I have completed the upload work for Kindle Direct Print (KDP) Hardcover beta.
What Worked:
• My paperback cover
• My Keywords were brought forward
• KDP knew who I was as the author
What Didn’t Work:
• I had to fetch my blurb
• I had to fetch the back cover information
• I had to fetch my picture
New Tasks
• Go to Bowker and get a new ISBN. (I purchased 10 originally)
• Work on the upload file.
Upload File Learning Curve
When Members of the Cast paperback came out, the first page was numbered 2 and on the left. All books in the world, except mine, start with Page 1 on the right. I had used Draft2Digital (D2D) to create a pdf, and something was amiss with my formatting. I am not blaming D2D, as I was messing with the pdf they created. (Blog About this Process)
I decided to try KDP’s Word template. You can download it here: Templates.
I chose the template with sample text so I could see how the styles worked. I thank Joe Garland (Twitter: @JPGarlandAuthor ) credit for hosting a Zoom meeting about working with styles. Using the English 6 x 9 template, I was able to get my text in shape. I won’t bore you with details, but if you use Word (Or LibreOffice), pay attention to the styles KDP created. Once my end matter and main text had been pasted in, I began fighting with styles.
Chapter Titles Style looks like this:
You will notice I used the bling above the chapter title. This is Deco style, created by D2D. How did I get them there? Pasted them one-at-a-time-snore.
I set my chapter titles style sheet like this:
Once the style sheets are set up, for end matter, chapter titles, and body, life gets much simpler. By changing the style, all the text for that style changes in the blink of an eye. I watched the number of pages, trying different fonts and sizes.
Style sheet for the body: (The title includes “First Paragraph” which is a little confusing. )
The net result is a 236-page book, including end matter, with a printing cost of $8.33. I have chosen to set the hard-bound price at $18.00. This gives me a royalty of $2.47.
(Of the $18.00 the author gets 60%, or $10.80. $10.80 less $8.33 = $2.47.)
I approved all of the above and ordered a proof copy.
In Members of the Cast, Sharon says funny things like, “I was famous once, but nobody noticed.” In Sharon’s style, I say, “My hard-bound book is going to be so expensive, I may not buy one.”
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