Anne Skyvington
  • Writing
    • A Change of Blog Title
    • An Article in Quadrant Magazine
    • A Guest Post by Ian Wells
    • An Aussie bloke remembers: Guest post by Ian (Harry) Wells
    • a father’s tale … by Ian (Harry) Wells
    • “Snakey” by Roger Britton
    • A Guest Poem: “First Loves” by Roger Britton
    • At the Swimming Pool
    • A Modern True Story
    • A Story of a Special Child
    • What I learnt from writing a novel…
  • Mythos
    • A FAIRY STORY
    • Anthropos Rising
    • A Grain of Folly
    • The Myth of Persephone and Demeter
    • Candidly Yours…
    • A Story of a Genteel Ghost told by Roger Britton
  • Travel
    • Adriatic Romance … Rijeka to Titograd
    • 5 or 6 Things About Valencia
    • A Bird’s Eye View
    • 7 ancient artefacts in the British Museum
    • A Tuscan Village Holiday
  • Australia
    • A Country College Residence
    • Alone not lonely in Apartheid South Africa
    • A Young Adult Novel: My French Barrette
    • A Sydney Icon or Two
    • 5 things about Coogee
  • Nature
    • Black Swans Surfing
    • Blackbird Mythology: Crows and Magpies of Australia
    • A Kit Home Goes Up in Vacy
  • Poetry
    • a funny thing happened …
    • An ancient mystic: Rumi
    • A Window into Poetry
    • A Love Sonnet by Ian Harry Wells
  • Memoir
    • Always something there to remind me…
    • A Well-Loved Pet
    • Ancient Stories from Childhood
    • Voices From the Past
  • Publishing
    • A Useful Site for Readers and Indie Authors: Books 2 Read
    • Highs and Lows of Self Publishing
    • How I Created My Debut Novel
    • 5 Further Publishing Facts
    • 5 Facts I Learnt About Self/Publishing
  • Contact Us

Anne Skyvington

The Craft of Writing

  • Writing
    • A Change of Blog Title
    • An Article in Quadrant Magazine
    • A Guest Post by Ian Wells
    • An Aussie bloke remembers: Guest post by Ian (Harry) Wells
    • a father’s tale … by Ian (Harry) Wells
    • “Snakey” by Roger Britton
    • A Guest Poem: “First Loves” by Roger Britton
    • At the Swimming Pool
    • A Modern True Story
    • A Story of a Special Child
    • What I learnt from writing a novel…
  • Mythos
    • A FAIRY STORY
    • Anthropos Rising
    • A Grain of Folly
    • The Myth of Persephone and Demeter
    • Candidly Yours…
    • A Story of a Genteel Ghost told by Roger Britton
  • Travel
    • Adriatic Romance … Rijeka to Titograd
    • 5 or 6 Things About Valencia
    • A Bird’s Eye View
    • 7 ancient artefacts in the British Museum
    • A Tuscan Village Holiday
  • Australia
    • A Country College Residence
    • Alone not lonely in Apartheid South Africa
    • A Young Adult Novel: My French Barrette
    • A Sydney Icon or Two
    • 5 things about Coogee
  • Nature
    • Black Swans Surfing
    • Blackbird Mythology: Crows and Magpies of Australia
    • A Kit Home Goes Up in Vacy
  • Poetry
    • a funny thing happened …
    • An ancient mystic: Rumi
    • A Window into Poetry
    • A Love Sonnet by Ian Harry Wells
  • Memoir
    • Always something there to remind me…
    • A Well-Loved Pet
    • Ancient Stories from Childhood
    • Voices From the Past
  • Publishing
    • A Useful Site for Readers and Indie Authors: Books 2 Read
    • Highs and Lows of Self Publishing
    • How I Created My Debut Novel
    • 5 Further Publishing Facts
    • 5 Facts I Learnt About Self/Publishing
  • Contact Us
Category

Publishing

digital-unsplash
PublishingWriting

How to create an ebook in 5 easy steps…

Why design an ebook?

I wanted to include a special offer for new subscribers to my blog. This is called a lead magnet. I decided to create an ebook based on several of my updated blog posts. I chose five favourite posts from this  blog, Craft of Writing.

First up I had to write the content for my book, which I did using a microsoft word file. I decided to call the book “An Introduction to Writing Craft.”

The Basic Format for an ebook

Next I had to research the structure of an ebook. The format I chose to follow for this, was a three-part one composed of: 1. An Introduction 2. The Content Chapters 3. A Call to Action.

In the introduction I explain to the reader why I am writing the ebook; I give an overview the contents, and discuss why I have chosen these five posts.

The five content chapters comprise the five chosen posts.  The main theme of these chapters is what I like to call the “macro skills” involved in writing a novel.  Be advised that this term is one I have appropriated for my own purposes, in order to explain what I see as the two parameters of novel writing. Both parameters are important: Macro issues to do with the whole text, and the micro issues of words, sentence structure and punctuation within the work.

The third CTA chapter was devised so that I could learn from my readers how useful the book is, and how subsequent eBooks might be improved or changed.

I chose a potential picture for the cover of the book. The cover for the ebook became a simple red “default” template.

ancient-typewrite

The Technical Terms

This was my first foray into creating an ebook. I  had to teach myself the technical jargon involved, having lost the support of my digital expert friend, due to illness during last year.  The first thing I discovered was that some people choose not to distinguish between the two formats: eBooks and PDF files.

PDF stands for “Portable Document Format”, and is the most well-known file type.

EPub stands for  “Electronic Publication,” and is up to its 3rd major update. It is the more flexible ebook format. Literally every device can handle ePub, except Kindles.

Ebooks are created in a format that changes shape according to the device you read it on.

Learning Digital Skills

I decided to teach myself, step-by-step, how to produce both files. In fact, I found that the one led on to the other.

The first step in creating my first eBook was to convert the original microsoft word file “An Introduction to Writing Craft” into a PDF file. I had had experience of doing this before, at least with simpler files. So that was quite straightforward.

cover-first-page

The next step was more challenging for me as a novice publisher: Transferring the Pdf file into an ePub file.ebook-cover-on-apple-books

I was ultimately able to do this, only after several failed attempts.

The cover turned out to be a default template, which I decided to go along with at this stage.

I now declare that I am the author and publisher of an eBook entitled An Introduction to Writing Craft, that I have stored on my laptop computer in my Apple Books application. My next step is learning how to share it with subscribers to my blog.  Or shall I share the PDF file instead?

How to create an ebook in 5 easy steps… was last modified: March 21st, 2019 by Anne Skyvington
March 15, 2019 0 comment
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waterfall-streams
PublishingWriting

Publishing Streams in Australia

A Seminar I Attended

In July I attended an excellent seminar held at the Australian Society of Authors (ASA) in Ultimo, Sydney, titled “Pitch Perfect”. The convenor, Emily Booth, an editor from Melbourne company, Text Publishing, led the workshop on how to pitch our manuscript to agents and publishers. One of the most helpful pieces of information, as well as the guidelines on synopsis writing and pitching, was a classification of principal publishing firms:

There are three main publishing streams in Australia:

Large Traditional Houses:

Interested mainly in already published authors, or those with a social presence, such as Bill Clinton, whose books will sell in the thousands:  Not available to new authors, unless you have an agent: also called The Big Five:

Random Penguin House is an example; Hachette; Pan Macmillan; Harper Collins; Simon & Schuster.

Continue Reading
Publishing Streams in Australia was last modified: February 10th, 2020 by Anne Skyvington
October 19, 2017 0 comment
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softball-pitcher
Publishing

A Perfect Pitch to a Publisher

What is A Pitch?

A pitch can be verbal or written and often a combination of both. Verbal pitches are for face-to-face meetings with an agent or publishers.

A synopsis answers the question of what’s in the novel, whereas a pitch tells the publishers why they should read the manuscript.

It should include the title, length and genre of your novel; a short synopsis; your target audience; where it fits in the market; and your bio.

Things to Consider For Your Pitch:

Which publishers are you pitching to? Do they have similar books to yours and have you read them? How can you simply describe what happens?  Where does it fit on the shelves of bookshops? Who is your audience? What’s unique about your book? From where/what did you get the idea? Tagline? The central conflict? Have you been published?  How might you assist with selling the book? Have you won any awards? Why should they read your book?

Who are your favourite authors?

Isabel Allende; Miles Franklin; Gabriel García Márquez; Stendhal; Hemingway; Milan Kundera; Salley Vickers; Tim Winton; Barbara Kingsolver; Emily Bronte; Jill Kerr Conway; Magda Szubanski; Helen Garner; Richard Glover

Which ones does your book resemble?

In terms of thematic content: My Brilliant Career; Wuthering Heights; Flight Behaviour; The Unbearable Lightness of Being; Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell; A Farewell to Arms

The Pitch

Your pitch should be short, interesting, and describe your novel’s best qualities. Read the blurbs on the back of paperback novels similar to yours, or on Amazon. That’s the level of detail you require, since a pitch would only last about 2-3 minutes in all. Ten or fifteen minute long appointments must also contain questions and small-talk. It must be kept short and snappy.

A good idea is to open with something short and catchy. You want a few sentences that describe your novel in the most compelling and intriguing way possible.

When Writing Your Pitch:

  • Lead with a hook or a tagline
  • one (or two) sentence description that boils it down to its essential dramatic narrative: who? what? where? when?
  • Genre?
  • Title
  • “Zingy” language, but an elegant presentation

A YouTube Video

The procedure is much the same as in the video above. Lucy Flynn, English literary agent is shown practising a pitch for a book, La Manciata, by an Italian writer, before a panel of judges.  Did she give away too much of the story?

This video was created and published by “Free Word” (Free Word Centre, 60 Farringdon Road, London) in association with the British Centre for Literary Translation (University of East Anglia, Norwich):

[Free Word works internationally to bring together communities, organisations and individuals through the belief that words change lives. In 2009, Free Word moved in, and, after refurbishing in 2014, has become a vibrant hub for literature]

Practising the Pitch

President of New York Writers Workshop, Tim Tomlinson, who hosts several pitch conferences annually, advises that writers plan out a pitch of 90 seconds to two minutes that they either memorise or read during their session, leaving time for questions and answers at the end. This way, you know you’ll say everything you needed to say. You’re also more likely to be articulate and clear about your message. Besides, this material will then make up your cover letter to publishers or agents.

After the Pitch

Even if you aren’t successful, you’ve had the experience of meeting a publisher or an agent, and practising your pitch, which you can use again in the future.

 

A Perfect Pitch to a Publisher was last modified: February 11th, 2019 by Anne Skyvington
July 1, 2017 0 comment
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PublishingWriting

The Writer as Entrepreneur

English: A web banner in use during Open Acces...

English: A web banner in use during Open Access Week. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I recently attended a seminar on Publishing at the NSW Writers Centre entitled “Open Access”. The main message I came away with was: “You must be an author entrepreneur. You need to take part in marketing your own books before, during and after publication.” In attendance were 1) digital experts, 2) publishing representatives, 3) bookshop owners, 4) editors and 5) writers.

Anna Maguire talked about the ingredients for success: Content, Cover, Connections, Metadata and Marketing.

Cate Blake: Penguin Books Australia: “The long tail”: Print, Radio, Online, campaign,

Alice Grundy: Giramondo: Quality, Enthusiasm, Commitment.

Adam Van Rooijhan: Harlequin: Finding your audience.

Megan O’Brien discussed who and what to talk to/about in a bookshop.

Robert Watkins: Commissioning Editor for Hachette talked about the 7 stages in supporting an author.

Diane Blackloch was in the right place at the right time and started with 3 friends and an electronic newsletter.

Anita Heiss (Dr) Political activist and writer: 2008 Apology in Canberra:  Describes herself ironically as “the Australian Oprah”and is a long-term blogger and twitter adept.

Dionne Lister, self publisher, developed a community of authors.

Elisabeth Storrs described herself as a hybrid and “twitterer on steroids”: self publisher/taken up by a US publisher.

Bruce McCabe: The Reader is Key: Find your readers!

Darrell Pitt: Text Publishing: “The riches are in the niches”: Have a series of books ready to go!

 See my next post on Strategies for self promoting.

Related articles
  • The Future of Publishing Panel at NSW Writers Centre
  • Five Indigenous female writers who should be on school reading lists
  • Hachette Authors Take Their Case To Amazon’s Board Of Directors
  • Anita Heiss, Am I black enough for you (Review)
  • Anita Heiss, author of Paris Dreaming, answers Five Facetious Questions
  • Neil Gaiman Speaks Out on the Dispute Between Amazon & Hachette
  • Hachette authors urge Amazon board to end contract dispute
The Writer as Entrepreneur was last modified: August 14th, 2017 by Anne Skyvington
October 5, 2014 0 comment
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castle-in-ireland
PublishingWriting

Print On Demand Publishing

This morning, the postwoman brought my brother a first copy (from the printer in the UK) of They Sought the Last of Lands, which can be thought of as a companion volume to A Little Bit of Irish. He is more than satisfied with the results.

 My brother writes, when speaking of Print-on-Demand Publishing and Printing: “In a nutshell, I am both the author and the publisher of these books. As for the US-owned platform, IngramSparks, in the UK, it houses above all an extraordinary robot that simply produces (prints out) exactly the book that I’ve requested. In other words, I do not communicate with any human beings at “IngramSpark”.

English: Postwoman in Great Britain, WWI. Espa...

English: Postwoman in Great Britain, WWI. Español: Cartera en Gran Bretaña durante la Primera Guerra Mundial. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

They Sought the Last of Lands:

William Skyvington presents the outcome of research into his paternal ancestors. His grandfather went out to Australia at the start of the 20th century, and married an outback girl whose English father had reached NSW in the second half of the 19th century. This book might have been a run-of-the-mill family-history monograph written by the Australian-born grandson of typical Old World pioneers in the Antipodes. However, during the final stages of the writing process, the author had got into the habit of displaying his work in progress on a dedicated Internet website… and that changed everything.

The author started to hear from individuals-indeed, relatives-whom he had never known. And two such cousins provided the author with astounding last-minute revelations, forcing him to rethink and rewrite large sections of his typescript.

Skeletons-some quite harmless, others more disturbing—started to jump out of closets on both sides of the author’s paternal ancestors. What had started out as a banal exercise in genealogy was metamorphosed, in parts, into psychological case studies of relatively recent ancestors who apparently believed that a good way of presenting one’s family history was through myths.

(https://www.amazon.com/They-Sought-Last-Lands-Forebears/dp/2919427024)

3-books
 
A Little Bit of Irish,

William Skyvington explores the background of his maternal Irish ancestors. Their family names were Walker, Hickey, O’Keefe, Kennedy and Cranston. Among them, there was a convict and a bushranger, but most of the others were simple folk fleeing from poverty in the Old World. Rural pioneers, they were seeking greener pastures than those of their native Ireland. Their one-way journey to the Antipodes was a gigantic adventure, culminating in their helping to found a new nation.

a-little-bit-of-irish

 These two books have enabled us to find relatives in the United Kingdom and in Australia that we had never met before. Some of these are distant cousins, and some the result of “skeletons in the closet” stories, one linked to a recent ancestor who invented a fake noble lineage to pass on to his second family, our newfound “step-cousins”.

Some of these new-found relatives refused to believe the facts unearthed by painstaking research on the part of my brother.

Related articles
  • Your Personal Family History: Learning About Genealogy
  • Skyvington: No country for easy decisions
  • New Ingram Spark Publishing Program Revealed
Print On Demand Publishing was last modified: April 9th, 2019 by Anne Skyvington
September 5, 2014 1 comment
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About Me

About Me

Anne Skyvington

Anne Skyvington is a writer based in Sydney who has been practising and teaching creative writing skills for many years. You can learn here about structuring a short story and how to go about creating a longer work, such as a novel or a memoir. Subscribe to this blog and receive a monthly newsletter on creative writing topics and events.

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In Australia you can purchase the book from Harry Hartog in Bondi Junction, from Amazon Australia and bookshops linked to IngramSpark

 

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