Sunday, January 10, 2021

Brilliant idea, disaster, and-finally-success! Plus Mini Movie Reviews


Howdy!

Last weekend, I had what at the time seemed like a Brilliant Idea! I should not only have my sample chapters on the website but also make them into the main three file types readers like so you can download them and read them in whatever way/device makes you happy!

Like Patrick from Sponge Bob, things that seem like a great and easy idea can lead to DISASTER!  Dum dum dum! 

Okay, calling it a disaster might be a bit much (but sounds so much more dramatic!). Still, for a while there, it very much felt like one. DOH. 

What’s so hard about doing different file types? 

That’s what I thought! I was so wrong. Previously, my publishers took care of all the different files needed for the ebooks. My foray into self-publishing after a couple of my publishers closed their doors (so I put my two books  back out there myself) in 2019 wasn’t bad, as I used Amazon and Smashwords and they have conversion tools. 

Except, I can’t use those tools to make sample chapters with. So I dove into the internet to see what other people used. I had no idea the can of worms I was opening.

While there is a lot of advice out there, much will depend on how involved or how much pain you are willing to go through to get them to work. 

Five days later, many pounding headaches, no writing getting done, and trying different sets of software to see which would give me what I wanted, I finally hit on the right combinations! But what a pain!

Mind you, no lesson is ever lost, no endeavor (successful or not) is entirely wasted, I just wished it hadn’t been so $%#^. LOL. 

What combo led me to success?

I ended up using the free software called Magic and an online converter called Convertio. Several sites recommended Sigil, but unless you are a developer, I don’t think installing its pieces is for the normal person. Magic at least came with an .exe bundle. 


The biggest surprise was how epub is set up like html pages. It’s like a website of the book! A quirky, touchy website. Many people swear by Calibre, but Magic is the one that worked best for me.

I still had to massage things, go through some trial and error, and I added new end matter info to the files. My goal was to find something that would let me preserve the look and feel of the true ebook file so what you saw in the sample was what you could expect if you went out and bought the book.

I finally wrestled the beast to the ground! Bwahahahaha! Now in each of the webpages at my site for the first sample chapter, you’ll also see an option to download all three at one in your favorite format – epub, mobi (kindle), or pdf! Huzzah!

Just look for these three icons, click the one you want, and download the file. There’s even a snippet in a flip box to tell you how to get it into your device if you’ve not done that type of thing before. Woot!

ePub

Used by Calibre, Nook, Kobo, Freza, etc.

Mobi

Used mainly on Kindle and MobiPocket

PDF

Adobe Acrobat and on the web.

Today’s Random Question!

Ninja’s vs. Pirates, Star Trek vs. Star Wars, cake vs. pie, Dean vs. Sam – why choose at all?

I’ve heard this kind of conversation a lot. People wanting to choose one thing over the other and arguing about it. Why restrict yourself? I choose both! Each of them have their pros and cons, but I enjoy them, so why limit myself to one or the other? Heck, in some cases, the two together make more than each would alone!

Someone, though, had a ton of fun with this topic at Uber Eats. Something only fans would get. Love these commercials!  Don’t you? (If the video doesn’t show up – you can see it here.)


Mini Movie Reviews

The Professor and the Madman

4.25 out of 5 stars

This is a 2019 film we ran across on Netflix. The film description does it no justice whatsoever. Lots of top UK and US stars. A super interesting story. Totally recommend it.

Hubby Rating: Great film.

Wonder Woman 1984

2.5 out of 5 stars

It was weird. The first hour was great! Then it took a turn and slid into “huh?”.

If you want to know what’s wrong with this film, there are lots of posts out there dissecting it.

Loved seeing Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) in this. I’ve seen him in a couple of things and he’s fab!

Too bad they hosed the second half of this one. 

Hubby’s Rating: Better on Cable.

Shockwave 2

4 out of 5 stars

You don’t need to see Shockwave, to see Shockwave 2 (We hadn’t). A really smart script, with several curves. They covered all the bases. Great action and special effects to boot!

Hubby Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission


Have a great week!

Gloria


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