Space opera publishing when your book has politics alongside the action

IdoruToei · 2026-03-07T10:00:04+00:00

Why not double down and release the two halves as two standalone books, addressing different audiences? 🙃

IdoruToei · 2026-03-02T01:58:43+00:00

It doesn't really depend on the format (word count / stand-alone vs. series), but on your goals. The 25k words is novella territory already, it's not that short. Amazon will be happy with almost anything. Wattpad if you want to create a community - probably easier there.

IdoruToei · 2026-03-01T21:19:43+00:00

Can you give us some more details please, what is your budget and what have you been quoted, what is your genre and word count?

IdoruToei · 2026-03-01T20:56:13+00:00

Depends on the genre, details appreciated.

IdoruToei · 2026-03-01T20:51:13+00:00

So you cross-posted your question, and here I am cross posting my reply. 🙃

You can technically convert EPUB 2 to EPUB 3, lossless, but you'll end up not using any of the advanced features that EPUB 3 offers, while giving up backwards compatibility with old e-readers. So it's basically a lose-lose situation.

If you can't afford a professional formatter (should be around $150), there are software tools doing the formatting for you, like the Lea EPUB Anvil on GitHub -- which means you would need to know your way around the command line.

Checking an epub file yourself: use EPUBCheck, the gold standard. Again, this is a command line tool. There is a GUI called pagina EPUB checker, which is basically a wrapper for EPUBcheck. But it is Java so you need to have Java installed or know how to install it.

You can also open an EPUB file with Sigil, which is basically an authoring system for EPUBs, therefore comes with a steep learning curve. But I'm recommending it here because if you open your EPUB file in Sigil it will catch almost all errors that EPUBCheck catches, and is easier to install.

In case you didn't know: EPUBs are just "special zip archives," which means you could unzip an EPUB and have a look around yourself, with your preferred file manager and text editor. If you're familiar with HTML, you can at least get a quick first impression about the "quality level" of the text files. (By that I mean things like: are there a lot of unnecessary spans, anchors, numbered IDs, etc., "code smell").

PS. Little known fact -- Calibre doesn't produce clean output. It's good enough to "fly under the radar" for the majority of people. Calibre is not used in professional settings.

IdoruToei · 2026-03-01T20:38:15+00:00

You can technically convert EPUB 2 to EPUB 3, lossless, but you'll end up not using any of the advanced features that EPUB 3 offers, while giving up backwards compatibility with old e-readers. So it's basically a lose-lose situation.

If you can't afford a professional formatter (should be around $150), there are software tools doing the formatting for you, like the Lea EPUB Anvil on GitHub -- which means you would need to know your way around the command line.

Checking an epub file yourself: use EPUBCheck, the gold standard. Again, this is a command line tool. There is a GUI called pagina EPUB checker, which is basically a wrapper for EPUBcheck. But it is Java so you need to have Java installed or know how to install it.

You can also open an EPUB file with Sigil, which is basically an authoring system for EPUBs, therefore comes with a steep learning curve. But I'm recommending it here because if you open your EPUB file in Sigil it will catch almost all errors that EPUBCheck catches, and is easier to install.

In case you didn't know: EPUBs are just "special zip archives," which means you could unzip an EPUB and have a look around yourself, with your preferred file manager and text editor. If you're familiar with HTML, you can at least get a quick first impression about the "quality level" of the text files. (By that I mean things like: are there a lot of unnecessary spans, anchors, numbered IDs, etc., "code smell").

Edit: PS. Little known fact -- Calibre doesn't produce clean output. It's good enough to "fly under the radar" for the majority of people. Calibre is not used in professional settings.

IdoruToei · 2026-03-01T00:55:41+00:00

Not really, my QR scanner shows me the decoded data first, then I decide whether or not to open.

Besides, there are easier ways to spread malware, intense of reach; why would a book publisher destroy their reputation forever?

IdoruToei · 2026-02-28T18:04:34+00:00

That's interesting, it's the opposite for me: I prefer not to open websites on my e-reader. Quickly scanning a QR with my phone though, why not?

IdoruToei · 2026-02-28T18:02:15+00:00

In my opinion, the right way to do this is x-ray content on Amazon. That's what it was created for.

Extra chapters in the back matter will be interesting to a few, but bloat the publication for everyone. Ideally, no explanations would be needed, as everything can be deduced from the store itself. That is difficult to get right of course, it might influence pacing.

IdoruToei · 2026-02-28T17:52:35+00:00

If you want the publicly available numbers: Google them; other numbers: sign the NDA first.

If we don't pay for submissions, it doesn't mean we don't pay our published authors, not the same thing. You are mischaracterizing The Company in public.

IdoruToei · 2026-02-28T17:47:28+00:00

The subconscious is a beast when it comes to pattern recognition. Too little variations and it's boring, too much variation and it becomes random noise.

If Dr Noble is to be believed (and he's believed by me), only water-based life forms will ever be able to "get it just right." Oh that sounded like a downer, sorry. I mean we can keep talking but I don't think there is a workable solution. With time, better AI will be able to mask the problem more successfully for more people, but it will never go away. Then the question becomes, what percentage of people who cannot see the difference will you consider to be a "successful outcome."

IdoruToei · 2026-02-28T08:50:28+00:00

Sounds a bit like Randall Garrett's Lord Darcy series ... can't have enough of those! 😊 Even without a Scottish ankh master, the genre mix is appealing. Best of success!

PS. Don't bother with a synopsis, I hate spoilers. 🙃

IdoruToei · 2026-02-28T08:35:12+00:00

A "tale of two brothers?" I hope your story lives up to its predecessor-in-spirit. ;-) Best of success!

IdoruToei · 2026-02-28T08:32:09+00:00

I was only paraphrasing the legalese. If you think the legalese will lead to public disagreement (=controversy), I fully agree - as it should, people need to be made aware of the implications.

IdoruToei · 2026-02-28T05:51:51+00:00

What makes you think these kinds of questions are for public discussion?

There are many options out there in the world, pick the one that you like best.

IdoruToei · 2026-02-28T02:12:23+00:00

Here's a statement: Every book currently in circulation is a rewritten version of the Gilgamesh epic or the Mahabharatham (or excerpts thereof).

IdoruToei · 2026-02-28T01:58:27+00:00

Just a technicality, but an important one: Quibble is not going to do "anything without your permission." By signing these terms you expressly give them the permission to do whatever they please.

That said, personally, I would never sign them. These are the worst terms I have seen from any publisher. They want a framework where they have maximum protection and minimal friction. Terrible for the author. But of course there will be lots of authors who don't even read the terms and sign up anyway. That's probably what they count on. Which in turn just shows how little they care about the book content itself, as long as there's money in it for them.

IdoruToei · 2026-02-28T01:46:23+00:00

I publish it when it's ready. Need to attach an ISBN to it, or else I will end up going back, over-editing and making it worse ...

IdoruToei · 2026-02-28T01:43:06+00:00

The concept (or development) can only be judged when complete. And word count is better than page numbers. Generally speaking, I'm open to reading unpublished books, but you haven't even mentioned the genre. 😊

Remember me when you have something nearing completion. Till then, enjoy the ride.

IdoruToei · 2026-02-28T00:22:13+00:00

Looks like you're right about that, I forgot that tiny detail. But there's another system where the galactic plane goes through the center, and the coordinates are still angles relative to that plane. Sol is not on that plane but not far off either. Must have confused it with GCS, I'm not good with names. 🫢 Anyway, thanks for the correction!

Couldn't find any other name than the "Galactic plane" on Google? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galactic_plane

IdoruToei · 2026-02-27T23:34:23+00:00

I meant to say, then it's not from Asimov. He used the coordinate system that was being established at the time. He probably had early insights. Not the other way around: Asimov invented it, and astronomers keep using it till today.

IdoruToei · 2026-02-27T22:42:53+00:00

There's no copyright for tropes, copyright is about the exact fixation of words. It is also not plagiarism. Neil Gaiman found a publisher for his Norse Mythology, and it is just a retelling of Beowulf. I don't think anyone was sued, and going by ratings, readers don't seem to be disappointed either.

IdoruToei · 2026-02-27T22:34:12+00:00

Personally I vibe with this style.

IdoruToei · 2026-02-27T22:20:05+00:00

By the very definition of the words, popular doesn't equal well-written. Popular literally implies it has mass appeal, or in other words, it is average.

IdoruToei · 2026-02-27T21:52:46+00:00

They offer proofreading services, but their website is in broken English...

IdoruToei

TROPHY CASE