Before launching into 2013 (and taking a well deserved holiday in the sun), I thought it worth wrapping up the year on this blog with a bit of a summary of the journey I’ve been on this year.
Strangely, the only thing I had vaguely planned was to write Planes of Being but even then at the start of the year, the title and theme of the book weren’t fixed … roll on 2013 !!
The greyscale display of the Kindle and some other e-ink readers, with their somewhat primitive formatting options, present somewhat of a challenge for book designers, publishers and authors.
There are however a few simple things we can do to create much fancier-looking, eye-catching and more readable books.
Note that I am no graphic designer and these tips won’t generate anything like a carefully crafted print book but they will make the book reading process more enjoyable for the reader.
Note too that the screenshots here are blatantly self-promotional from my own books – I am just practicing what I preach!
1. Judging a book by its cover
The book cover is the first thing that registers with our unconscious mind. Getting it right is key and both an art and a science. There has to be good contrast between any graphics or text and the title and author name has to be legible in a range of sizes.
Tip 1 : make sure your cover works equally well on greyscale and colour devices – and in thumbnail
2. Table your contents
With no pages to thumb through, we have to give the reader an easy way to navigate around their books. Including a hyperlinked table of contents is not a nice-to-have or option but a given.
Tip 2 : get a copy of Scrivener which not only generates all ebook formats but also generates hyperlinked tables of contents
3. Use graphics for chapter titles
Use a graphic for each chapter title (and any quotes)
Use an image and graphics to tell part of the story and augment the text, making sure that you follow guidelines for image resolution. Use colour where possible than renders well in greyscale. Also make sure you check copyright and I’ve listed the photo libraries I mainly use below.
Tip 4 : use the free Kindle Previewer to check your graphics in colour and greyscale and on a range of devices
5. Keep it short and consistent
Make chapters roughly the same length and use sub-headings to break long chapters into chunks. This works best for non-fiction but can apply to some fiction too.
Change the way you think and add hours to your days
Many time management systems teach you how to better prioritise and how to beat procrastination. This system is fundamentally different – it shows you how to change the speed of your thoughts, using meditative and mindfullness techniques, so you change the subjective passage of time.
Learn how to control your own Personal Time Machine – your Mind.
This ecourse contains over four hours of mind altering exercises and visualisations to take you into altered and heightened states of consciousness. The programme is simple to follow, completely safe and also very, very relaxing.
You will also find out that we have different time clocks running all over our bodies!
Take some Time Out to give yourself more Me-Time and you will get your investment back in this revolutionary time management programme in no time at all.
If you have ever been stuck in front of your computer with words not flowing, there’s a good bet it’s your head that’s in the way.
When we allow our conscious mind to take a back seat, a certain magic unfolds – we get in flow and become what is known as ‘a channel’.
Next Thursday the 8th November at 7pm GMT, I’m honoured to be taking part in the Writing from Your Heart series of teleseminars with Eileen Parr.
I’ll be lifting the lid on what channelling is, and isn’t, and how it’s not about talking to the “Dear Departed” – it’s a natural process we all do from time to time. When we learn to do it under volition, our creativity and productivity soars.
Every once in a while I even surprise myself. None more so than when on holiday recently I wrote a whole book (admittedly a short one) that I had absolutely no intention in writing.
This We Know is an exploration into what we know and what we don’t. Furthermore, it explores how we can go about not only gaining new knowledge but how to define our own reality.
It didn’t take long to write; it doesn’t take long to read – the aim though is that it will change your world and the world around you for ever.
I started writing the book on the 3rd September and thanks to CompletelyNovel and Vook, it was published on the 18th September – and available worldwide by the 30th September.
“I downloaded this book yesterday on my iPad and have read it twice. An extraordinary book that takes us on a journey of what as a society we ‘need to know’. The postscript gave me goosebumps of excitement. For me it sets out a vision of what we could be as a society if we as individuals let go of our ego. It is a manifesto for our future. Like any great book it asks big questions, pokes our thoughts and tramples on our preconceived beliefs about humanity. It transported me back to being a child reading Arthur C Clarke and mind expanding possibilities. Tom Evans is a visionary and I hope that everyone jumps on board the party in the sky.” – Dr Linda Mallory, Founder of The Why Parent
“Wow! Tom Evans the wizard has done it again! I am half way through his latest book, and even though I probably could have gone through the whole thing in about 30min, I am stopping, pondering, loving it. It is simple, factual yet provoking. Chapter 10 is soooo spot on! As a scientist myself, it triggers memories of my times in research labs when I use to think to myself what’s the point of this since just imagining the results I want will make them happen. So cool to see a very wise man share that very thinking. Highly highly recommended!” – Dr Claire Gaudry, Author of The Power of True Learning
The book is available from all the usual outlets …