May 2nd. 2015
When it comes to a learning curve, most of us have to
struggle. But when the advice comes in unrecognisable instructions, the
struggle takes on an unseemly desperation to make an advance up the learning
curve, knowing you’re not going to make it. And so it was when I tried to
upload a book jacket to Ingram Spark. It was rejected because of colour issues
along with the need to select something like CYMX and ensure the image
resolution was 300 ppi etc. etc. But! All this could be resolved simply by
saving as a default setting of PDF/X-1a:2001. And that, as they say, was where
it all began. Sounds like the opening line of a mystery, doesn’t it?
struggle. But when the advice comes in unrecognisable instructions, the
struggle takes on an unseemly desperation to make an advance up the learning
curve, knowing you’re not going to make it. And so it was when I tried to
upload a book jacket to Ingram Spark. It was rejected because of colour issues
along with the need to select something like CYMX and ensure the image
resolution was 300 ppi etc. etc. But! All this could be resolved simply by
saving as a default setting of PDF/X-1a:2001. And that, as they say, was where
it all began. Sounds like the opening line of a mystery, doesn’t it?
So what did I do? I did what anyone in desperate need of
help: I Googled PDF/X-1a:2001. And there it was: an explanation as clear as
mud. Several in fact. So I floundered and tried other ways around my problem,
but to no avail. Then, quite without warming, and not in the mood to do battle,
I chanced upon something in Photoshop called Adobe Presets. What was this, I
wondered? Could it be? You bet it could. There, nestling in this drop down
window was the PDF/X-1a:2001 in the smallest of fonts as though it was afraid
to show itself. I did a quick scramble, whistled up my book jacket, saved it
with the default setting and successfully uploaded it to Ingram Spark. So why
didn’t they suggest that in the first place? Probably because we are all
expected to be computer savvy. Fat chance! But its another piece of the jigsaw
in place and another hurdle I should be able to get over without a second
thought. Fingers crossed.
help: I Googled PDF/X-1a:2001. And there it was: an explanation as clear as
mud. Several in fact. So I floundered and tried other ways around my problem,
but to no avail. Then, quite without warming, and not in the mood to do battle,
I chanced upon something in Photoshop called Adobe Presets. What was this, I
wondered? Could it be? You bet it could. There, nestling in this drop down
window was the PDF/X-1a:2001 in the smallest of fonts as though it was afraid
to show itself. I did a quick scramble, whistled up my book jacket, saved it
with the default setting and successfully uploaded it to Ingram Spark. So why
didn’t they suggest that in the first place? Probably because we are all
expected to be computer savvy. Fat chance! But its another piece of the jigsaw
in place and another hurdle I should be able to get over without a second
thought. Fingers crossed.
I’ve had a busy week with a mixture of gardening,
publishing but no writing. Try as I might, I am still finding it increasingly
difficult to make any headway with my current novel. I have prepared North Slope and Shadow
of the Wolf for publication on Amazon. At the moment
both titles are available on Amazon, but under the publisher name of Acclaimed
Books (AB.c). I have asked Peter Lihou, the CEO at AB.c, to de-list those two,
which means I will then be free to publish them with me as publisher. This
brings all my seven titles under my account with Amazon. Now I can begin to
handle the books, change the pricing, promote etc., without having to ask Pete
to do this for me. This was a long standing arrangement: something I intended
to do once we had moved back to UK from Spain.
publishing but no writing. Try as I might, I am still finding it increasingly
difficult to make any headway with my current novel. I have prepared North Slope and Shadow
of the Wolf for publication on Amazon. At the moment
both titles are available on Amazon, but under the publisher name of Acclaimed
Books (AB.c). I have asked Peter Lihou, the CEO at AB.c, to de-list those two,
which means I will then be free to publish them with me as publisher. This
brings all my seven titles under my account with Amazon. Now I can begin to
handle the books, change the pricing, promote etc., without having to ask Pete
to do this for me. This was a long standing arrangement: something I intended
to do once we had moved back to UK from Spain.
My e-mail subscription list is growing, and hopefully this
will help propel me to bigger and better things in the book world. For anyone
reading this blog who might want to download a free copy of The Devil’s
Trinity and join my subscription list, the link
to obtain your free copy is http://eepurl.com/bgYKMj
will help propel me to bigger and better things in the book world. For anyone
reading this blog who might want to download a free copy of The Devil’s
Trinity and join my subscription list, the link
to obtain your free copy is http://eepurl.com/bgYKMj
Apart from the literary world, I have dug up a quantity of
soil in our garden to remove the weeds so we can lay turf down. I purchased
this today, and also laid in some lawn edging to tidy up the lawn edges. I also
bought a patio set. I changed some light fittings for Pat and put up a couple
of hanging baskets. The garden will look great come the summer but I doubt
if I’ll have my book finished by then.
Let’s hope so. Wish me luck!
soil in our garden to remove the weeds so we can lay turf down. I purchased
this today, and also laid in some lawn edging to tidy up the lawn edges. I also
bought a patio set. I changed some light fittings for Pat and put up a couple
of hanging baskets. The garden will look great come the summer but I doubt
if I’ll have my book finished by then.
Let’s hope so. Wish me luck!
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