publishing

Content Reincarnated

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Many, MANY years ago I used to do a column on worldbuilding called Way With Worlds.  So I was thinking of repackaging it, rewriting some of it, and then putting it free online.  If you’re interested, by the way, let me know.

This is making me think how eBooks can actually revive all sorts of dead, forgotten, leftover, and otherwise unused materials.  How many of us  have something that we might as well just blow a weekend and put online?  How many of us have something that will be worth it to someone (and will reach them as it’s free)?

This also makes me wonder how many amazing things people may or could casually put online that we may miss.  Then again if fifty people enjoy some great RPG adventure you created and forgot about, isn’t it worth it?

Then let’s ask what our legacy may be.  How much of this could outlive us?  How many people could be immortalized for a short time by posting works online, or even have them posted posthumously?

It’s humbling, intriguing, and wonderful.

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach.  He blogs on careers at http://www.fantopro.com/, nerd and geek culture at http://www.nerdcaliber.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/.

iDelay the iBook for “Quest For Employment”

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Still having trouble getting the format the way I want it on the iBook version of Quest for Employment.  I’m oddly having trouble with the Table of Contents not looking right, so I’m trying to figure that out right now.

Since I’m using iBook Author on several projects, I might gain some additional insights, but I’m going to need a bit of a break from it.  I’ve also got a lot to juggle right now.

Many authors out there balk at all the challenges they face; the formats, the software, the uploading, the configurations.  It’s certainly frustrating as I have to follow 4 formats if I do it all by hand (3 if I let services do it, which isn’t much of an improvement).

It’s also a learning experience.  Lately I’ve found my writing experience plays well in the job market.  When I was interviewing I always gave out a copy of my book, because let’s face it, its hard to argue with your competency when you can self-publish (well you may not be the right kind of competent, but still).

It’s an opportunity and a hobby.  I’ll be honest, the more I write the more I enjoy it.  I can make a damn book these days.  I’m thinking of what I can do with old works, to give them a moment of immortality.

So frustrating, but worth it.  Plus I got stories to tell kids when they have it easy!

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach.  He blogs on careers at http://www.fantopro.com/, nerd and geek culture at http://www.nerdcaliber.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/.

Publishing: The New Skill

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Published using Nook for the first time for my latest book.  It was about as easy as Kindle, with a few less international options.  That’s pretty promising, as I’d usually have Lulu.com do the job.

It’s still a pain to self-publish merely for the amount of options, platforms, and issues one has to face.  There’s what to put the document in when you write, any conversions you have to make, then what tool to publish it in (I go from Libre Office to Jutoh myself).  It’s nice to be able to self-publish, but I wouldn’t call it simple.

The strange thing is self-publishing is basically it’s own skillset.  It’s not a gateway to easy publishing if you’re a writer since you’ve got to be more than a writer – or hire someone that can do the conversions for you.  Yes, the barrier to entry is far lower, but what was once insurmountable financially or business-wise is still a challenge because you need the skills to self-publish.

Writing well is still never enough.  The barriers and challenges to publishing have changed and even lowered, but they’re still there.  Success is still a lot of work.

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach.  He blogs on careers at http://www.fantopro.com/, nerd and geek culture at http://www.nerdcaliber.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/.