New #Banner time!

Happy Friday Greetings! 

This will be a very short post compared to that of last Monday. After publishing my Monday post about Inchtuthil Roman Fortress, I decided it was time to design (and buy) a new advertising banner- one that wasn't going to break the bank. I found a website which allowed me to create a banner on their site using my own .jpgs, necessary since I can't create the PDFs that other sites insist on. I think it's turned out very well, though it's fairly similar to my last one.

This new version is all in the detail! Instead of including an image of all of my current novels, I focused on adding some Amazon review quotes this time. It's also a little bit taller than the previous one at 2 metres so, since I'm only 5 feet 2, it's going to be a challenge getting the banner up and down. I think the cassette at the foot is a little lighter that my previous one but the attachment for the pole is added to the pole itself this time. That was the main problem with previous banners in that the pole fitted into a bracket that was integral to the top bar. After around 10 months of almost regular fortnightly use the plastic fitting had a hissy fit of fatigue and snapped with the tension that's required to keep the banner in position.

We'll see how long this fabulous new one lasts! 

I've also been preoccupied since Wednesday of this week trying to get my novels onto the Ingram Spark publishers site. I found opening an account quite a lengthy process and then jumped in too quick in downloading a template to create a new front and back of paperbaook book 'jacket'  to the IS specs. Unfortunately, creating the PDF cover is beyond me, so expert help has to be paid for!

But... I then found a technical hitch in that the formatted PDF I have for the Amazon paperback KDP interior version/(s) doesn't suit the IS requirements. I will now need to spend time away from my new writing to reformat all 8 novels before I can be sure of the new pages counts. The page counts are critical to getting the spine width correct, so I have to beaver away at the reformatting processes, with suitable IS margins set, during the coming days.

That will be after Saturday, though, since I'll be attending a Craft Fair at Stonehaven (Scotland) tomorrow (Sat 5th Nov) where I'll be signing and selling my books. My new banner will be getting it's first airing! 

Updates on my attempts to publish with Ingram Spark will follow in due course. Some may ask why I want this option for my paperback publishing?  The answer is that Ingram Spark are the ones who can distribute globally to bookstores and to libraries which isn't so easily done with Amazon published novels. The effort, and heartache, and expense will hopefully be worth it! 

Slainthe!