Writing

Update on Print Versions of Focused Fandom Books

by

I got the draft copy of Focused Fandom: Fanart, Fanartists, and Careers and plan to look it over in the next few days.  I also am queuing up Focused Fandom: Cosplay, Costuming, and Careers, but may need to figure out a thing or two about distribution.

So far I have to say that Create Space is actually working really well.  There’s one or two things that are inconvenient, but mostly it works very smooth and the quality is good.  I’ll write up my experiences at some point.

Also, I’ve come to realize that doing them JUST as e-Books was honestly a mistake.  These are the kind of books that people will give as gifts, mark up with sticky notes, etc.

Some books, simply, aren’t suited as eBooks, or only as eBooks because of reasons of practicality, culture, and indeed, personal intereaction.

In fact, in an age of eBooks, we really have to ask what a book MEANS to us – and to others – and if we’re really speaking the same language when it comes to, well, books.  That’s a fascinating subject and one I need to explore more . . .

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach.  He blogs on careers at http://www.fantopro.com/, nerd and geek culture at http://www.nerdcaliber.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/.

Create Space . . . Wow

by

Well as I continue my quest to move my Focused Fandom books to print, I’m trying out Create Space.  I just got the draft of “Cosplay, Costuming, and Careers.”  Ahem – WOW.

It’s pretty much as good as any other POD I’ve seen, which is pretty much Lulu.  Paper quality may be slightly higher.  I’ll go through it with a fine-toothed mind later this weekend, but on the surface I’m at least pretty impressed.

It’s not so much easier as it is more powerful.  The cover maker is distinctly less advanced (though theres a 3D visualizer that helps), whereas the internal inspection tool where you can see what the book would look like, which includes formatting warnings, is fantastic.  You are more likely to get a book done right the first time, overall, if you use the tools right.

So if all looks well, time to move a few other books over . . .

How Blogging Helps Your Career #11 – The Rough Draft

by

(The roundup for the “How Blogging Helps Your Career Series” is here)

Show me a person who never edits their writing, and I’ll show you a liar, an incompetent, or someone who walks on water recreationally.

It simply doesn’t happen.  We have to try things out and screw them up.  We have to experiment.  We have to get writing out of our head so it’s out and then we can improve it.

Show me a person who writes but never has to just “get something out of their head” and I’ll show you a rarity.  I have to keep a book of ideas just to keep myself from getting preoccupied.

We have to get our ideas out of our head.  We have to see them.  We have to look at them once they’re not rattling around inside our skulls.  Once they’re out we can refine them.

This is where a blog comes in.

Your blog is a rough draft – and a socially acceptable one at that.

Read more