Publishing a Kindle Book

I just published my brother's book of poems - Metre Readings - on Amazon. It's very interesting to do and I thought I'd add my own experience to the many posts and forums on the subject.

At the end is a brief summary of useful information for someone thinking of buying a Kindle.

I prepared the original document for the book in Word which doesn't have to be a very recent copy as the document should be saved as .doc, not .docx which is the latest Word format. I used Arial throughout as the Kindle only uses one typeface and I placed the various illustrations (in JPG format). The document was then saved as "web page filtered". This creates an HTML document.

This can then be edited if necessary. I discovered that Amazon automatically indents the first line of all paragraphs and this is inconvenient for poetry which depends very much on retaining its original format, unlike simple blocks of text. I opened my document in Wordpad and found the CSS tag which applied to the body of the text and added "text-indent:0;" (not forgetting the semi-colon!).

I have Sarah Dawson in the UK (Poetry after Ink) to thank for pointing out text-indent:0.

It looked like this:

........

 /* Style Definitions */

 p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal

    {margin-top:0cm;

    margin-right:0cm;

    margin-bottom:10.0pt;

    margin-left:0cm;

    line-height:115%;

    font-size:11.0pt;

    font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";

    text-indent:0;}

.......

In other words, if you're not familiar with CSS, this says that:

"every time there is a <p> tag, a  <li> tag or a <div> tag called MsoNormal, apply the following (8) settings".

This is a typical line of text in the body of the document:

<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;

text-align:center;line-height:normal;text-autospace:none'><span lang=EN-US

style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>&nbsp;</span></p>

Verbose, isn't it?

Having tweaked the HTML file, I then opened it in Mobipocket Creator which I downloaded from Mobipocket.com This converts the HTML into a .PRC file in two stages which is one of the formats that Amazon accepts. I could then copy it directly to the Kindle in order to test it.

Also Amazon provides a Kindle preview application but, for some reason, it didn't work on my Windows XP computer (it just shut down when I loaded a book) but it was ok in my Windows 7 netbook. To download the Kindle previewer go to this link.

When first I published the book, I uploaded my HTML file to Amazon but, 24 hours later, when the book appeared for sale, the illustrations were missing. My first guess was that they were too large but the Kindle screen resolution is 600x800 pixels and most of my JPG images were in that region and I had carefully kept the image file sizes below the 127k limit which Amazon specifies. Most were around 80KB. But one was still in RGB mode and was too big, so I changed it to Grey Scale. I've re-submitted the book and I now have to wait 12 hours to see if it is ok this time. The book is already up for sale but anyone buying it will get rather a raw deal, no illustrations and no quick link to the Table of Contents!

So, another important point is not only to have a Table of Contents but also to tell the computer at Amazon that it exists. It's no good just having a list of items with hyperlinks to each chapter, the Kindle will recognise the hyperlinks, that's no problem, but the "Go To" menu in the Kindle won't recognise the TOC and the selector will be "greyed out". I tried to create a TOC in Word and became very frustrated and gave up! I looked again at "Convenience Features" at Amazon and the solution is simple. One places a Bookmark in Word at the Table of Contents calling it "TOC" and the Kindle will recognise it. Google calls this feature "Guide Items".

I just checked the book for sale but it still doesn't have its images. When you think about it, there's no point in sending just an HTML file because, of course, it doesn't contain images. So now I've zipped my HTML file together with the folder containing the images that Word saved and I've sent that. 

Now on Saturday 24th March, the book is published... with illustrations! I think many people have similar problems. It's important that, when zipping the HTML file and its illustrations, that the illustrations are in the same sub-directory that Word used to store them when saving the book as "Web page filtered". It's all too easy simply to zip all the files together in one chunk losing the sub-directory relationship but this won't work. This is the main reason for using PkZip, it's not the compression that's so important, it's the relationship between directories.

The book is called "Metre Readings" and it's at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk depending on where you live.
  

Are you thinking of buying a Kindle?

I have the earlier keyboard model so I have no experience of the new cheaper (sorry, more economical) version with touch-screen. I don't use the keyboard very much but it's handy for doing a word search inside the book.

All Kindles have the facility to alter the text size so, if your eyesight isn't very good then this will solve the problem. You can also choose between viewing the book in portrait or landscape mode. When I was preparing my brother's Kindle book, I soon realised that page numbers were meaningless (in fact they don't exist). This is due to the fact that because the user can select a text size the total number of pages will change. So the Table of Contents is vital and it should have hyperlinks to each of the chapters (or poems in the case of my book). I.e., click on the item in the Contents and it will take you directly to the poem or chapter.

Where to buy your books. You don't have to buy all your books from Amazon but those that you do are "locked in" to your Amazon account and can't be copied to friends. On the other hand, there are many sites in the internet that sell books in formats that the Kindle can read. Sometimes "Kindle Format" is specified but .mobi and .prc files providing they are not copy-protected can also be read by the Kindle. Simply download the file into your PC and copy to the Documents folder in your Kindle. There are so many sites that it's impossible to list them here, just do a search for Kindle format books (or free Kindle books). There is one site worth mentioning and that is Project Gutenberg: www.gutenberg.org (Gutenberg was the inventor of the printing press). At this site you will find many free books for your Kindle.

One disadvantage of living in Spain is that one can't buy Kindle books from Amazon.co.uk (unless one has one of those crafty service providers that makes it appear that you are in the UK!) You are stuck with buying from Amazon.com in the USA or Amazon.es. This point is often raised in forums.

One other subject which is frequently raised is why Kindle books are sometimes more expensive than their printed counterparts. The reason given is that the cost of printing is not very great and, as with the limitation as to where one can buy the books, the reason is all tied up with copyright and royalties. But I don't pretend to understand it!

The Wonderful iPod and a Tripod Mount

About a year ago, I bought an iPod Touch with 32Gbytes of memory and I wouldn't be without it. It's an iPhone without the phone so it's slimmer. But it has wifi so, providing I'm close to a hot-spot (and virtually the whole of Girona is covered) I can use it for e-mail and browsing the net.

I have Plane Finder, Boat Finder, Ultralingua English-Spanish and English-French dictionaries which are superb and my entire collection of 170 CDs. I had an Ultralingua dictionary on my old Palm PDA and it was awful. The difference bewteen that and the iPod version is astonishing.

My latest passion is to use the built-in video camera. Frequently I use the camera for taking pictures which, later, may become paintings but I'm keen on producing videos about art. For this, I need a tripod mount for the "camera". Apple doesn't produce such a device so I did a search on the web. They do exist but I decided to make my own. I used a flat metal plate with a 1/4" thread in the middle which was originally supplied to artists for mounting an art board on a tripod and I built a wooden frame for the iPod. I then mounted the contraption on top of a small tripod and I use it for mobile shots, rather like a "Steadycam" but a little cheaper. Note the tasteful varnish.

You've probably guessed the reason why I haven't shown my iPod mounted in the wooden frame!

I've ordered 100 square nuts to take a tripod mount which I plan to use to make my own iPod and iPhone tripod mount. The photo shows the home-made version but obviously the production version will be more sophisticated. So, if you live in the Girona area and you would like more information then please contact me. The price will be around €15.

I've upgraded my Quick Time application to the Pro version which enables me to edit videos. I need to buy a decent microphone to clip onto my clothes which then plugs into the headphone/mic socket on the iPod. Being an ex-BBC sound man, obviously I need to produce the very best quality audio!

Stand by for art videos on this Blog. I know I have a bit of catching up to do but I get there in the end!

Making Money Out of my Art

I know that many artists are driven by a deep passion for something in their lives and their paintings reflect that particular subject. There is a clear theme running through all their pictures. I wish I could say the same about myself but my paintings reflect many different themes and are painted in a number of different styles, from conventional watercolours of landscapes to slightly surrealist oils!

My motivation is this: I love experimenting with different mediums, papers, canvasses and paints. As a consequence, I end up spending large sums of money on materials, some of which I give away if they are not a success. To compensate for this I need to sell the end result rather than having it stacked up in one of my bedrooms.

My exhibition in May should help my plan as it's the pivot for a lot of self-publicising at this time. But I'm always being told that no one has any money these days. I tell people that, one day, my paintings will be more valuable when I'm not longer able to paint - that's a euphemism for being dead. But it doesn't seem to help!

Many artists make money by producing screen prints, etchings and other forms of art where one can create several copies fairly quickly but one can still say that they are the work of the artist. I  discount here lithography which, to me, is just printing, unless of course it is done manually by the artist with plates and tins of printers' ink. But that sounds incredibly messy! 

No, what I mean is a shop simply ordering a print run of, say, 500 and calling it a "limited edition". There is no harm in making money out of litho copies. I have a friend in Barcelona who makes a good living out of selling his incredible original artwork as posters in the newsagents in La Rambla. But they are posters, nothing more. The artist makes no contribution to each copy as it rolls off the press.

I tell people that I'm more than happy to print a poster of any of my artwork, whether or not it's previously been sold, on heavy watercolour paper on my A3 printer for €12. I'll even sign it! The result is very good but only is really authentic in the case of watercolours. All ink-jet printers are "watercolour", they uses water-soluble ink. If the original is in oil, then the copy looks nothing like the original.

Making money

I don't claim to be anything more than an upstart amateur. I never received formal training in art but people make many kind and positive comments about my work so I must be doing the right thing. But, at my level, I can't hope to sell my pictures for €2000 or to make a good living out of art. So I will build on my strengths. I'm a technician and I've written elsewhere that I'm fascinated by the "technology" of art. My latest purchase is transparent gesso primer. I'll tell you about my plan.

Recently I painted an acrylic of Celrà as a commission for my doctor but I wasn't sure whether it was destined for the health centre or for his home. In the end, it was the latter and I was disappointed that it's not reaching a wider audience because I really liked the painting but I didn't like the colours. But see my posting elsewhere in this Blog about acrylics. The original version is on my web-site.

I'm going to re-paint it, this time in oils. Every painting gets scanned into my computer and my plan is to print it but as a weak image onto A3+ heavy grade paper. The paper is so thick that it has to be fed in at the back of the printer and it remains flat during the printing process. Being water-based, my first step is to seal it with a fixer spray which is normally used to seal pencil and charcoal sketches. Then I will paint a coat of transparent gesso primer.

The image is now ready to receive the oil paint. I can re-paint parts that I didn't like but I have the advantage of starting with the outline image. Now, I have to think of a name for this process! I like the word "re-mastered", it's rather cheeky as it is used in sound recording to re-mix the original multitrack tape into a new stereo copy in order to squeeze more sales out of the original recording.

I suppose the closest thing is in the case of artists producing monochrome etchings which they then paint with colour, each copy therefore is different.

This process gives me some more ideas. Now I can paint oils onto any surface, including paper, but retaining the original image. I can draw a sketch on paper, seal it, prime it transparently and apply the oils. I can go back to some of my early pencil sketches and update them in oil.

But, in the end, it is a commercial process! I need to recover my material costs. In this year alone, I've spent around €350 not forgetting the stock that I've carried over from previous years, very little of which has been paid for through sales.

I seem to have lost one of my paintings, "Arcos de Pals", but it's still in my computer and on the web-site. So it's not totally lost! I'll re-master it, make a clone. Aha, maybe that's the word to describe what I'm doing. (1st June: just sold the replacement Arcos de Pals).

Beep!

Noise is always a bit of a problem in Spain, especially in flats which, although built with reinforced concrete, seem to ring like a bell with sounds travelling vast distances through the structure!

But I have found a new sound to add to my collection of dogs and babies.

By about 6am on most mornings, I'm starting to wake up which is rather on the early side. At exactly 5:50, for the past few weeks, I've heard the sound of a car followed by a "beep" on the horn - rather annoying although I'm on the 4th floor. I assumed it was someone picking up a friend and the beep was to tell them that they had arrived. Since it is always at the same time and sufficiently accurate for me to set my clock to it (I would do so if it wasn't for the fact that my clock is tuned to the atomic time which is transmitted from Rugby in the UK), I thought that it would be unnecessary to announce the arrival.

One morning, I leaped out of bed and, on hearing the beep, went out onto the balcony - it was very cold - but there was no car. Very mysterious.

Then, two days ago, having given up going back to sleep, I lay in wait for the mystery car. At exactly 5:50, I heard a car being started and then it came into view. Beep. It drove off down the road. At least I got a view of the car; it was a large dark-coloured saloon.

I assume that the driver is saying goodbye to their partner but who knows?

My only solution is to post a note on what I think is the offending car in the evening saying "Please don't beep your stupid horn when you drive past my flat", and "by the way, why do you do it? I want to finish writing a post on my Blog and my readers won't be satisfied until they know the answer." Of course, there's no guarantee that I get the right car. The only alternative is to stand in the middle of the road at 5:50 in the morning.

By coincidence, at 5:30, sometimes I'm woken by noises from a flat above me. It's difficult to tell which one it is as sound travels around the building in rather a peculiar way but I reckon it's my neighbours above who are connected with the dreaded beep. A couple of nights ago it was loud - I'm not absolutely sure it's always the same car!

27 Feb

Manuel, who is the president of the community very kindly re-wrote the notice that I sent him and he posted it on the door today. So, let's see what happens now. If you don't understand Spanish, basically it says that, if it's you making this beep, then please don't. And, by the way, why do you do it? - I'm interested. Is it saying goodbye to your partner? This will test if the Spanish (or Rumanians) have a sense of humour because it's all done with good humour - I'm not angry about it. It really isn't that important, just strange!

28 Feb
No beep this morning. I think the problem is solved!

Frames and Canvas

Picture Framing

For my own paintings, I make my own frames. Life would be very expensive if I had to send off my pictures to be framed professionally each time. This applies mainly to watercolours and acrylics as I usually paint oils on "3D" canvas which doesn't require a frame. More about that later.

Some artists paint their pictures to match one of the standard sizes that one can buy in the shops.

I read a Forum recently about framing which asked artists if they framed their own material. There were several replies by picture framers, one of which said that "artists know nothing about framing", which I thought was a bit of a cheek (but it made me laugh!). Well, they would say that, wouldn't they? Pere, a carpenter in the village where I live makes three profiles for me which I've published on my web-site: http://www.mezcla/framing_UK.html l buy these in 3m lengths and then cut them to size on my mitre saw. I have to be careful the cut doesn't get distorted by movement of the wood or the blade; it's not ideal. I did have a look at power mitre saws which would give a more precise cut but they were all a bit fearsome for what I wanted. For watercolours, I mount the picture conventionally with mount-board and 2mm glass which, conveniently, I also buy, cut to size, at a really good price from Pere.

For acrylics, which often I paint on 3mm MDF, I have a frame profile (B) which creates a kind of display case where the picture is actually mounted on a backing board a little behind the glass. I know there is nothing terribly original about this but I like it a lot.

Canvasses


Now to another order that I place with Pere. I've recently become interested in making my own canvasses. What converted me was going to a shop in Girona to find that a 50x50cm (x35mm) "3D" canvas was almost €18. From Barna Art in Barcelona, the price is €10 but one has to allow for shipping. From the UK, the price drops to €8 if one buys a pack of 5 but the shipping costs are prohibitive. There was only one thing to do. I went back to Pere and ordered some profiles 35mm thick to match the side of the canvas which I can cut on my mitre saw.

On my last trip to Barcelona, I went to Barna Art, which is not far from the Metro at Paseig de Gracia, just a walk away. Not only did I spend a leisurely time looking at different materials, cotton and linen, both primed and unprimed but I also managed to pick up one or two tips about making my own canvasses. I was keen on buying unprimed material as I had learnt that the material would shrink on the frame (bastidor in Spanish) after being primed. Normally the wood frame is referred to as made up of "stretcher bars" which implies that they can be adjusted after the material has been fitted. But I'm not buying stretcher bars as this limits me to the size of canvas that I can make unless I hold a large stock or wait for the shipment to arrive. My profiles don't stretch; they are completely rigid, being glued and stapled at each corner. Another item that has always intrigued me is the wedge that gets slotted into each corner of the bastidor. When I used to buy ready-made canvasses, often the wood frame appeared to be so rigid that it would be impossible to stretch it even if one bashed the wedges into the corners. I think I understand their role better now. I suspect it is more a case of "locking" the wood frame into a rigid and square shape, rather than actually increasing the dimensions after the canvas has been purchased. If the material has been fitted well and stretched onto the bastidor, then it shouldn't be necessary to stretch it further. Well, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

As you can see from the photo, I came back with a good selection of samples and material; a mixture of linen and cotton both primed and unprimed. I started off by making up a couple of canvasses using frames from which I'd removed the original material due to failed paintings. I used unprimed material and, having seen the shape of a frame which had been distorted due to too much shrinkage, I was careful not to stretch the material too much but I found that, after priming, the material (each a different type) had shrunk by different amounts. But not by a great amount. So, obviously one can't depend on shrinkage to achieve a tight canvas. Since my profiles are quite thick and strong, I use my stretching tool whether or not the material is primed. But, a word of warning, don't stretch the material too much if it is unprimed and the frame isn't very strong as it could well distort the wood after the primer has dried.

Another advantage of making my own canvasses is just what I've described. That is, if a painting is a failure, then the whole canvas isn't a write-off. I just rip the material off the frame and stretch a new canvas.

Rather like framing my own watercolours, it all feels part of the creative process.

Here is a photo of my bastidor-making department, I'm waiting for the glue to set. Then I'll turn the frame over and bang a strong staple across each corner. I guess I should be using corner clamps, that will be next time. I just wrap masking tape around the corners to hold them together.

The bastidor on the table is 50 x 28 cm which represents an aspect ratio of 16:9, the same as a widescreen TV. I imagine a great deal of time was spent choosing the most pleasing ratio for television screens so I thought I would copy it. My "mini" paintings on MDF are also 16:9 (24 x 13.5 cm).
 

New Painting Discoveries

Like all budding artists, I've discovered that the internet is full of art classes, information and tutorials. I wanted to make my own canvasses so I went on a search for the same. I watched a video of a young woman who didn't seem to have a work bench, instead she made her frames on the floor of her workshop using a power mitre-saw. Everything she did was on the wooden floor. I did discover one useful tip and that is that (naturally) the material, whether it be cotton or linen, will shrink after it has been primed. So I decided that the best bet was to buy my material unprimed and then prime it after I had fixed it to the frame (bastador in Spanish). I have a local carpenter who makes the wood profiles which I can then chop into whatever size I want without having to wait for a delivery.

As part of my search, I came across painting.about.com . It comprises a very friendly art site administered by an artist/teacher who provides help and advice in addition to organising many different tutorials. I had a browse and decided to submit a painting in response to a "Painting Challenge". There is a selection of photographs and the artist is invited to provide their own version and post it on the site. I uploaded my painting and received a rapid response. So, I followed the advice and did it again and submitted the second version: http://painting.about.com/u/sty/paintingphotoschallenges/painting-photos-challenge5/An-Alternative-Bridge-by-Steve-Meza.htm?r=un2

If you follow my blog and you're interested in art, I can recommend this site. It feels quite intimate which is unusual for the internet. One is used to numbers in millions and yet there were only 12 other versions of this particular photograph and I ended up swapping e-mails with the teacher. Why look further? I'm hooked! I'm sure there are many other similar sites but I'm happy with this one.

Back to canvasses. I went to Barcelona yesterday to buy canvas (ie cotton and linen) from Barna Art and then met a friend and went to the Miró exhibition at the Fundació Miró in Montjuic. This is a superb exhibition (if one like surrealism) and the usual paintings were augmented by many more which were borrowed from galleries around the world. Previously it had been in London at Tate Modern and it was due to move to Washington, USA in May. Aren't I lucky, living so close to Barcelona!

I really liked Miró's early work but I found videos of him burning canvases and daubing paint on the side of buildings in later life rather sad. I bought a book of his pictures and the story of his life (in Catalan) so I will have to swot up on my non-existent Catalan. It was only €8 so I couldn't resist it.

Swimming

As part of my keeping fit (I hope!), I go swimming about once a week at the Piscina Municipal de Girona. I only heard about the pool from the lifeguard at Celrà outdoor pool during the summer when it was about to close for the season. Previously I went to the pool at Salt, which is a "suburb" of Girona, but is was much more expensive, probably because it also included the gym which I never used. When one is used to cycling down country lanes, I can't understand the appeal of cycling and not going anywhere!

Anyway, back to Palau. On Wednesdays I meet my friends from Girona Grapevine for coffee in Girona and then I catch a bus to the area around Decathlon, Bauhaus and Media Markt. I always enjoy browsing around Meda Markt, even if there's nothing I need to buy. I have lunch at McDonald's (shock, horror) and then take the short walk to the pool, having wandered around the stores to let my lunch settle down.

Since I'm over 65, I only pay €31 a year for the membership at the pool which is great value. Normally there are six lanes open, labelled Slow, Medium and Fast but, on Wednesdays, there's an aquarobics class which takes up half the pool, so it's not the best time to go. Apart from concentrating all swimmers into three lanes, the class makes the water rather choppy; more like swimming at sea! Fortunately, normally there are only around six swimmers at any one time, so it doesn't get too crowded even with the class in action. I normally end up in the Medium speed lane but I can't swim more than 2 lengths without taking a breather. Maybe I should swim more slowly but I'm then in fear of sinking!

During the summer months, I go to the outdoor municipal pool in Celrà which is superb. One can easily avoid the busy times when the pool is full of children so I can swim several lengths without too much traffic!

Later.....
I added this paragraph after returning from my trip to Girona. I was at McDonald's and, as I looked up at their name on the side of the building, I realised I had left off the apostrophe earlier in this post. So I added it just now while no one was looking. This is a contentious issue in the UK at present with the book shop Waterstone's removing their apostrophe! You see, McDonald's actually belongs to someone called McDonald... I think.