When I published RESTLESS NATIVES a week ago, I did it so that I could learn how to use Amazon KDP's software. As a result, the cover was a bit plain. This is actually rather an understatement; as the following image shows, it was a simple mustard-coloured cover, with the title and my name on it.
I was determined to design something much better for THE PORTABLE PIKE & SHOT WARGAME book, and after playing around with several designs, my final one looks like this:
I've tried to keep it as similar as I could to the more recent PW books in order to maintain a 'house' style, and I rather like the end result.
Once I have the final approval of the contributors, I will move on to the final stages of the publication process. With luck, this should be possible to complete at some point over the weekend ... so watch out for an announcement that THE PORTABLE PIKE & SHOT WARGAME book is finally on sale!
Because THE PORTABLE PIKE & SHOT WARGAME book is being produced and distributed by Amazon KDP, it is NOT going to be A5 size (148mm x 210mm/5.8" x 8.3"), but the closest printing equivalent. This is 6" x 9" (156.1mm x 232mm), which is slightly larger than A5, but smaller than the Letter size paper (215.9mm x 279.4mm/8.5" x 11") used for RESTLESS NATIVES.
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The cover looks good and I await updates with interest:)
ReplyDeleteSteve J.,
DeleteI was quite pleased with the end result ... and hopefully, you won’t have to wait too long before the book is published.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob,
ReplyDeleteThe cover for the Pike & Shot looks excellent- you have done a great job of it. Guess your hoping that it will be in print before you go into Hospital. Thank you for commenting on my Star Trek posting earlier in the week. Best Wishes. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteIt took me a couple of attempts to get the cover the way I wanted it to look, but I’m very happy with the final design.
I’m aiming to get the book published very soon indeed so that people can buy it in the run up to Christmas.
All the best,
Bob
PS. I’ve found your recent STAR TREK posts of great interest.
That's looking good. Fingers crossed for a swift publication and a birthday present that I actually want!
ReplyDeleteBarry Carter,
DeleteAs long as your birthday isn’t sometime in the next week, you shouldn’t be disappointed!
All the best,
Bob
I too like how this is shaping up. It seems as if I shall have to hide it away from myself before Christmas. Sorry - I am a bit childish about these things. Best wishes. Jim
ReplyDeleteJim Walkley (Jim),
DeleteI know just what you mean ... and it isn’t at all childish! It helps to keep the separateness of the holiday alive, especially in the sort of trying times we are currently going through.
All the best,
Bob
I am looking at two of your other books on portable wargames right now, and the cover looks like a match for your other books, so it should blend well with the Portable Wargame library.
ReplyDeleteJhnptrqn,
DeleteThat’s exactly what I want to achieve!
All the best,
Bob
Bob,
ReplyDeleteNot really on the subject of covers but relating to the next e-book ...
Producing a well laid out narrative style e-book (fiction or nonfiction) is fairly easy, as long as one is not trying to be too clever and one just sticks to the KISS approach. Doing the same for a set of wargame rules with diagrams, tables and lists is much harder, as you have to deal with the potential reader using a multiplicity of devices with slightly different reading app software, varying sizes of screen and user selected font sizes (and with page breaks potentially appearing where you least want them).
Your experiment with “Restless Natives” was pretty successful, though there were a number or points where the layout went a bit wrong on my Kindle e-reader. Some of the problems I noted did not appear when reading the book in the Kindle App on my PC, and it might be worth having a look to see why this difference occurs?
On the e-ink Kindle (but not the PC) this title also introduced me to a facility I’ve not previously experienced in Kindle e-books: the little diagonal arrow icon which when tapped displays a “table” on a new page. This worked particularly well in the “Categories of special event card” section, and for the tables of “Armies for scenarios”, though at other times it added nothing – at least on my Oasis – as the original text was as clear as or clearer than the display after tapping on the arrow icon. Not having seen or heard of this facility before, I have no idea how much control of it that you have as an author. If such control does exist it might be worth trying to improve the way that it deals with the “Photocopiable Special Event Cards” diagrams.
I was very hesitant to write the above. You said from the outset that “Restless Natives” was an experiment to try out KDP and it feels a bit unfair to point out publicly that some things are not quite right (especially as none of them cause problems in comprehending the rules). However, if it results in the next portable wargame book being better ...,
Mike
Mike Hall (Mike),
DeleteI always welcome constructive feedback, and the very helpful points you raise falls into that category.
I am not a great lover of rules in e-reader format because although text is easy to convert, images and tables tend not to be. I’d much rather publish my books in printed format or in PDF format that readers can print out for themselves.
Unfortunately I don’t have much control over the way Amazon KDP creates a Kindle edition of my rules. If I did, I’d try to make sure that some of the imperfections that arise during the conversion process could be eradicated.
When I published RESTLESS NATIVES, I was only going to produce a printed version, but Amazon KDP offered a quick and simple Kindle conversion and publishing option ... so I decided to avail myself of the offer, knowing that some readers would want a Kindle edition if it was available.
The diagonal arrow function on the Kindle is a not one I’ve heard about before, but if it helps readers to see tables, I’m all for it.
The next book will have some tables in it, but I’m hoping that they have been formatted so that they will convert to Kindle format without any problems.
Again, many thanks for your very helpful feedback.
All the best,
Bob
Looks great Bob!
ReplyDeleteRay Rousell,
DeleteCheers! Any chance you’ll buy a copy?
All the best,
Bob
Dare I suggest that the mustard cover represents the desert sands and that it is plain because the Restless Natives have moved elsewhere?
ReplyDeleteArthur1815 (Arthur),
DeleteI had not thought of it like that ... but I wish that I had!
All the best,
Bob
It looks as though I'll be adding yet another volume to my PW library! I might be forced (AT LAST!!) to finish off my Swedish Horse and battalion guns... Incidentally, my 30YW armies are almost all Revell plastics, but the battalion guns are fashioned from the Airfix French Napoleonic pieces, with the smaller barrel from the ESCI British Napoleonic gun. They look just the thing!
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Ion
Archduke Piccolo (Ion),
DeleteI hope that you enjoy reading it when it is published ... but I also hope that it doesn’t divert you from your current campaign!
The conversions sound very interesting, and show just how flexible plastic figures can be when it comes to doing conversions.
All the best,
Bob
Looking forward to this being published, I have a gradually growing collection of 42mm samurai figures,currently "unbloodied", so I'm hoping the sengoku varient may at last 'let loose the dogs of war'
ReplyDeleteDerek Moore,
DeleteWith luck, you won’t have to wait too much longer.
The Sengoku variant has some interesting mechanisms, and I hope that you’ll enjoy using the rules.
All the best,
Bob
Good stuff Bob, keep them coming!
ReplyDeleteGeordie an Exiled FoG,
DeleteDon’t worry, I will!
All the best,
Bob
What a splendid cover you have come up with!
ReplyDeleteTradgardmastare,
DeleteI must admit that I was very pleased with the way it turned out. Now all I have to do is to use it!
All the best,
Bob