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Archive for the Books category

Preparing files for CreateSpace

CreateSpace’s print guidelines are pretty simple. Make sure there’s nothing within the .75-inch spine margin (if you use hanging punctuation you’ll need a larger margin because they WILL reject the book if there’s even a portion of an em dash there; the .75-inch margin is for books of 151-400 pages) and within .25 inch on . . .

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Ordering ARCs

An ARC (advance reading copy*) is a prepublication copy of your book that is distributed to reviewers and bookstores to stir up interest in your book. If reviewers provide feedback in time, excerpts of their reviews can be used on the cover and in marketing materials. Bookstores may place orders for your books based on . . .

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The ellipsis in books (print and ebook)

Before the ellipsis character arrived with the creation of computer fonts, typesetters used spaced periods (also known as spaced points or ellipsis points). In traditional book design, spaced periods are still preferred. The ellipsis character is generally too narrow and abrupt for its intended purpose: to show where text has been omitted or to replicate . . .

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