Thursday, May 26, 2011

Adventures in Re-issuing

Re-issuing one's work is always easiest if you don't have to do it yourself. Writers Digest Books has just reissued my book on writing fiction, BEGINNINGS, MIDDLES, AND ENDS, with a soft-sell cover featuring trees:

These are presumably the same trees that will be cut down and pulped to print the fiction I am telling you how to write. There's a moral there, although I don't know what.

Meanwhile, my project to re-issue my books in electronic form proceeds apace. Well, okay, not "apace," exactly, but I have done several things:

I have ascertained that I own electronic rights to four books on my backlist. These are books that were published before there was such a thing as electronic rights.

I am going today to Vonda McIntyre's house to learn how to use a scanner. Then, this weekend, I will actually buy a scanner. Thereafter, I will scan in my books while watching TV, instead of doing sudoku while I watch TV.

I have decided that the first book I will e-pub is NOTHING HUMAN. A friend is making a cover for this.

Not, perhaps, a lot of progress, but some. Oh, and I also started writing another novel -- which, I have to say, is easier than dealing with the old ones. Go figure.

6 comments:

Lou said...

Yay on the new novel!

And wow that you can just pop over to Vonda McIntyre's house for a quick lesson in scanning.

I love it!

Bryan H. Bell said...

I'm glad to hear this. I don't know too much about converting old books into eBook form, but if you need any help (research or even drudge work) on this project, drop me a line. I'd be happy to do anything necessary to accelerate this project. I do have a scanner as well as hard copies of almost all of your backlist titles, including Nothing Human.

Jonathan Laidlow said...

You should talk to CJ Cherryh - she's doing exactly the same thing through her website. She must have a procedure for scanning, checking, then formatting for ereaders.

Nancy Kress said...

Bryan -- I may indeed come to you for advice, when I'm farther along. Thanks!

Bryan H. Bell said...

Whenever (or if ever) you think you'd like my help is fine with me. I don't know that I'll have much "advice" on this topic, however. As I said, I don't know too much about it. I am a little familiar with the Calibre eBook manager/converter software that others have mentioned, when you get to that point.

It's a bit technical, but the DIY Book Scanning site has lots of useful information and instructions. You might be able to find someone on the site's forum that has built their own book scanner who might be willing to help you.

Diane said...

Hey there Nancy! Long time no hear.

Someone wandered into my blog from yours, and I followed the link back here. First, very quickly: re scanners: I strongly recommend the Lexmark family (we have a fax/printer/scanner of theirs). It comes with some of the best scanning software I've ever used. It turns out a ***remarkably*** clean scan of a book. (I did "A Wizard Abroad" in about an hour and a half from the Book Club hardcover.)

Meanwhile, my own reissue program is coming along nicely -- soon I'll have all the Young Wizards books out in international editions, and am about to start a short "revisions" series. See here for some info:

And don't hesitate to get in touch if you need advice. I'm well down this road at the moment. :) Check here or what was kind of a springboard post on the subject:

http://www.dianeduane.com/outofambit/2011/03/14/ebooks-a-note-from-the-pro-am-self-pub-frontier/

Best! -- Diane