As I look outside and wonder when the snow will stop falling I must admit that I enjoy writing on days when its snowing or raining. I’m not sure, but I think that subconsciously I’m happy to stay inside and get some work done since I’m not missing the shining sun or a glorious day of delightful weather. With that being said I’ll put the finishing touches on this blog entry, and will then turn to the final edit of the print edition of Chronokari Alpha: Time is Relative before hitting the proverbial drawing board for a few hours of sketching.
I’m pretty happy with the proof copies that I received from Createspace a few days ago. I’ve discovered a couple of formatting errors that were easy to fix and I’ll be resubmitting the files to them so that the book can be put into final production. The do-it-yourself instructions that Createspace provides were pretty good, but I must admit that I am still a little puzzled at a couple of the error messages I received from them. After putting the manuscript file together using the template they provided, I still got an error message saying that the file I submitted didn’t match the file size that I requested. Initially I hemmed and hawed for a while trying to decide which size I was going to have the book printed in. I settled on 5.5 x 8.25 for the book’s size, but no matter how I sized the file in Word or as a PDF, I kept getting the same error message. I ran into the same difficulty using Createspace’s cover template. Even though I followed their specifications, I received error messages regarding the image file not matching the size I specified. In spite of this I was able to get the cover and the interior files approved. Createspace’s tech staff adjusted the files to match the correct size and their online viewer gave me a preview of what the proof would look like. Needless to say, I’m pretty happy with the look of the proof that arrived. If all goes smoothly, the updated interior file will be error free and after ordering a new set of proofs, paperback copies of Chronokari Alpha: Time is Relative will soon be ready for purchase on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Shifting back to the digital world, joining Smashwords has widened the distribution channels for Time is Relative. Smashwords distributes ebooks to several storefronts including Kobo, Amazon, iTunes, and to libraries through OverDrive. Smashwords also has its own storefront and makes books available on their website. Now that the book is available through all of those channels, it’s time to ramp up the social media machine to build awareness. Hootsuite is a great tool to help schedule tweets. The time it takes to be really effective on social media can take a great deal of time away from writing, so having a program that allows you to schedule all of your tweets is amazing. I’m still getting the hang of it, but Hootsuite has freed me up to draw and write more.
The next step is creating a campaign for the print edition of Time is Realtive. I’m going to make the Time is Relative available for advance orders. Even though the digital edition is already on sale, the print edition has some extras that the digital edition doesn’t. I’ve included some artwork and character bios as well as a couple of pages for fans to do their own sketches. I’m also looking forward to having copies ready for the Toronto Comicon in late March. It’ll be my first convention as a solo artist and I’m pretty excited to meet the fans. That’s it for now. Remember to like Chronokari Alpha on Facebook, follow me on Twitter and to write a review on Amazon or iTunes. Thanks, I’d really appreciate it.