self publish for free

Self Publish for FREE on Amazon

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Self Publish for FREE on Amazon

I hadn’t mentioned when the new book became available on Amazon, but it is now, and you can find it here. With the deals going on now, you might be able to get a healthy discount!

Self Publish for FREE (the cover, once again!)

The purpose of this book is to give the reader the ability to use software they have never seen before, without the daunting prospect of having to learn it on their own. Self Publish for FREE walks you through both Scribus and GIMP, step by step, to produce the files necessary to build a book on CreateSpace. Short on hype and long on learning, this book has a singular focus: to help you get your files ready to upload.

There are many websites that can help, many tools that others offer. But if you’re the true do-it-yourselfer who wants full control, then this is the book for you.

Upcoming Signing Event

Maybe you know someone who wants to create a printed book. Or maybe you can wait, because you want an autographed copy of Self Publish for FREE along with some face time. If so, you can pick up a signed copy for 25% off list price at the Gulfport Art Walk on Saturday, December 19th, 2015. (And we’ll pay the tax for you!)

John Rehg will be there signing Self Publish for FREE and others he’ll have for sale in time for Christmas, including ones for children, for zombie fans, for those who like humor, and for prayer and reflection. There’s something for everyone in the family!

Thanks

At this time of year we give thanks for all the authors who have trusted us with their work, for all the readers who have supported them, and for being able to share our knowledge with those we’ve come in contact with, one way or another.

Thank you all!

Self Publish for FREE Available

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Self Publish for FREE is now available

John Rehg has released a new book, Self Publish for FREE, available on CreateSpace now (here) and Amazon next week. For those who want to create a book but thought publishing it was either too difficult or too expensive, here’s your answer!

Here’s the cover:

Self Publish for FREE

The first in a planned series, John walks you through, step by step, to master the software (that is free) that can get you in print on CreateSpace.

Instructions are included for a word processor (LibreOffice), a layout program (Scribus), and a graphics program (GIMP), all available for free download and use on Windows, Mac, and Linux computers.

You can actually create a book at no cost! (Except for the price of this one, and the price of buying yours once it’s created.)

We’ll continue to post helpful hints on this website, and encourage you to visit the forums of those programs to benefit even more. But if you want to save time and hunting for tutorials, get a copy of Self Publish for FREE.

Book Signing Saturday Nov 7, 2015

Tampa Bay Book Fair is this Saturday at Park Station in Pinellas Park. We’ll have several authors there and we’ll be there, too, signing books and talking about writing and publishing. Park Station is located on Park Blvd. between 58th and 59th streets. Parking behind the building as well as farther back at the senior center.

Come out and join the fun, and you can preview a proof copy of the self publishing book. We’re not sure yet where we’ll be, but will tweet our location once we find out. (Follow @JohnRehg for the update.)

This event will be filled with local authors, and there are supposed to be food and beer trucks on site. The event takes place from 2pm – 8pm. Pick up some Holiday gifts early!

 

Premature Formatting: Headers

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premature Formatting

Premature formatting means adding unnecessary work to the process, something you’ll have to remove and regenerate later. Keep in mind when you’re writing your story that you want to keep your formatting to a bare minimum. This means, no headers or footers, and no page numbers.
Why?
Two reasons. First, ebooks do not use page numbers and headers/footers, so you’ll have to remove them before you submit your file to an ebook service (either publisher or aggregator*). Second, if you decide to create a print book, and you use a layout program like Scribus (the one we use here), you’ll add headers or footers and page numbers in the layout program.
So, either way, you’ll have to remove them as you move forward.

Do the Work When It’s Time

Remember, your word processor will show you how many pages you have. There’s no need to add more work to your process.

One caveat – if you use a third party template, they may include this information and have a way of stripping it out for ebook formulation. Always follow their directions when using a template system. And if you have a publisher or agent, follow their advice for formatting.

But if you are generating a book yourself, for friends or family or to push your way to a best seller, hold off on the fancy formatting until you’re ready to produce your book, until the time it’s absolutely necessary.

*aggregator: A company that takes your ebook and sends it to multiple formats/companies, usually for a small percentage of your royalties.

Self Publishing Secrets Revealed

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FWA Presentation Reveals Self Publishing Secrets

An attentive audience at last night’s FWA meeting (Thursday, 8/13) listened and questioned John Rehg as he revealed some self publishing secrets, including how to publish a book for free.

John Rehg at FWA meeting
Secrets of Self Publishing for free revealed by author and publisher John Rehg.

Not everyone may be a DIY publishing author, but if they are, John showed them how simple it was to do it for a reduced cost, or even free. Free including any software you needed to produce your book and your cover.

A handout of a page from his upcoming book, Self Publish for Free, A Step-by-Step Guide, due out this fall, was distributed. It listed the software available (both free and commercial) that authors who want to control the layout of their books can use. Due to high attendance the supply ran out.

So, here we will offer it as a free download (currently page 2 in the book), for those who weren’t able to get it, or who couldn’t attend the meeting.

John stated the purpose of the book is to help those who want to do it themselves by reducing the learning curve of new software. It will offer a step-by-step approach, so once one downloads and installs the software, (available on PC, Mac, and Linux) they can immediately use it.

This book combines lessons learned from many places on the web. It will reduce an author’s search for the right tutorial if he or she is producing a simple book. More complicated DIY offerings may come in the future.

Self Publishing Gifts

One area John believes is under appreciated is giving books as gifts. By publishing for free, this becomes an excellent avenue to provide Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, or gifts for any occasion.

These gifts would not only include memoirs, but also stories of travel, email collections, etc. As he said, ‘The sky’s the limit when it comes to what you want to produce.’ You’re only limited by your imagination.

You can download the sample page offered at the meeting here SeflPub4Freepage2preview, (Will open as a pdf file which you can save.)

Or from the DIY Publishing Tips page here. (If you want to get on the mailing list.)

Finally, a big thanks to Bria and the FWA for inviting me to talk with the group. It’s always an honor and a privilege for me to share with others what I’ve learned as an author and publisher.