Book Plates – How to Make a Customized Book Plate

SUPPLIES AND COMPONENTS NEEDED:

Printable Shipping Labels - 6 per page, approximately 3.5 x 4 inches
Graphic Frame of some kind (DepositPhotos or search "Fancy Square Frame" on Pixabay
Author logo or some other icon, if desired
Microsoft Word (or Google Docs)

NOTE: Any postal labels that are approximately 3.50" x 4" will do. Avery has them on Amazon or you can use the Office Depot brand. Most of them come in the color white which works well.

LET'S DESIGN THE LABEL IN GIMP:

There is a video below where I demonstrate how to pull together the design of my bookplate, but I will describe it here for those of you who like to have written instructions. I start out with an image size 4 inches x 4 inches with a white background.

I started with a frame I purchased from DepositPhotos.com. This is a paid service, but I always wait to get their 100 pictures for $100 package so each photo I use only costs one dollar. However, I went to Pixabay.com and found this frame by searching the keywords "Fancy square frames". There were several other similar ones that came up as well.

I insert the frame, then type in the text elements onto the label. If you have a website, you may want to add this onto your book plate, as well as the name of a series if your book is part of a series.

After I add the text, I decide how I want to decorate the book plate with a logo or icon or some other background wall paper.

On the bookplate above, I used handcuffs because this is for a Police Procedural book series. In the video below, I create a new one using a police badge.

Above are my three book plates as of the date of the writing of this blog post. The first one has fanged teeth at the top for my vampire books, the second one has a hint of private detective holding a camera for my private investigator series and the last one with the handcuffs is for my police procedural series. You can add whatever emblem or icon fits your brand or book genre.

CAN I USE CANVA?

I know many people use Canva these days and I do believe you can use Canva. Especially if you are advanced enough with Canva to make an image or template from scratch, I don't see why you can't do the same thing in Canva. I don't use Canva myself except for inspiration at times, but I believe it can do amazing things.

SAVE AND EXPORT YOUR IMAGE DESIGN.

If you are using Gimp, I would suggest you save your image as an .xcf file. This is a gimp file but it will save your book plate in layers. So when it's time to make another book plate for another book, you can open this file in Gimp and quickly make a second book plate.

Then you want to export the image as a .jpg or .png file. Since the background of the labels will be white, you can save as either. Next, I will explain how to create the book plates for printing.

NEXT STEP IS WORD OR GOOGLE DOCUMENTS:

GOOGLE DOCS:

Unfortunately, I don't know how to use google docs as I have always used Microsoft Word. However, I believe people who use google docs are familiar with how to translate instructions from Word into Google docs, so I will assume that here.

MICROSOFT WORD:

1. Open a blank document in Microsoft word.
2. Click on the Tab entitled Mailings. Then choose Labels.

3. Now my system defaults to a return address and your Word may default to something else, but we need to choose a setting to print the 6 postage labels. So first choose the Options button, which is at the bottom on the right hand side. The big red circle shows the small label that my system defaults to and I'm just pointing out the "New document" button for later.

4. Once you click on Options, another dialogue box will come up which should look similar to the picture below:

This is where you will choose the label,. First choose Avery US Letter from that top drop-down list.

Then you will find another drop-down list of at least a hundred labels to choose from. Labels 15664 will give you the 6 labels per page. But if your system doesn't have this number, look for one that has the same measurements as are posted on the right hand side: 3.33" x 4". That will give you the 6 postage labels per page.

5. Then go back to Gimp and make sure nothing is selected (Select >none).
Then right click on the finished design and choose copy visible
Go back to the labels, click inside the label and hit control v to paste the artwork into the first label spot. Choose the image alignment of "through" as this will give you the most flexibility. Then center the image into the center of the postal label template.

6. Then click off of that label and then click back onto it. Click Control C to copy the label in this new size, and paste into each of the other 5 template spots on the postage sheet.

7. Once they are all there, save this as your book plate file. You can print onto the postage labels and also save it so you can print again when you run out and need more labels.

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION BELOW:

I did a video on the whole process if you want to watch as I pull together the design in Gimp and then set up the postage labels for printing.

Coloring Page – Rag Doll Cat

Movie Review – Death Cruise

I took a break from the crazy vampire, gothic and monster movies of the 1960s and watched this made for TV mystery movie entitled Death Cruise which aired in 1974. It was a murder mystery that takes place on a cruise, so like many Agatha Christie stories, it's a "locked door" murder mystery and they are always fun.

I watched this movie for free on YouTube, but in the event it is taken down, here is a link to find the movie on JustWatch.

QUICK PLOT SUMMARY: This is a murder mystery that takes place on a cruise ship. Three couples realize that they all won a free trip on this cruise. Each couple has an issue or two that arises and one by one, the people start showing up dead.

There is a new doctor on board who has to figure out the connection between them all and why they were all brought together.

STORYLINE/PLOTLINE: The plot was a good one. It had a final twist and kept me guessing all the way. Unlike many made-for-tv-movies, it wasn't just a thrown together script with no substance. It was a well-planned out storyline that could have passed for an Agatha Christie movie. It was well executed and the final twist was a surprise.

ACTING: The story moved along and all the actors played good parts. No one was trying to steal the show or hamming it up. They all said their lines and the dialogue and chronology of the story was the meat and potatoes. So no one turned in an academy award winning performance, but they were all convincing and believable.

The acting was good enough where the actors used their entire bodies in acting. This is a good way to learn how to get your characters to move within your book scenes.

ATMOSPHERE/SCENERY: This took place on a cruise ship so the atmosphere was enjoyable. Being a made for tv movie, it was more about the relationships, but there were enough cruising scenes to enjoy the vacation aspect of the story.

COSTUMING: Some of the outfits and gowns were beautiful. Even thought this movie was shot and aired in 1974, the clothing and sets were not that dated. If anything was stuck in the 197os, it was the music. All these movies and shows all had the same type of music. It screams 1970s, but the fashions were not that dated. This made the movie more enjoyable.

MOVING THE STORY ALONG:

When focused on what an author can learn, this was a great story example were the plot is the star of the show. You learned a little bit about each of the three couples, as well as the ship's doctor, but all the information that seemed like passing information was crucial to the ultimate plotline and the twists.

HOW TO DROP CLUES AND HIDE CLUES:

This is a good movie to watch to learn how to drop information and clues and yet not lose sight of there needing to be some romance and intrigue as well. This would be a good movie to watch and then reverse engineer it to see how the clues were dropped. It also shows you how some information is given to the viewer and some is deliberately hidden, but you don't realize it's being hidden at the time you first watch it. So this is a good movie to watch to learn about dropping some clues and hiding others for final revelation.

REVERSE ENGINEERING:

Because there are a few twists and surprises in this plotline, this would be a good movie to watch and then reverse engineer it. It will teach you the mind of an author, how to think about how you want to end a book on a twist and how you will need to plan and plot around that final twist. I have another blog post about reverse engineering a plotline that you can read about here.

AUTHOR TERMINOLOGY:

Above is a list of words an author would need to know to write about a cruise ship. If you click on the puzzle, you will be taken to google drive where you can download the word find with the list of words.

Movie Review – Mystery in the Wax Museum

This movie was billed on YouTube as Mystery in the Wax Museum, but when I tried to get the technical information after viewing it, the proper name is Terror in the Wax Museum.

I saw this on YouTube on a Channel named Robo-Cat Productions. In case you use this link -- which is a free viewing of the movie -- it has a short clip from another movie about a wax museum with Peter Cushing in it. I believe this short clip is from an anthology movie so if you want to get to this movie, you will need to fast forward a bit.

If this movie is taken down for copyright infringement, then you can find the movie on JustWash.com.

ANOTHER BRITISH HORROR MOVIE (MADE IN AMERICA)

This movie was produced in America in 1973 by Bing Crosby, Andrew J. Fenady and Charles A. Pratt. It came around the time the Hammer Production Gothic videos were making a splash, so this one is very similar to any of the other Hammar productions.

The story was written by Andrew J Fenady and the Screenplay was by Jameson Brewer. It was directed by Georg Fenady.

QUICK PLOT SUMMARY:

There is a wax museum owned by Claude Dupree who poured his entire life into creating the museum. All of the figures were notorious murderers, including Jack the Ripper, Marie Antoinette, Lucretia Borgia and others you will recognize. Mr. Dupress has an associate named Harry Flexner who is the sculptor of the figures. Over the years, Mr. Dupree has adopted a local freak named Karkov. I won't tell you much about Karkov other than he's a typical pathetic Dickins-type figure that helps to give the movie it's gothic ambience.

Mr. Dupree meets with a New York businessman who wants to buy his figures to set it up in New York. Suddenly Mr. Dupree is killed and there are now a few suspects. There's his partner Harry Flexner who didn't want to sell. There's also Mr. Dupree's niece who shows up with her legal guardian claiming immediate ownership of the business. And there is Amos Burns who still wants to purchase the exhibit.

WHAT AN AUTHOR CAN LEARN:

This is a great film to learn about character development and a bit about comic relief. Let's focus on character development first. In the scene below, the owner of the museum is talking about how wonderful his figures are and how much Karkov is attached to them. The businessman is hurried and has no emotional attachment to the figures and sees it only as a business proposition. There are several scenes where you can learn about how one character plays off another and how they are both coming from a different place.

This scene shows the different personalities as well as motivations. The businessman is waving his business proposals and trying to hurry Mr. Dupree along. In the previous scene, Mr. Dupree demonstrates how he has to melt down a figure due to imperfections and he's already trying Burns' last nerve. Then upstairs, Dupree goes into more of a bragathon about his business. Both personalities play off of one another and the businessman is also there to give comic relief, which he does very well.

The other character who I love is Julia, the guardian. She is played by Elsa Lanchester. I've never seen her in a movie where she wasn't hysterical. Her role is not a comedy, but her manner and cadence contributes to the continual comic relief that is masterful throughout the movie. The funny moments are peppered all through the movie but the movie itself never collapses into a spoof. It maintains a serious tone all the way to the end. I applaud the actors who played these roles as they were the ones who kept it serious at the same time as delivering a funny line or two.

MOVIE VS. BOOK SCRIPTING:

This movie is a good study in the difference between scriptwriting and novel writing. For example: The singer in the movie doesn't really move the mystery along at all. She is there for sheer entertainment which every movie needs. She plays off of the businessman and there is a tiny subplot about how Karkov the creature fancies her and protects her in one scene. But her entire appearance in the movie could be handled with two lines of background information in a novel.

The longer I watch movies from a scripting and writing perspective, the more I realize that movies need more "action" in terms of things happening on the screen. So it's important to note the difference between which characters are there for sex appeal or character development or putting on a show of some kind. In this movie it was a pub song. But other movies it may be a martial artist going into a performance. Or a fight scene that is choreographed with smashing bar stools and breaking glass.

THREE OR MORE SUSPECTS:

This movie had three suspects -- I won't spoil it and tell you who they are. There was a police investigation as well as hinting at a slow-brewing romance between the young handsome police detective and the niece. This was a good movie to also learn about keeping the script/novel tight. Each scene moved the story along and there were no long acting showcases that they now do in more modern movies. All the actors delivered their lines without any melodrama which made the movie more enjoyable.

GOTHIC ATMOSPHERE

This movie also has great gothic atmosphere. You'll see the carriage and horse in at least one scene which is crucial for all gothic movies. The bar and street scenes are also classic Foggy London.

The best shot of the movie is where Karkov interacts with the beautiful singer through the grates in the sewer. Nothing says gothic like a freak from the sewer pining over a beautiful singer.

What I love about these '60s and '70s gothic movies is the stagecraft. Many of the scenes are shot outside, but you can tell they arrived early and got the lighting right, as well as bringing along all the props needed for the background and foreground to anchor the movie in the proper historical time. The direct also framed each scene and the actors moved in the scene like Broadway actors where they are acting with their whole bodies. In modern movies, it's now a series of closeup shots one another another making sure to change the scene every 20 seconds.

SPOOKY HOUSE:

For those of you who love spook house movies, the museum has bedrooms upstairs and it becomes the proverbial scary house after hours. The niece goes tiptoeing around the house holding a candle and there's a jump scare of two for those of you who like those.

LOW BUDGET WITH HIGH END RESULTS:

You can tell by looking at the movie that it was made on a low budget. However, the costuming and stagecraft didn't lack anything. The wax tableaus were great as was the scene in the basement where one of the wax figures had to be melted down.

The actor who played Karkov was amazing. His character was a mute but he acted with grunts and used his whole body for his portrayal of the wax museum creature. He did an amazing job.

Besides a little facial makeup and a hump for his back, the rest of the character was created by acting talent. It was impressive.

A special note about the singer too. She sang with very little music behind her which is not easy to do. I don't know much about her, other than her name is Shani Wallis, but my guess is that she is a seasoned stage performer.

NO REAL MORAL TALE:

There was no real moral tale in this one other than to showcase what great men the two owners of the museum were that they both took responsibility to look after Karkov who was not able to take care of himself. But the presence of that even that little bit of virtue gave the movie a moral anchor, a positive belief in humanity.

Click here to do the crossword online

Click here to download the crossword with answers.

Movie Review – The Oblong Box

ANOTHER GOTHIC HORROR (FUN)

This is another English gothic horror movie from the 1960s. I have added the word fun into the title because these movies are not particularly scary by today's standards but there is something so charming and fun about them that I cannot resist watching them over and over again.

This movie was uploaded by the Channel entitled New Castle After Dark where two guys present the movie and talk before, at an intermission, and after the movie is over. They are just as charming as the movies. They are movie buffs and share insider information about the movies as well as the actors who appear in their movie choices.

I love their format because it feels like you're not watching the movie alone. They appear just long enough before, during and after to add to the watching experience -- at least for me they do.

If this movie is taken down by YouTube for any reason, here is a link to JustWatch where you can find it somewhere else.

THE MOVIE STATS:

The movie was produced and directed in 1959 by British director Gordono Hessler. This movie stars Vincent Price and Christopher Lee. It is the first movie that stared both actors.

The movie was loosely based on the short story written by Edgar Allan Poe entitled "The Oblong Box". I say loosely because I don't believe voodoo is mentioned in the original Poe story.

Although Vincent Price is often accused of overacting, I think he fits perfect into the Gothic Horror Fun genre! I don't see his acting as anything but great in these films.

Christopher Lee plays a co-star role in this film but as usual he is, deadly serious, but great too! Below is a snapshot from the film from Wikipedia Commons.

QUICK SUMMARY OF THE MOVIE:

I don't want to spoil the story for anyone so I'll just give a very quick summary of what the movie is about. Sir Edward was disfigured in Africa and is now hidden away in an attic room by his guilt-ridden brother Sir Julian.

Sir Edward is tired of being couped up and comes up with a plan that he forces the family lawyer into carrying out with him. If everything went as planned, it would have given Sir Edward his freedom but of course, Julian throws a wrench into the plans and everything goes haywire.

The plot, although a bit crazy as all plots in British gothic horror from the 1960s is, is a good one. It's plausible and easy to follow. This is a great pick for autumn, even Halloween season. It's a great movie for enjoyment but a good one for writers to learn from as I'll go into below.

THE ATMOSPHERE: The movie is anchored in the late 1800s and brief atmospheric scenes support his. This is a good way for authors to learn about anchoring the story in England, in the historical time period and giving it the 'gothic vibe' which I'll be referring to throughout this review.

THE SCENERY: The scenery was beautiful but it played a supportive role in this movie. It was just beautiful enough to give the movie a great look and add to the beauty of the movie in general. Any snapshot still could be a writer's exercise is describing an 1800's historical scene.

SETS/STAGECRAFT: I love the sets used in this film. I also include the lighting in this category. Although it was a gothic movie, it takes place 'with the proper stage lighting'. This means that you can see everything and every scene is well-lit for drama and atmosphere. It adds to the beauty and enjoyment of the film. Is there anything worse than a modern horror film where you're squinting to see scenes shot in the dark with only one Bic lighter?

This is a great place for writers to look and learn from the ways the background scenes and objects support the scene, transmit additional information, and just anchor the scene into the time period.

COSTUMING: The costuming for everyone is great. All of the actors and actresses in this time frame were beautiful, thin and they all looked amazing in their costumes.

GOTHIC ELEMENTS: It wouldn't be a British gothic movie if it didn't have the prerequisite mansion, candelabra, harlots showing their ankles, wild pub scene, cabriolet, mist in the woods, silhouetted horse chase or a sinister 1800s grave-robbing scientist! It's all here and it's all delicious. This one even has a grave-digging scene which I always love!

STORYLINE/PLOTLINE: This is a great movie for beginner writers to learn from as there is a crazy horror plotline that does require the viewers to suspend their modern belief system to watch. For beginner writers, sometimes it's hard to imagine that you can rely on people setting aside their logic and reason to watch, but they do.

This is also a great plotline to learn about 'the plot twist'. The original plan that Sir Edward had, although it was crazy, it could have worked. But the twist is what happens as the result of his brother Julian wanting to do the right thing.

There are also a couple of additional turns in the plotline towards the end that have a lot to teach about keeping the tension and surprises coming. This would even be a good plotline for an author to reverse engineer to see how it all needs to be foreshadowed from the beginning.

FACIAL EXPRESSIONS AND EMOTIONS:

Any movie with Vince Price is a good one to learn about facial expressions for an author. He is often teased about over-acting, but I don't agree. When you watch him from now almost 65 years later, his acting is perfect for this 1960s gothic horror. His face is very expressive and can teach new authors a lot about the raising of eyebrows, eye movement, and more.

Author Writing Exercise Idea: Make a gif of an actor responding to an action and then describe it. Use a thesaurus and see how many new ways to describe the facial movement you can find. Here is a gif from this movie as an example. See if you can write this scene.

And finally, this is a great script and storyline to learn about 'clipping dialogue tightly'. This storyline is a long one, and with the twists and turns, a lot is covered in each scene. Almost every word spoken -- with the exception of the romance scenes with the ladies -- are conveying important story information. It can teach a lot about how to keep scene lean and move the plot along.

KDP Formatting | Book Branding – Branding a Series

HOW TO BRAND YOUR BOOKS:

LET'S START WITH BRANDING BOOK COVERS:

Whether your book or books are stand-alone books or a series, it is important to take a little time and decide on how you want to brand your books. After a while, your readers will get used to your brand where they will be able to spot a new book with just one glance.

Branding your books also makes the books appear more professional. This process that I will cover in this blog post is easier than you think. It takes about an hour or so of research.

There is a video below where I go into a bit more detail about how to surf around Amazon.com and pick and choose elements to add to your own signature brand.

Below is one example of how Author Lori Roberts Herbst brands her books with the same dog and cat, similar colors, on the front of the book.

Below is an example of how the fonts alone and a "sweet couple" on the cover can create a signature look. This would be an easy one for anyone who is self-publishing and on a tight budget.

And here is one last example for the blog post. Author BJ Bourg uses not only the same author and title font, but also each book begins with "But not . . ." Great example of marrying a series together.

ADDITIONAL BRANDING IDEAS:

Shared background picture
Shared background color
Shared tonal color
Fonts & Title Placing on Covers
Motifs and/or graphic designs
Glow behind cover figures

In the video below, I go over several examples showing you the different ways that authors brand their books. You can pick and choose which elements you like and come up with your own unique look.

Go to Amazon.com, look up your genre, and then begin searching around. In no time, you will come up with a way to create a signature look you really love.

IF YOU SELF PUBLISH YOU CAN REDESINE A COVER AT ANY TIME

If you have published a book or two -- or maybe three, and you're just learning about branding, you may choose to do a cover redesign. Just be sure you have a little extra time on your hands because you will need to change up the books on all the websites including Amazon, Bookfunnel, etc.

You may also need to redo or create anew marketing pictures. But a cover redesign is a good way to create a new buzz about a book that's losing attention. A new cover can suddenly get you some 'new kid on the block attention'.

NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT BRANDING THE INSIDE OF THE BOOK:

CHOSING FONTS:

Different fonts connote different moods. Look up romantic comedy books and notice that the fonts used are very whimsical or comical in some way. They go with the theme of the book. Vampire books have several fonts that are used over and over again as they have a very 'wicked or scary' look to them.

One hour of research online and you will find the best choice for a cover font. Remember, you want to fit into your category and genre but make the font your own.

STYLIZING YOUR EBOOK MANUSCRIPT:

eBooks all need to be formatted for what Amazon is calling "easy flow". The reason for this is because eBooks are read on eReaders, Amazon eReaders, Tablets and even online. The Kindle app allows readers to change the fonts, choose a theme, change the size of the font, and even change the background of the page color.

So when you upload a book onto KDP, especially as a Word document, it is uploading one paragraph and one headline at a time. Then when it delivers the books, it is like pouring the book onto an eReader like a glass of iced tea. Most of the font choices will be ignored in this upload. EVEN IF YOU EMBED THE FONTS!

DROP CAPS VS. FOUR WORDS CAPITALIZED:

Because of the easy flow, I've tested the drop caps several times using my phone and tablet and it didn't get it right from every size. So I would caution anyone, especially newbies, from attempting to use even Drop Caps on the first paragraph. If you have having the book professionally formatted, that's fine. But if you are doing it yourself, an easier way to give the first paragraph a bit of personality is to capitalize the first three or four words. It gives the same stylish flair to the first paragraph without the worry of what the easy flow will do to it.

UPLOAD AS AN EPUB FOR MORE CONTROL IN EBOOKS:

However, if you really want to have control over the chapter title font and use a fancy normal font, number one, you need to have the license for it. If you choose a Microsoft font, you won't need any licensing. But any other font that you get off the internet, you will need a license. A good place to look where they have fonts you can use anywhere is dafont.com.

Secondly, you will need to convert the word document into an ePub so that the different fonts are added to the style sheet. There is a program called Sigil that helps with this conversion. If this sounds like Greek to you, it's because it has to do with computer coding. I also have a video on my channel about using Sigil to create chapter headers.

I uploaded the sample above using Word and all the different fonts. None of them worked even though I had embedded the fonts in the options section. The Ebook converted them all into a default font. However, when I converted the same manuscript sample into an ePub then the book did show the different fonts.

FORMATTING PAPERBACKS & HARDCOVERS:

Now, you will upload pdf files for the paperback and hardcover manuscripts, so you can use whatever font you want. You will need to embed the fonts in the document (which is done from the options section) but however your book looks in the pdf, it should be okay.

The only part that gives anyone trouble is in the odd page vs. even pages. If you don't get that right, even the PDF will throw in empty pages. So be sure to see my formatting video on that.

A FEW LAST TIPS ON BRANDING:

First line - Initial caps vs. drop caps (See above)
Indents & line spacings - be consistent - give the reader some breathing room.
Chapter headings and subheadings - If you want anything fancy, you will need to convert to an ePub.
Scene endings - Be consistent, always use the same markings.
~ Meanwhile ~ Chapter indicators - Be consistent
Chapter title spacings - Be consistent
Offer 10% of next book in the current book.
Include a link to join your newsletter
Include a link to leave a review

CONCLUSION:

It's really that easy to brand your books. It just requires a little bit of forethought and an hour or two of research. Below is a video where I cover the research a little more in depth.

BRANDING COVERS:

https://youtu.be/4tyRNjT5F7o

BRANDING THE MANUSCRIPT:

Coloring Page – Yorkie Reading a Book

Boxer Dog Coloring page

Saint Peter Claver Color Page

Book Formatting – 6″ x 9″ Manuscripts

In the video below, I did an instructional about how to start out with a blank Microsoft Word document and build an eBook template and then after saving that template, to make a few changes and turn it into a template for the Paperback and Hardcover books.

What makes this possible is choosing the 6" x 9" print size for the paperback and hardcover. At the present time, KDP only allows you to print a hardcover in the 6" x 9" size. So if you choose to create your paperback in the same size, then you can use this same template to make all three books.

EASY FLOW EBOOKS:

What makes it possible to use a 6" x 9" ebook template for the eBook is the easy flow settings that are needed so that eBooks can fit on any size eReader, tablet, or phone.

When you upload an eBook, you are really uploading a series of Chapter Headers and paragraphs. It is converted behind the scenes into the computerized language of ePub, and then delivered like a pitcher pouring a glass of tea. It is delivered one paragraph at a time. Then the reader can adjust the text size and color, the background color and even the font style. So as long as your paragraphs and headings are set up correctly, you won't have any trouble.

PAPERBACKS & HARDBACKS:

If you choose the same size, the manuscripts are the same. The cover dimensions will be off and you will need a different sized book cover for each, but the manuscript will work for both.

SHOULD YOU MAKE THEM ALL THE SAME?

thinking women with question mark on white background

The paperback size should be guided by the genre you publish in. If the books are around about the 6" x 9" size, then you're good to go, but if they are smaller, like 5.06 x 7.81 -- which is the size I use -- then you will have to make thee different templates.

But once you watch this video below, you will be a pro at making templates for whatever size you need.

HERE IS A SNAPSHOT OF THE PAPERBACK & HARDCOVER MARGINS:

Below are the settings for the Paperback & Hardcover.

CHANGES FOR THE eBOOK:

Gutter: change from 0.13" to 0
Change mirror margins to normal margina
Change Section Start to "New Page" (or next page)
Change headers and footers from 0.35" to 0.5"

REMINDERS FOR ALL MANUSCRIPTS:

Be sure to remember to embed fonts into your documents. Go to File > Options > Save > Scroll down until you see this section about Embedding the fonts. Only check the first box. This information is from KDP.

SUPPLIES AND COMPONENTS NEEDED:

LET'S DESIGN THE LABEL IN GIMP:

CAN I USE CANVA?

SAVE AND EXPORT YOUR IMAGE DESIGN.

NEXT STEP IS WORD OR GOOGLE DOCUMENTS:

GOOGLE DOCS:

MICROSOFT WORD:

Check out my Book Series!

MOVING THE STORY ALONG:

HOW TO DROP CLUES AND HIDE CLUES:

REVERSE ENGINEERING:

AUTHOR TERMINOLOGY:

ANOTHER BRITISH HORROR MOVIE (MADE IN AMERICA)

QUICK PLOT SUMMARY:

WHAT AN AUTHOR CAN LEARN:

MOVIE VS. BOOK SCRIPTING:

THREE OR MORE SUSPECTS:

GOTHIC ATMOSPHERE

SPOOKY HOUSE:

LOW BUDGET WITH HIGH END RESULTS:

NO REAL MORAL TALE:

THE MOVIE STATS:

QUICK SUMMARY OF THE MOVIE:

FACIAL EXPRESSIONS AND EMOTIONS:

CROSSWORD PUZZLE:

HOW TO BRAND YOUR BOOKS:

LET'S START WITH BRANDING BOOK COVERS:

ADDITIONAL BRANDING IDEAS:

IF YOU SELF PUBLISH YOU CAN REDESINE A COVER AT ANY TIME

NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT BRANDING THE INSIDE OF THE BOOK:

CHOSING FONTS:

STYLIZING YOUR EBOOK MANUSCRIPT:

DROP CAPS VS. FOUR WORDS CAPITALIZED:

UPLOAD AS AN EPUB FOR MORE CONTROL IN EBOOKS:

FORMATTING PAPERBACKS & HARDCOVERS:

A FEW LAST TIPS ON BRANDING:

CONCLUSION:

BRANDING COVERS:

BRANDING THE MANUSCRIPT:

Check out my Book Series!

Check out my Book Series!

Check out my Book Series!

EASY FLOW EBOOKS:

PAPERBACKS & HARDBACKS:

SHOULD YOU MAKE THEM ALL THE SAME?

HERE IS A SNAPSHOT OF THE PAPERBACK & HARDCOVER MARGINS:

CHANGES FOR THE eBOOK:

REMINDERS FOR ALL MANUSCRIPTS: