told me to get him the updated blurb and bio. So I went back to my working blurb. I still wasn’t happy with it, so I made some adjustments. Here’s what I have now:
Naughty Week… That time between Christmas and New Year’s when Santa goes on vacation and kids are allowed as naughty as they want to be. Or is it? For Harrison Fulwell and his brother Max, it most certainly is, because they found the travel itinerary that proves it. When one of Santa’s misfit elves arrives to collect the evidence, she further fuels the boys’ naughty adventures. But when Harrison takes Naughty Week too far with a literal cat burglar and hatches a plot to “fake rob” a bank, things spiral out of control. For Harrison, there’s only one person that can fix the mess he’s created: Santa Claus. In the end, Harrison learns there are always consequences for his actions. Exploring such themes as family, change, choices, and loss, NAUGHTY WEEK is a fun-filled Christmastime novel that captures the earnest spirit of a 10-year-old boy.
It’s about 135 words. I think it’s longer than what I had before, but it’s got more of a hook to it and it’s not as clunky. I texted a friend to get her opinion, and she said it looked good. I tweaked a couple of words, but I think this is the one I’m going to go with.
I looked into acquiring the MARC codes for my book. Apparently, this makes it easier for libraries to catalog the book. But when I spoke to the librarian at my daughters’ school — who read my book last summer — she told me I don’t need any of that. I referred to the block of numbers at the bottom of the copyright page. She told me all I need is the Library of Congress control number and the ISBN. I thought that block of numbers at the bottom of the copyright page was the MARC code. I was wrong about that. I dug a little deeper. Did I really need a MARC code for all formats? It turns out I don’t. Those numbers have something to do with the printing and are used by the publishers to keep track of all of the copies. Or something along those lines. Basically, what I found here was that I am going to save at minimum $160 toward the cost of publishing.
With the format files complete and the cover being edited, I felt good about my progress. I headed to Tom N Tom’s Coffee to work on The Swedish Fish. I wanted to continue outlining. I grabbed an iced brewed coffee, added a little liquid sugar, and took a seat in the back. There were two other people working on laptops, spread out comfortably throughout the place. One guy looked like he was probably a writer. The other, maybe a student. I started outlining. The story is about a legendary catfish that two sisters age 9 and 7 become obsessed with. They think that if they can catch this fish, then their mom and dad will get back together. I had the concept of kids going after a giant legendary fish for a while. I wanted to create a Moby Dick or Old Man and the Sea but with kids at the center of the story. I’ve read (or listened to) Moby Dick. It took three months of an hour and a half commute to Disney Studios. There’s no way I could ever get through the book by reading every word. I tried once. Failed. I also started reading The Old Man and the Sea. I had a free PDF of it on my iPad. Never got through it. That’s a short one, too. Now that I am more focused on reading and writing and have a good track record of finishing books (The Catcher In The Rye, Ham on Rye, and I’m almost finished Women), I’ve requested The Old Man and the Sea from my local library. I’m hoping to have it in my hands by Friday. It will be a nice complementary read as I continue to develop The Swedish Fish.
