Book update.

[Chippygeoff]

The book is coming along very nicely. I have finished writing all the text, some 30,000 words. It is just down to getting some photographs and a few videos made and then it will be complete. I am very grateful to all the members who have offered help and support, much appreciated. Not wishing to boast in anyway at all but there has never been a book written on the scroll saw like this one, it is very different. I have covered most aspects of scroll saw work with a large section devoted to wood finishing and craft fairs. I have not dwelt on many individual scroll saws but have generalised.

Although I am confident I have covered basically everything I was wondering if any of the members would like something included that they feel would benefit the beginner, it could be anything from tips, shortcuts, a particular type of scroll saw work or even an odd material you have had some success with. All donations will be greatly received.

 

[nadnerb]

looking forward to it Geoff
Regards
Brendan

 

[martinka]

That was quick work, Geoff!

 

[jamiecrawford]

I don't know if you're thinking of doing up an illustrated cover, but fiverr.co.uk is a site where you advertise for a piece of work, then people send you proposals, for very small amounts of money. I used to do a spot of e publishing, through amazon and smashwords.com, and have had some decent covers done for a tenner. There are also copy readers/editors on there for not much.

If you're thinking of e publishing, it's a doddle. You get 70% of the price. There's a great website called reddit, you may have come across it before. It's a gigantic message board with forums covering every topic imaginable. These forums are called subs. There are a couple of self publishing ones, and much like here people are happy to share their knowledge. Unlike me, I charge. That'll be £2.50 please. Geoff

 

[Chippygeoff]

Thanks Guys and thank you Jamie. The cheque is in the post. Some very useful information there Jamie. Much appreciated.

 

[AES]

Chippygeoff,

The book sounds great, please put my name down for a copy as soon as it's ready.

I have no tips or suggestions to cover, but I do have one request - although I am an enthusiastic convert to e-books (Amazon Kindle in my case) and for example, wouldn't have been without it while in hospital recently, as it has well over 100 "entertainment" books on it, I did make one mistake soon after I bought the Kindle. I bought what seems to be an excellent book on Routers, but unlike reading novels, etc, on Kindle (as above, purely for entertainment), I found the Router book VERY difficult to get on with. YES, one can expand/magnify a page to see a photo or a drawing for example, but with the Kindle's relatively small screen it becomes very clumsy and difficult to see properly, especially if it's a big picture and so spreads across more than one page.

So for a book such as yours I would be strongly in favour of a hard copy (paper) edition, even if it cost more than an electronic version, and even though a hard copy version would of course not enable video clips (though that could covered by issuing a separate CD/DVD if they are important enough).

I had a similar experience when I bought a book on Windows 7 - I ended up deleting the e-book version from my Kindle and bought it again in hard copy - so much easier to use while "puzzling it out with the book in one hand and the keyboard in the other"! :roll:

I appreciate that there are many here who have other equipment (such as tablets, etc) without this big limitation of the Kindle, but personally I'm now firmly of the opinion that any "text book" is, for me, so much more convenient and valuable in old-fashioned paper format - and I'm prepared to pay extra for that privilege.

And I suspect I'm not alone in thinking that.

I offer the comment for what it's worth. More power to your elbow (and to your printing press!) Sir.

Krgds
AES

 

[scrimper]

I appreciate that there are many here who have other equipment (such as tablets, etc) without this big limitation of the Kindle, but personally I'm now firmly of the opinion that any "text book" is, for me, so much more convenient and valuable in old-fashioned paper format - and I'm prepared to pay extra for that privilege.

And I suspect I'm not alone in thinking that.

You are not alone, I have a library of over 1000 printed books almost all are non fiction on many subjects, I have always liked proper books and I simply hate reading them on a screen inc desktop laptop or even tablet, The tablet is possibly the least bad of the three for readability but I find it too small and inconvenient (Nexus 7).

 

[mseries]

sound good Chippygeoff, if it's within my price range I'll probably take a copy. With no experience of scrolling, i am keen to read about it before I start. To AES and others, I take your point about tablets being too small for reference books, maybe install the Kindle app on your PC or use Kindle Cloud reader, if you have a PC. Even then though it's not the same as flicking through a paper book with scraps of paper bookmarking interesting pages.

 

[AES]

Thanks for agreeing scrimper.

QUOTE:
... Kindle app on your PC or use Kindle Cloud reader, if you have a PC. Even then though it's not the same as flicking through a paper book with scraps of paper bookmarking interesting pages.
UNQUOTE:

ANSWER:
I do have a app on my PC/laptop mseries, but as you go on to say, " .... flicking through a paper book with scraps of paper ... " is really the only way to go for text books as far as I'm concerned. (And I too love printed books and have "N" of them - far too many actually.

@Chippygeoff:

If I have created a "problem" for you here, sorry, that was not my intention. I have no idea what format you are thinking of publishing in, but for me, it would be perfectly OK for you to sell a .pdf file from which I could print out and bind my own copy, then add an accompanying CD or DVD with the video clips on. I'm not especially computer-savvy but I could do that and expect that for you, this would be a cheaper method than having a pukka paper book produced.

But the big BUT there is that in this way you're leaving yourself wide open to copyright theft. Please read on ....

30,000 words is a helluva labour, so do please make sure that whatever format you finally publish in that your copyright is protected. As a first step may I strongly suggest that you get hold of a book called "Writer's Yearbook" (yes, it comes out annually).

There, amongst many other interesting bits of info, it will give you a good idea of the sort of standard contract you are likely to be offered if you're going to have your book professionally published. It will also give you some good guidelines on how to go about protecting yourself if you're going to go via E-publishing or self-publishing in either paper or electronic format.

But in all cases one of the major problems to guard against is that some hobby magazine/book publisher does not take your rights on what you think is a "correct" basis, so that you get paid on the basis of the first book print run, (or as it's serialised in the magazine), but then find out later that the publisher has then bought the "all rights". That lets him go on publishing your work in different countries and/or formats, earning money off your work for the next "X" years without paying you a penny.

Please DAMHIKT! As a first step the above "Writer's Yearbook" will equip you for an area in which, if you're like me, you probably know little or nothing about when you start off.

HTH
AES

 

[Wildman]

As a one time magazine publisher I am a paper book devotee though I have kindle for pc on my PC, laptop and tablet. A hard copy is easy to lay open on a bench. Should you require a proof reader I am happy to do so free of charge.

 

[Chippygeoff]

Once again many thanks to everyone for their input. AES. Like many I am completely ignorant of copyright laws etc.But, my son isn't, as he has now had two books published and he is taking care of that side of things for me. Interestingly I did send off a couple of e-mails to a couple of manufacturers asking if it was okay to incluse their products in my book but when a week went by I had not heard anything, and then this morning one did reply saying it was perfectly okay. I then telephoned a few others today and in every case the person I spoke to said they could not give me a yes or a no and that I would have to contact someone in seniour management, and again, in every case I was given details on how to contact them, which I have now done and awaiting replies.

Wildman. I did have another offer from a member who said they would kindly proof read it for me and I sent an e-mail to that member but he has not come back to me so I am assuming something may have gone pear shaped, but yes. I would very much appreiate your offer. I am at the stage now where it is almost complete. My son installed i book author on my apple i mac, which I am using as the final format but the text I am writing in microsoft word and then adding it to the i book author when each chapter is completed. To send the book as it stands at the moment to an e-mail address will not work as there are still many photographs on the word side, so when my son next comes over I will make sure we just have text and then it can be sent so once again wildman I would greatly appreciate your offer and also if you could PM me your e-mail address. I am now up to almost 35,000 words.

 

[Claymore]

Geoff, Can I be your Page 3 Fella? I have my Mankini ready and got a new bottle of spray tan for the white bits! 9-)
Bets that's put a few of you off your supper lol

 

[AES]

Chippygeoff,

Great! I'm so pleased you're getting into that minefield with someone who knows the ropes.

All the best with it.

Krgds
AES

 

[Chippygeoff]

Brain. If only you has mentioned page 3 before now. I have already got my 19 year old blonde assistant on page 3 otherwise the job would have been yours.

AES. I feel I must give you an apology as i did not fully reply to your earlier post. It's just been one of those days when there is a huge rush on and not enough hours in the day. Thanks very much for all the information you have provided, it is much appreciated and I am very grateful for you taking the time to submit what you did.

 

[AES]

Chippygeoff,

You certainly don't owe me an apology, though thanks anyway. I was just passing on my own experience of what I found to be a very difficult area, strewn with pitfalls. The fact that you have someone guiding you who has themselves been down that road is what really matters - from your original post I thought you may be facing that minefield alone.

All the best with the book, and as said before, please put my name down for a copy, especially if it's now going to feature a page 3 girl/s (but NO Forum pin ups please)!

:lol:

Krgds
AES

 

[Alexam]

I haven't read what everyone has said on this, so please excuse me if I double up. I would have particular interest in the type of blade relese with machines, as this can be awkward sometimes. Alo, is cost justified on higher level machines - do you get what you pay for, or can a reasonable job be achieved with lowr cost models? The good/bad/ugly choices ?