Aussie Bloggers

In a park, by a river, there was a party. A birthday party. With balloons, and cake, and presents. All for a girl.

Another year older. A special one. One with a zero at the end.

But she didn’t feel older.

“Grow older, but never grow up.”

Parents, children, aunts, uncles, old friends, new friends.

And the boys barbequed. And the girls gossiped. And the kids played.

And then the big boys came out to play.

The children’s play equipment was no longer safe for anyone under the age of 20. Or anyone really.

See, four of the big boys have grown beyond the age where play is “acceptable”. One even has children of his own. But that doesn’t stop them.

There was sheer joy on their faces as they played. Swinging on the equipment like Tarzan through the jungle. Falling over dizzy after falling off merry go rounds and round-a-bouts. They hadn’t even drunk that much.

I often tell my daughters: “grow older, but never grow up.” I’m sure they don’t understand, but they parrot it back to me now. Growing older is mandatory, growing up is optional.

Watching the big boys play brought a smile to their faces; their wives, children and friends cheered them on. Their play didn’t just bring them joy, it brought joy to all those watching as well. Just as there is joy in watching children play without fear, there is joy in watching grown men play without fear. Without fear of injury, humiliation or embarrassment.

Perhaps we can all learn something from these big boys. Let down our guards once in a while to enjoy playing. Tomorrow these “big boys” will go back to work. Back to their corporate jobs in the city. But the smiles on their faces and on the faces of those who watched will take a while longer to fade. Hopefully long enough for those who watched to let their guard down, and experience the joy of never growing up.

One of my favourite places in the world is the South West of WA, which the locals call “down South”. You can hike through forests, taste wine at some amazing vineyards, explore caves, eat in fantastic restaurants and visit beautiful beaches.

I recently visited Gnarabup Beach (in the warmer months) - how can you not feel peaceful when looking at that view?

Chances are, that if you write a blog, then you have considered turning your hand to writing a book.

Now, if you are like me, the idea of sending off your manuscript to a publishing house seems a little daunting. Not only do you have to find the publisher’s submission guidelines, make sure that your manuscript conforms, and then you have to wait to hear back. This can take months…
But there is an easier way — self publishing.

Before the web, self publishing was a pretty expensive operation. You had to prepare the manuscript, hire or pay for someone to lay it out nd design a cover, and then find a printer who would do a small print un for you. Now if you can use a basic word processor, you can pretty much publish a book. And as the self publishing sites use print on demand, it means that you don’t have to pay anything up-front — the purchaser pays for the cost of printing, a small commission and the royalty amount that comes back to you, the author. Sounds easy, huh?

There are now a number of sites scattered across the web that allow you to self-publish, including:

* Lulu
* Blurb
* Amazon

And while each of these have their strengths, let’s take a quick look at Lulu as an example.

Step 1 — write your book.
It sounds obvious, but anyone who has written a blog for more than a couple of months will know that writing is hard work. Spend some time, think through your subject and then get writing. Save it as a Word Document.

Step 2 — think about size

Because Lulu is print on demand, your book cost is directly related to the size of your book (called the format eg A4) and the number of pages. Think about the format that you would like and check out the options on Lulu. There are quite a few templates that you can download from Lulu and use without modification. You can either type directly into the template or copy and paste from your existing Word Document.

Step 3 — edit the book
If you are the author, try to have someone else edit it. While this can be daunting, having someone else edit your work will vastly
improve its quality. If you want to go professional, check www.elance.com for an experienced editor near you.

Step 4 — prepare the prelims

Don’t forget, you are the author and therefore the copyright owner. Make sure you assert your ownership in the preliminary pages of the book. In general you will want a Title page as well as a copyright page (counted as pages 1 and 2). You can also add-in a Foreword, Introduction, Table of Contents etc. This is all up to you!

Step 5 — print your whole book

This is not good from a conservation point of view, but it will help ensure the quality of your book. Make sure that the Title starts on page 1 (or page i if you are using roman page numbers for the prelims) and that all the odd pages start on a layout that is specified for the right hand side of the book. Often this just means that the page number appears on the right hand corner of the page (though you can always centre your pages).

Step 6 — upload your book

After you have checked and rechecked your book, it is time to upload to Lulu. Simply create an account and start a new project. Specify the size that you have used and begin uploading. When you book is uploaded, Lulu will automatically convert it to PDF in preparation for printing.

Step 7 — create your cover

Lulu allows you to upload a cover or use an online cover creation tool. Make sure to put the title of your book and your name clearly on the title and on the spine of the book.

Step 8 — publish your book
Generally you will need to order, receive and approve a copy of your book before it can be released for general purchase. So after you have received the first copy of your book, check all the pages are in order and that there are no glaring errors (don’t be surprised if you find typos and other errors — almost every book has them). If you are happy with your book, approve it for publishing on Lulu.

Step 9 — set the price

Pricing can be a little tricky — but most sites provide you with a calculator. Every page costs. A cover costs. Your choice of colour or black and white costs. Lulu charges a commission for every book printed. And then there is your royalty — the amount that comes back to you as the author.

Step 10 — setup your bookshop

Lulu allows you to create your own online bookstore to sell your books. You can create a banner and change the design of your store to match your website or your book. These ten steps to publishing your own book cover the basics. There is much more that you can delve into — and Lulu has excellent support and FAQs designed to explain each step of the publishing process — but if you want to easily publish your first novel or your family history, it really can be this simple.

Good luck!

Apologies to Douglas Adams.*

But it’s true! Every time I visit the Aussie Bloggers Forum I shake my head at all the people who twitter and stumble and friendfeed and plurk.

How do you find the time?!

I struggle just to keep up with my reader list - admittedly it is lengthy - and blog - which I try to do every day - or rather feel compelled to do every day.

To spend time following twitters and plurks and whatever else seems impossible!

I gather it results in more traffic to your blog. Does it? How much more traffic?

Does the time you spend twittering/plurking etc take time away from blogging or does it inspire you?

I’m a simple soul. I blog. I comment on other blogs. I work. I say hi to my kids on the way to the computer nook. I sleep.

For me, the joys of twitterhood and plurking are heights to which I can only imagine.

In a perfect life.

You know the one, where actual life doesn’t get in the way.

Yes I can feel my bum slipping…

What?

Oh I see. That’s middle aged spread is it?

*Zaphod: “Hand me the Rap Rod, Plate Captain!”
Waiter: “I’m sorry sir?”
Zaphod: “The phone, waiter, the phone. Gee, you guys are so unhip it’s a wonder your bums don’t fall off.”
Waiter: “Our whats, sir?”

View from the jetty at Redcliffe, QLD.