Formatting Should Not Be an Afterthought

The two primary problems with self-published e-books are shitty writing and formatting so bad it detracts from the writing. (Not that big publishers don’t release e-books with shitty formatting, but some of the independent jobs practically have to be decoded to be read.) I’ve already done what I can about the shitty writing in Wild Bill; today I sent the manuscript off to be properly formatted, along with its ISBN number and hi-resolution cover image. (Thanks to Chris Kaknevicius for allowing me to use his photograph, which has a panorama and an angle I couldn’t have chosen better myself; and to The Beloved Spouse for tweaking the resolution and adding the titles.)

I’m willing to accept criticism for the writing, but the formatting is beyond what I want to spend time on, at least at this time. Charlie Stella was kind enough to refer me to a small company that does this, and after trading emails with the owner, I’m looking forward to working with them.

I’ll keep the blog current as event continue. I don’t remember if I mentioned this before (not surprising, as the AARP card in my wallet can attest), but I hope some novice to e-publishing such as I am now may benefit from seeing what mistakes and tribulations I’ve have to go through. Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment. With luck, someone else can gain  experience from any bad judgments I might make along the way.