Oh! And I forgot! · 3:42am Jun 11th, 2018
Yes, to those wondering, I'm trying to figure out how to format all the stories to self-publish the chronicle of Legacy.
I was surprised, very humbled and honored beyond all belief when some readers asked if I was planning to do so. Now, there is money coming in, I can plan on this.
Drider, (Thanks!) Mentioned the story was now longer than all the Harry Potter books together..(wow) it would be multiple volumes.
I was thinking a simple blue cover hardback, with gold lettering on the spine. Let me know, please. I didn't forget, but now, I have the means to get it to you all!
And if anyone knows how to format the stories so they can be published this way, let me know, could definitely use the help.
As for price, I will purchase books, sell them to you at the price I get them, maybe a little for shipping. No rip offs, and no waiting. I will have the books before I say anything. A few at a time, so they'll be a list I'm sure. And if you really want, I'll sign all of them.
Like I said, let me know!
NFire
Ooh!
memegenerator.net/img/instances/27393303/im-gonna-love-tolerate-the-shit-out-of-you.jpg
4880645 I'm assuming it meets with your approval then
(That was a great pic)
Color me interested
4880649 Shall do!
4880646
Meets?....
You mean it SHATTERS IT?!?
I've read the entire Harry potter series front to back twice and some books a few extra times as well, so to hear this fic is bigger than it is extremely pleasing to me! I have many books and most of them are as thick as my arm, so this information is like cocaine to me
There is a new hardback on the horizon for me! Yay!
As always, I wholeheartedly support this venture and would be willing to pay more than cost (even as an advance) in order to help the project succeed.
A physical copy of Legacy? I'm gonna need to make a new bookshelf.
Now I have to go buy wood and its your fault NFire! For shame!
4880653 Probably more than one :) And glad you are excited about it. I sure am :)
4880661 You are so very generous in the extreme. Thank you :) As soon as I get help with the formatting, we'll have to see how many volumes it would be to catch up to now..:)
4880669 Oh..well..uhm.. Sorry? But the books will look nice on a wood shelf I'm sure :P
Physical copy of Legacy?! That's awesome to hear.
I would suggest getting in contact with Djazz. He's worked on many self-publishing, his most recent being Project: Sunflower
Following, i am so up for this!!!! I love having cash to put to projects like this!
4880679
Sooo.... Would 40$ work as a down payment?
Self publishing isn’t hard, I can try to dig up stuff later if I’m able to sit down at my PC. I don’t think you can put it on the Amazon store though, pretty sure they have to be original works. (It was a thought I had)
That said, I’d honestly finish the story before publication, or find natural spots that can break it up into smaller sections for print.
You know I’m in for a complete one.
Put me down for a signed copy.
Talk to De Writer about self pub. he has one of his Grumpy Goat stories out.
I would be up for a physical copy as well, I also agree that maybe the story should finish first. Though I greatly enjoy the story and will be sad when it finally ends.
Yup. I would definitely be interested in a hardcover.
4880679
But is it longer than the Wheel of Time series?
Still, hardcover of Legacy would definitely round out my collection of hard sci-fi.
4880735
it's a forth of the way there
I would also greatly appreciate a hardcover of the story.
4880686
Yeah this one as one solid book.
Loks like I’ll have another new hardcover in the forseeable future!
at least a fgew good things came out of this year now.
So long as you keep posting the chapters her I think I’ll be okay with it.
I would love a signed copy! I love your take on the boloverse, I'd also love to see some more of Crusader, Athena, and Hera's stories from the past maybe as a side story on another fanfiction site if you don't want to clutter up this story with too many flashbacks?
Before spending big bucks on printing a ton of books, I would suggest you use print-on-demand. The cost per book is slightly higher, but the investment required to start is minuscule by comparison. Read up on Amazon's Createspace.
Basically, with Createspace, you create an account and upload a PDF of your book EXACTLY the way you want it to look, copyright page, dedication, ToC,, everything! Then you upload a cover, either one you've designed or one you purchased.
Set the RETAIL price you want Amazon to sell it at. And then hit the publish option. Do not use their pricing suggestions as they deliberately set the price such that bookstores cannot order the books for customers because the margins are so low. Take the cost of the book that Amazon charges you and multiply by three. That should be your final price (rounded up or down to end in ".99" because that DOES increase sales -- I've SEEN it in marketing trials).
You can buy books directly, for your own sales, and at the same time, anyone can buy your book from Amazon online! This tremendously increases your potential audience.
Words of advice:
Make your books as physically the same in formatting as possible. Don't change fonts between books, don't change how chapters look, and so forth.
Make the covers follow the same format as well (i.e., cover title font should be the same for them all, ancillary text (byline, book-x-of-y, promotional info, back-cover explaining book, etc) should look as similar as possible to give the reader the feel that the books are a package.
Use easy-to-read fonts -- New Century Schoolbook, for example. In the US, serif fonts are expected. Using a non-serif font will give people a headache (it's fine for onscreen stuff, but on paper it's a nightmare) and they will eventually stop reading the book as they unconsciously associate headaches with your story.
Use proper line spacing and text size. Grab a few books and compare how they look with the sample pages you print at home. Which looks easier to read?
Always use full justification in your text. Not only will it look more professional, but it tightens up your text and uses fewer pages.
On covers: Covers with pictures ALWAYS outsell those without. Period. (Based on decades of my experience, as well as the publishing industry's century of experience). This is true even online where the customers only see small pictures of the full coves. Again, based on experience.
There are many sites where you can have someone create a series of covers for about $50-$300 each. They should feature a huge tank (naturally, do not say BOLO on the tank) in action with colorful ponies running around (but NONE can be recognizable ponies from MLP). It shouldn't scream MLP when someone looks at it, but it should show clearly intelligent pony aliens.
My bona fides
I want my BoloPone in hardback. Shut up and take my money!
i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/facebook/001/228/073/47f.jpg
For software, see https://www.scribus.net/
or similar.
How do you publish this if the rights are owned by Hasbro and ... Baen?
Who owns Bolo, anyway?
4880823
It’s been rough here too. Hopefully things will pick up. :(
4880916
Hmm knowing us, I bet it first gets a bit worse, then slightly better and then you finally make your way into my new oven.
4880920
It’s supposed to hard frost and/or snow up here, so being warm would be nice. The weather has been insane lately.
4880988
Here most everyone complains about the “extreme heatwave” we have... I doubt 25-32°C is anywhere near extreme.... more like ok. then again, my appartement is rather cold with 20-28....
So yeah, good luck with that bad weather. I’ll think of you while drinking cold beer.
But yeah, as soon as I have the money, I’ll get you here. maybe even for something silly like the oktoberfest.... But only if you pay the beer and food expanses!
4880646
Id like to own a hardback of this story when u get to it. This is a story that deserves it.
count me in ,i will gladly purchase this fine story.i would love you to sign it. i sure wish my brother was still here,he would have loved it. he was a great fan of the bolos.like i said it brings back great memories of him.
4880680 Will do, and thanks SO much!
4880681 Then as soon as the first book is out, will let you know :)
4880683 No down payments, none. I will order the books myself, and THEN tell folks they are available and how many copies I have. I will sign each one, you'll have to say Author name or real name or both. I think that is fair, having a few copies, won't order a hundred or anything, just 5 or ten at a time to send out :)
4880661 I figure cost, plus shipping, would that be fair? No reason to go hog wild :) Plus, breaking it into volumes, can get an entire collection to be proud of :) Eat yer heart out Fallout:Equestria :P
4880686 Breaking it up into volumes, chapters 1-50 and such, that way I can post more, and make books available as they can get formatted and done :)
4880698 Shall do sir, and thanks for the advice!
4880704 It is going to be a looong time before this story ends :)
4880717 Hokey dokey! thank you!
4880735 I'mma working on it!:P Okay then, I'll keep tabs on this blog post and keep names handy for when they finally get done.
4880818 You got it!
4880823 That would be one biiiig book :)
4880826 Absolutely, no holding back. You'll read them here first :)
4880837 You got it. Flashbacks in this story though are (I think) essential, because you find out why they are who they are..and some horror stories thrown in :P There will be more :)
4880852 Shall do. Thank you so very much for the advice, I do appreciate it and will definitely be using it. Thanks!
4880871 You got it!
4880872 Oh neat, thanks! Kinda getting around it by me buying the books. Thats gonna be how it works, sooo... :)
4881033 Absolutely, will let you know when they come out. Going to be a bit, but hopefully this year. Gonna shoot for it!
4881067 You got it, most definitely. As soon as its all together, I will contact and let folks know.!
I'd love to own a physical copy of Legacy!
It's the fic that introduced me to the Bolos!
4881086 It's definitely going to be more than one volume. Breaking this up is gonna be a job. Silly me, writing all these chapters. I actually thought "Hey, ten chapters, be a good little fic for fun" Right..I really took it a bit farther than my original estimate :P
4881070
You buying the books? You'd still need to do the design, though, which is what that software's for. And who are you buying them from...? That confuses me.
Physical Copy?
Yay
Hardcover? Yes Please!! Signed!?!? Take All My Money!
When it come to breaking it up I would recommend that you keep it close to the arcs. Not necessarily to them but close.
As for the cover, why Blue as opposed to Umber or Sable?
4881249 Yes signed, no problem with it at all :) Sable or umber..I never..that's a great idea!!! Thank you!
4881252
Your very welcome.
I might not be able to really write for jack or create from nothing, but I do have my moments.
4881271 And those moments lead to bigger things. Don't underestimate yourself, or your ability to do something. Trust me, I just kept at it, my writing, and a million words later... :)
The big thing I guess would be to just tell us where to buy it.
4881070
Cool
4881282 Soon as I get it all arranged, details will be forthcoming :)
You outwrote the bible, which had about eighty authors. That's pretty damned impressive.
4882570 Wow, honestly, I really had no clue how much I wrote, just seeing a number. I didn't realize that these famous books had less words. HP, bible, Bolo Series. I just love to write :) And thank you for the kind compliment :)
Where do I insert money in to this phone so you can take it?
4883118 As soon as the first volume is ready, I will post a blog notice. So writing names down and making a list :) That okay? And Glad you'd like one :)
The longest single piece of literature in existence is a Super Smash Bros. Brawl self-insert fanfic written by an ESL to practice their English. It currently sits at slightly over 4.1 million words.
Your story Legacy is at 1.14 million, for reference.
Hey, you're a quarter of the way there!
By the way, put my name on that list.
4888179 Shall do! 4.1 million words? Wow..I've got some writing to do :P
Physical copies? Always a good thing