tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post8040523679071094930..comments2024-03-26T23:41:10.319+00:00Comments on Authors Electric: Honey, I shrunk the books: Love and thanks from Valerie Laws xxxKatherine Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-67665766193366775922014-03-01T21:43:24.053+00:002014-03-01T21:43:24.053+00:00All very good points to make. Especially since I&#...All very good points to make. Especially since I'm reading a 'cheap Trollope' at the moment, that would otherwise be several weighty tomes. Crockett is waiting!Catherine Czerkawskahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14554969254207924049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-66589239803329894742014-03-01T17:58:47.235+00:002014-03-01T17:58:47.235+00:00Changing the subject I do wish all computers were ...Changing the subject I do wish all computers were supplied with an automatic THANK YOU key. I also wish all cars (especially those driven by me) had a ready-to-use SORRY sign for when I inadvertently mess up (hope insurance company is not reading this..)julia joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09773900100240758504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-24487010754737853382014-03-01T15:38:27.605+00:002014-03-01T15:38:27.605+00:00Ha ha, blogger edited my previous one, what irony....Ha ha, blogger edited my previous one, what irony... I started by saying 'as a formatter of the paid variety of classic works.... '. CallyPhillipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15481379296340077102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-49958794869775677762014-03-01T15:36:21.698+00:002014-03-01T15:36:21.698+00:00Ah Chris, 'for matter of classic out of copyri...Ah Chris, 'for matter of classic out of copyright works' I'd like to point out that while there are loads of good free works on Gutenberg, and other sites, the quality of formatting is sometimes absolutely atrocious. That's what got me started with s.r.crockett. The only way for me to get acceptable, readable ebooks was to format them myself. Away from the 'most popular'authors free formatted ebooks is a double edged sword, so I hope I'm providing a useful service in my re-publishing venture. Time will tell. But my blood boiled when I downloaded some free crockett and found them all but illegible. I wonder how many people just give up at that point, or blame the original author. That's why I felt it the best tribute I could pay to a great but forgotten writer was to clean them up and give readers something better. I'm sure we'd all squeal if poorly formatted copies of our work we're being given away freely! CallyPhillipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15481379296340077102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-60099015298891887922014-03-01T15:13:14.951+00:002014-03-01T15:13:14.951+00:00yes Cally award yourself a medal toot sweet! Thank...yes Cally award yourself a medal toot sweet! Thanks for linking to the Gutenberg project Chris, love to them too!<br />Lydia Bennethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09328239009863878547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-67484116246310368332014-03-01T13:00:08.092+00:002014-03-01T13:00:08.092+00:00I totally agree with everything said, and formatti...I totally agree with everything said, and formatting can be a painful process. But when you're talking about classic, out of copyright books, I do wonder if the formatters of the paid variety are simply acquiring the books from the Project Gutenberg. This project, which is digitising books for posterity, has been going for many years now and thousands of books, have been digitised by thousands of volunteers. The books are free on the Project Gutenberg website, and folks like Shakespeare, the Brontes, and Conan Doyle are all there.<br /><br />Here is the link http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_PageChris Longmuirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02488093821886798927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-59903897381610364412014-03-01T12:42:33.713+00:002014-03-01T12:42:33.713+00:00Yes, now you have the slightest of ideas what I...Yes, now you have the slightest of ideas what I've been going through in the last 18 months bringing 32 volumes to publication. I have copyedited 3.5 million words and proofed over 4 times as well as formatted for ebook and paper. (About 3 weeks away from completion now) <br />And sorry, they are NOT free. You can get some great free out of copyright works but equally (as I found) some authors work has been so mangled by the scanning process that it's virtually unreadable... that's what started me on the labour of love (and yes Sue, it really is a labour of love because with Amazon taking 65% there's never going to be any money in it) but soon, all too soon, people will be able to read the works of S.R.Crockett in a format that would not make the author blush. Want to know more? www.aytonpublishing.co.uk and www.gallowayraiders.co.uk will give more information <br />Apologies Valerie for the merciless plug, but the post does seem rather relevant to my mammoth work! <br />If you're taking your hat off to Sue for the Sterkams... I should be getting a medal or something shouldn't I? I'll settle for getting some readers. S.R.Crockett was as popular as Dickens in his day and has worn just as well. CallyPhillipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15481379296340077102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-86355397929079737762014-03-01T12:36:48.092+00:002014-03-01T12:36:48.092+00:00good to hear you're enjoying old Sherlock and ...good to hear you're enjoying old Sherlock and Watters, Susan, and my virtual hat's off to you for the massive task of formatting the Sterkarms! Nicking a few cows and burning a few homesteads is pretty easy work in comparison. Jo, Kindle is so great for travelling! Because of my disability I can't carry much weight, so on trains I used to tear thick paperbacks in half to carry less for a journey!Lydia Bennethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09328239009863878547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-32617484556668973392014-03-01T11:33:48.599+00:002014-03-01T11:33:48.599+00:00You're so right, Valerie. I've just finish...You're so right, Valerie. I've just finished tearing up a copy of Sterkarm Handshake and scanning it, page by page, through OCR software, then proofing the result - all 150,000+ words of it. And I'm now 20,000 words into Sterkarm Kiss - so I can well appreciate what you say!<br /><br />And I downloaded one of those Sherlock Holmes compendiums for some ridiculous price of under a quid. Somehow, I'd never read them before. Thoroughly enjoyed having all my miscomprehensions corrected, and seeing how true to the spirit of the original the modern TV series really was. All the original illustrations too. More than a bargain - a steal! Thank you to the Anon who formatted it. Must have been for love.Susan Pricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07738737493756183909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-27222605370303835492014-03-01T09:15:23.082+00:002014-03-01T09:15:23.082+00:00Oh yes, I remember the first time I converted a ma...Oh yes, I remember the first time I converted a manuscript to make it Kindle-friendly. At first it was just buckets of coffee ... then cake ... then wine ... but well worth it. <br /><br />And my Kindle is also full of classics - so I never run out of books when I'm away!JOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03127111575563904349noreply@blogger.com