Books – Page 27 – Jean's Writing

Did you know it only takes one?

Published on May 24, 2016May 24, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell7 Comments

One ISBN.

That’s right, one ISBN to print with IngramSpark and CreateSpace.

We all want our books available in as many places as possible but if the same paperback book has more than one ISBN, it can become confusing.

There is an order to this madness. And steps you can take to stay sane as you wade through the swamp of self-publishing.

First, purchase your ISBN number from Bowker.

Yes, it costs to buy your own ISBN but you retain more control. Consider buying in bulk rather than one at a time. I found it cheaper to go that route. The numbers never expire and they are yours to use for future books.

Second publish your book with IngramSpark (Lightening Source) first.

This is very important. You must publish with them before CreateSpace.

Third, register log onto Bowker and register your book title which connects the ISBN to the publication.

Registering your book title is super important, don’t skip this step.

Last upload your book via Createspace.

At the ISBN page, choose “provide own ISBN.”

screenshot isbn

That’s it! Your book will now be available through both IngramSpark and Amazon.com (CreateSpace) but the book will have the same ISBN number.

Why is this important?

Whether your Aunt Tilly orders it from Amazon or your local library orders a copy through IngramSpark for their shelves, the ISBN is the same.

I’ve not decided it this is important for ebooks yet.

What do you think? Do you think it’s important to own the ISBN for ebooks as well as print books?

Talk to me, the lights on and comments are now open.

For more information about ISBNs click on the article at the bottom.

You can find me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdelland Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! Please remember to click and share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.

And One ISBN Shall Bind Them…. by Amy Collins

Want to know which program to steer clear of?

Published on May 23, 2016May 20, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell20 Comments

KKBC, Kindle Kids’ Book Creator.

Well, that’s my opinion anyway.

Okay, I’ve told y’all many times how hard-headed I can be. So this post will come as no surprise, that even after reading the pros and cons of the new Kindle Kids’ Book Creator software, I still decided to give it a try. God I’m nuts!

To the readers which received an advance ecopy to review, I humbly apologize if you were unable to open the .mobi document.

I should have saved myself the trouble. Other than it being another software to use, trust me, it’s not worth the hassle.

screenshot_Thu_May_19_16.24.06

It’s a lot of hard work for little return. Kind of like eating crawdads. After dinner, you wonder why you didn’t just go ahead and order a damn lobster.

Okay, enough bellyaching. Here is why after the hard work, cussing, and crying I ended up with a product that is very limited.

I will have to publish another Kindle version through CreateSpace.

Why? Because Kindle Kids’ Book Creator files are huge and this limits the price you can charge for an ebook. Another thing it only allows certain devices to download the book. Yep, you heard right. Not all Kindle devices will be able to buy the book. That is why I will release another one through Createspace.

It took me 10 tries to get this small picture book to look right. Sigh. Can anyone say crawdads?

I could’ve published a couple of ebooks in the time I wasted playing with this program.

Although I had queried, searched and read everything I could get my hands on about this program, still I went forward.

Never again. For the future, I will use PagePlus to design the book, produce it in a PDF with Nitro10, and load it straight to IngramSpark and Createspace.

Bottom line, this is a no go for me. I won’t be using KKBC again.

Talk to me, the lights on and comments are now open.

Go to the bottom of this post and see what other writers had to say about KKBC.

You can find me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdelland Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! Please remember to click and share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.

KDP Kids: Kindle Kids Book Creator

The disappointment: 5 reasons I’m not using Kindle Kids’ Book Creator software anymore

Do you know how to size those pesky pictures?

Published on May 20, 2016May 19, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell6 Comments

If not maybe this will help.

Converting screenshots or other pictures to jpg’s or changing the DPI is so easy using a program called Paint.net.

Thought I’d share with y’all my steps.

For screenshots, I use a screen recorder called Icecream Apps. It’s a FREE download and super easy to use.

Select the picture or area of your computer screen you want to copy and select screenshot. Save. The program saves it as a .png. This is where I reach for one of my favorite programs, Paint.net.

This is where I reach for one of my favorite programs, Paint.net.

In your file folder, find the picture and right click to “open with” Paint.net. Once the picture opens, do a “save as” a Jpeg.

Next, you can manipulate the size and DPI of the picture.

Click on “Image” in the drop down menu. Select “Resize”

So tell me, are you more confused than ever? Or did this help any?

Talk to me, the lights on and comments are now open.

You can find me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdelland Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! Please remember to click and share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.

How do you get rid of a case of the Writer Blues?

Published on May 11, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell28 Comments

Anybody have any suggestions?

For answers, I went to my trusty friend Mr. Google.

Sometimes the Writer Blues (WB) grab hold of you when you become discouraged over a work in progress (WIP). Other times WB sneaks up on you after a completed project. Such is my case.

I open my notebook and flip through my idea list. Nope, nope, dumb, who the hell wrote that?

I open my WIP file folder on my computer. A folder filled with story starts that sounded promising when I jotted down the opening paragraphs or even first chapters. Nope, nope, oh hell no!

Okay, clear mind. Take a walk. Back inside, short walk, it’s hot in Texas.

Do a mindless task, laundry, yes, do some laundry. We now have clean underwear. But didn’t do jack for generating a story idea.

That’s when I noticed the first symptoms. A half-gallon of Blue Bell Vanilla ice cream is almost gone and the wine cooler needs replenishing. Maybe I should check into one of those wine by the month clubs. Wonder if there is one for ice cream too. Hmm… I’ll Google it.

Now, what were we talking about? Oh yeah, the WB’s.

And how can I rid myself of this dang malady!

How do you get rid of the Writer Blues and begin a new project?

Got any tricks or tips to share?

I hear you- time to quit whining and just write something!

Talk to me, the lights on and comments are now open.

Keep reading great links at the bottom of the page!

You can find me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdelland Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! Please remember to click and share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.