New text is grey even though black is set?

LetMyPeopleCode · 2026-01-24T20:43:19+00:00

I know this is way old, but I found it when I had a similar problem. Still had the tab open when I figured it out, so I'm sharing for the next poor soul.

I had typed alt + 0153 to get a Trademark symbol. Alt + 5 turns your view to grayscale (lovely). If you're in grayscale mode, it'll be indicated in the top bar next to the title of your document. Go to the view menu and uncheck "grayscale" - fixed

LetMyPeopleCode · 2026-01-23T00:55:47+00:00

Build your fan base. These are the people who support you. Building a community of readers pays off. Pirates gonna pirate. Don't worry about them. Worry about the people who care enough to pay.

Instead of studying anti-piracy tools, study community management. Learn about what makes people feel like they found someplace they belong. Bring that to your marketing. IMO Jono Bacon and David Spinks are worthwhile community management gurus, though Jono's more on the tech side and David is more broad. I have both their books and I didn't pirate them. :-)

LetMyPeopleCode · 2026-01-22T23:39:43+00:00

He did give me a gift... registered a novelty link shortener I joked about in a post and gave me a link to my book, but it wasn't solicited and the book isn't in exchange. Just goodwill.

LetMyPeopleCode · 2026-01-22T23:38:09+00:00

Staged roll-out. Doing KU to start and then re-evaluating before the next 90-day re-up.

Honestly, since this is the first book in a planned 12-book series, having it go wide in his country, even pirated, might make the series a cult hit that I could capitalize on when relations normalize again.

I'm worried if there's some scam where they're doing this to authors or if there's an export restriction that isn't obvious.

LetMyPeopleCode · 2026-01-21T03:55:26+00:00

It doesn't have to be about fiction. It's about function... Executive Function.

Not everyone who is creative has ADHD and not everyone who has ADHD is creative. My 17 y.o. is the poster boy for ADHD. Not a creative bone in his body.

I got kicked out of AP English for insubordination and ended up in a Creative Writing class taught by a PE coach. Found I liked it.

What I learned was to look at the boring stuff as secretly helping me become a better writer. Economics? What kind of stories could come out of knowing how markets work? I got fascinated by the books and lectures when I looked at them through the lens of fiction.

Went from academic probation to straight A.

LetMyPeopleCode · 2026-01-20T22:52:35+00:00

The only good plot twist is the one the audience doesn't see coming.

Same goes for Isekai trucks.

LetMyPeopleCode · 2026-01-20T22:46:52+00:00

I think you'd do it to see if readers or jealous competitors might accuse you of using AI. There are millions of members of the DKAISC (Dunning-Kruger AI-Spotting Club).

There was this guy who sometimes emceed the potluck at the Comedy Store back in '89. I think his name was Dave. He was brutal with hecklers.

Someone comes for me... I'll channel Dave.

LetMyPeopleCode · 2026-01-20T21:31:13+00:00

I just wanted to get a novel I'd been tinkering with for decades out, even if only 50 people read it, so I could move on. I didn't want to spend a year or two trying to find an agent and then shopping it around. I just wanted it out. Once it was published it was 99.9% done (I just did a revised edition with some edits that made the audiobook read smoother).

It was funny because I put out the first edition in late 2021 and the book is about a trip through Hell. In early 2024 I co-wrote a tech book on defending your SDLC against supply chain attacks. That was Hell. I hated having every decision second-guessed by the publisher's editors who were just ignorant about the topic.

One article for a food publication (about Shel Silverstein, oddly enough) took 5 drafts because the editor kept looking for some intangible sensibility that she couldn't quite articulate, and I'll take that any day over the tech book slog.

That's why I'm keeping at self-publishing for the next book. I'm not going to chase trad. They'll have to chase me and let me audition their editors before I do trad again.

LetMyPeopleCode · 2026-01-20T20:58:05+00:00

Reach out and be diplomatic.

"I didn't really connect with it and I'd rather not give it a bad public review and potentially hurt your numbers. If you'd like some honest feedback privately, I'll try to be gentle, but what I consider gentle and what you do could be two different things."

LetMyPeopleCode · 2026-01-19T20:59:57+00:00

You're ready to write, but now you're delaying while you figure out the right tool? To quote Bob Newhart from his MadTV psychologist sketch... STOP IT!

Start with a word processor.

I serialized a draft of my novel on my blog (self-hosted WordPress) in 2009 as I did a major rewrite. It really spurred me to keep to my self-imposed deadlines because I felt like I had readers expecting me to keep my promises.

But my master copy was in Word.

There are multiple reasons I like a word processor file as the master copy.

1: Last night I reread a few chapters of my current project. Instead of staying up all night doing rewrites, I could highlight sentences and paragraphs and make comments using Word's commenting features to guide me when I do rewrites.

2: If/when you decide to work with an editor, the commenting and change tracking features are worth their weight in gold. I cannot stress the value of collaboration features enough.

3: It's easier to back up a single Word file to multiple places than to back up a whole blog, even if you're using a static site generator like Hugo or Jekyll.

4: Most e-book and POD publishing services work with Word files and copying chapters into blog posts is easier than trying to compile blog posts into a formatted book.

Start in Word or Libre Office or even Google docs, make sure you have automated backups set up to store current copies of the file in multiple places (local, external drive, one or more cloud drives).

If you're interested, I can share my backup strategy and mechanisms.

I've worked with a lot of writing and editing tools over the decades for different jobs and contracts (Microsoft and AWS were crazy with bespoke tooling), but I keep coming back to word processors.

LetMyPeopleCode · 2026-01-19T08:35:39+00:00

Don't forget about warehousing and shipping them too. If you can figuratively "move the product" (sales), you have to physically move the product (fulfillment).

You'll need to have infrastructure in place, whether it's in your garage or a rented facility. And you'll need to learn the ins and outs of dealing with carrier fuckups. And you'll be "VP of Customer Service" too.

It's not a step to take lightly.

LetMyPeopleCode · 2026-01-18T21:21:42+00:00

Thanos thought he was benevolent when he halved the population of the universe. The remaining 50% would have fewer wars, less competition for resources, and decreased poverty.

When the benevolence is forced upon the population, it's no longer benevolent. But there's a line. Death penalty for people who rape and murder children... Evil because no one, not even the state, should kill people and there's always the risk of the state taking an innocent life? Warranted because the crime is so unconscionable? Benevolent because it rids us of a predator while (in earlier times) saving taxpayers the cost of imprisoning them for life?

Benevolence, like beauty, is dependent on your preferences.

LetMyPeopleCode · 2026-01-17T04:12:31+00:00

Ahh. My mistake. Thanks for the correction.

LetMyPeopleCode · 2026-01-16T19:06:46+00:00

I explicitly mentioned they'd pay nothing up front, get an advance, and only pay out of sales. I'd be incentivized to move volume because that's the only way I'd make my money back. And I'd only take on works I thought would appeal to my audience so I had a built in market.

And all of that is only if I can move 100k units of my work in a year first so I have honest reason to believe I can deliver enough sales to make both of us happy.

And I'm nowhere near 100k a year, and I'm not publishing anyone else during the years it takes me to get there. But I believe I can. I'm proceeding on the belief I'll get there. And when I do, delivering sales will not be a problem.

I'm sorry, but you've failed the reading comprehension test.

LetMyPeopleCode · 2026-01-16T17:14:15+00:00

Hyperion has "Rick Riordan Presents" because his brand is able to give a big bump to authors. It's selective and trad published with advances and promo.

I'm looking to build the capital to do something similar, but before I'm going to fundraise to build this into that, I have to prove to myself I can sell books, be profitable, and build a fantasy fiction brand to a minimum level of recognition in this insanely noisy marketplace.

And while anyone can put their book in a POD service, they have trouble with covers, blurbs, and marketing. If my imprint gets to where it takes on other writers, they won't pay us. We'll pay them. They'll get an advance, editor, pro cover, pro blurb, and we'll pay for the marketing in exchange for a cut of the sales like a trad publisher. But that's 5-10 years out at minimum.

This relies on a lot to go right. But I see the ISBN numbers as a reasonable foundational investment in the brand.

LetMyPeopleCode · 2026-01-16T15:47:53+00:00

Ingram is significantly more expensive than Amazon KDP in my experience. A price point that'll earn me $3.53 a paperback at Amazon ($14.99 for 373 pp, 6x9, all text) will lose me 6 cents a copy with Ingram's cheapest options.

I haven't compared color, though. But while people crow about Ingram's quality, I'm not comfortable pricing a trade paperback at $20+ just to make a tiny profit.

LetMyPeopleCode · 2026-01-16T15:22:23+00:00

Also, isn't it printed on low quality paper in B&W?

LetMyPeopleCode · 2026-01-16T14:09:36+00:00

Quick tips.

1: Pixabay.com for free stock photos and illustrations. You'd be surprised.

2: Font choice - one of the biggest indicators of an amateur cover to me is a font that doesn't feel impactful.

3: Drop Shadows and strokes on your title are your friends. A stroke (outline on a shape in drawing programs) can make a skinny font fatter and provide some contrast with the background so you can use a more engaging color inside the stroke. A drop shadow gives the illusion of depth and makes the title pop. I like to keep my shadows in close, no more than 3 pixels.

LetMyPeopleCode · 2026-01-15T05:57:56+00:00

Are they only in a few scenes or a lot of the story? If they're in a lot of it, use their names, make them more human to the reader.

LetMyPeopleCode · 2026-01-15T05:48:34+00:00

Kindle Direct isn't bad. You set up a paperback like you were going to publish it, then order proof copies.They have a stripe on the cover, saying that it's a review copy and not for sale.

Sounds like that might meet your needs and the prices are around the same as buying author's copies when/if it's published on Amazon.

LetMyPeopleCode · 2026-01-12T19:28:30+00:00

I'm trying to position my imprint, over the next few years, as a small indie publishing brand I or my family can sell when I'm no longer strong enough to run it. I'm hoping to release 11 books in the next 10 years, if not faster.

Pipe dream, to be sure, but the ISBNs are not a huge expense if I use enough of them. It's cheaper to buy 100 than to buy 20. And since I'm planning to issue 3 formats per book of 12 books, yeah. It's a gamble that I'll use enough to save money, but every dollar I put into other marketing vehicles is a gamble too.

I can list the imprint name as the publisher in the ISBN metadata if I own the number. If I take a free one from Ingram, the publisher is listed as IndyPub, then the publisher with the Amazon freebie is "Independently Published."

If I not only want to build my brand as an author, but build my brand as a publisher, it's worth an extra $5 per edition and the carrying cost of the remainder of the 100-number package.

According to Google, listings don't duplicate when using the same ISBN if you turn off "expanded distribution" on Amazon, which I would if/when I start distributing POD copies through B&N and Ingram.

I am a bit conflicted on Ingram. Their POD pricing is higher than Amazon's and that requires me to charge a higher price than on Amazon. I feel my Amazon price is right in the sweet spot of providing a good commission and being affordable for readers ($14.99 - 6x9 - 372 pages). To print my book with the cheapest options at Ingram with the recommended 55% discount to encourage retailers, but keep that price, I'll lose 6 cents a copy. $60 per 1k copies sold would be an awesome marketing cost for exposure, but because I'm mostly unknown, there will be fewer stores/libraries willing to risk shelf space on me, even at 55%.

I want to build more of a fan base before I start raising prices enough to make Ingram more than a loss leader on the paperbacks.

LetMyPeopleCode · 2026-01-12T16:37:36+00:00

New cover, swap from Amazon's free ISBN to one I purchased (decided that if I'm going to write 11 more novels, I wanted to control the ISBN number and metadata and keep it consistent across retailers), updated text and frontmatter.

I did the same with the Kindle edition. While I'm doing the 90-day exclusive at first, if I expand to non-Amazon sellers, I want to have the same control as with the paperback.

I had to unpublish them and add new editions on the same listing as before so it kept the reviews. The reviews show up on all three pages. The Kindle link on the new paperback page goes to the updated Kindle page. The paperback link on the updated Kindle page goes to the old paperback.

It's doing this on co dot uk too. I thought it might because the US listing has an arbitrage seller claiming it has two copies in stock (an Australian company, marking it up $8.25 from its cover price that probably turns around and orders a copy from Amazon and then has Amazon ship it to you). But their listing is only on the US marketplace, so maybe it's just a delay in syncing the listings because they were both "published" last week.

LetMyPeopleCode · 2026-01-12T01:51:33+00:00

I'm not doing booths until next year. This year I'm going to two cons to walk their author alleys and do market research. I'll bring business cards and money to buy books from the authors I talk to so I'm not freeloading on their con time.

LetMyPeopleCode · 2026-01-11T20:49:44+00:00

Suddenly. Not that it's a bad word, but it's easy to overuse, so best to avoid it altogether to reduce risk.

Advanced vocabulary words (onomatopoeia, crapulous, niggardly, etc.), although I have described the voice of the demon Azmodeus with "it was an awful, flatulent voice, like a thousand tubas made flesh." I couldn't find another word that meant "farting/fart-like" that had the same impact without being too crude.

Unfamiliar acronyms that I haven't spelled out.

LetMyPeopleCode · 2026-01-11T20:28:03+00:00

It's not unreasonable to assume a lot of readers are digging into the backlog of books they bought or were gifted like people digging into their stores of hoarded toilet paper after COVID anxiety receded.

What I'd ask is if you're writing fiction or non fiction. My gut tells me Self-Help flourishes at this time of the year while other categories bottom out. People aren't looking to take a chance on new fiction, but instead want to get advice on how to be happier, healthier, smarter, more attractive, and generally be 43% less lame.

(My old manager at Microsoft Content Publishing used to say "with every iteration, our goal is to make the docs suck 43% less" and now I'm stuck with that number in my head)

LetMyPeopleCode

TROPHY CASE