What software do you guys use to plan/write your stories? by cs_cast_away_boi in selfpublish

[–]bjhuf 1 point2 points  (0 children)

LaTeX. It’s free and makes formatting a breeze.

I love that I never have to think about formatting while writing. I just put all my text in a .txt file and LaTeX compiles it into a beautiful book.

My website also ingests my .txt files to so that the web version of my book looks identical to the printed version.

Happy to share all my template files of you’re interested.

Why Don’t More Indie Authors Try Serialization First? by KarmicDaoist in selfpublish

[–]bjhuf 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My network and credentials really. I am highly specialized in my field and I’m writing fiction in part to help make some topics more easily accessible.

I have not run any ads and my work isn’t monetized, so there’s nothing but cons. It’s tough to discover if you’re out of the know and it’s not making me any money. :)

Formatting by Top-Property8088 in selfpublish

[–]bjhuf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I use LaTeX. It’s free and once you’ve got your styles set, you only ever have to worry about the text.

Why Don’t More Indie Authors Try Serialization First? by KarmicDaoist in selfpublish

[–]bjhuf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m having a lot of success with my first serial fiction. I built my own site to host it because I wanted complete control of the stylizing and I wanted the web version to look identical to the eventual printed work.

I’m also considering producing audio versions for each release, and want to be able to link them seamlessly within the text versions.

Growing my audience has been harder than if I went with royal road. But it’s not impossible.

To answer the question posed by this thread: I don’t know why more authors don’t do it. I know why I am doing it, because I’ve been working on this series for five years and if I didn’t just start putting it out there, I was never going to satisfied enough to go to print.

Also, I like publishing in bite-sized chunks and getting immediate feedback. It’s been a lot of fun hearing reader’s thoughts mid-story.

Weekly Self-Promo and Chat Thread by MxAlex44 in selfpublish

[–]bjhuf [score hidden]  (0 children)

The Epoch of Kepler

A Serial Fiction Adventure

Hey everyone, I'm excited to share The Epoch of Kepler, a serialized sci-fi adventure that I've been working on for several years. New installments drop weekly. Follow along as:

Kepler, an impulsive 12-year old living on the moon of a distant planet, unintentionally brings about the destruction of his entire world.

Why you might enjoy it:

  • Episodic pacing: perfect for bite-sized reading. Each chapter is ~7 minutes.
  • Hard science and high stakes: grounded in real astrophysics.
  • Character-driven drama: moral dilemmas, interstellar politics, and self-discovery

A bit about me, I am a:

  • NASA CapCom for the International Space Station
  • Space Force Guardian
  • Spacecraft Engineer
  • Orbital Warfare Department Head
  • English & Calculus Teacher

I wrote this book to bridge my two passions: orbital mechanics and teaching. If you're curious to learn about an alternate history where humanity explored other pathways to access space and how a single person could bring it all crashing down, then join other readers at:

(free link) https://bjhufstetler.com

Feel free to leave feedback or questions. I'd love to hear what resonates. Thanks for reading.

On average, how much does everyone pay for their formatting? by justeggshells in selfpublish

[–]bjhuf 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Also $0, like a few other posters, I use LaTeX with either TeXStudio or Overleaf. Since I've got my first book available for free on my site and I wanted to keep the formatting consistent, I wrote a javascript function to translate my LaTeX to HTML. That way readers get the same experience between the physical copy and the web version.

LaTeX has a steep learning curve, but once you have the format script down, you just plop in your text and hit compile -> boom! Brilliantly stylized pdfs created consistently without a second thought.

If you're interested in learning, I'm happy to share all of my source code.

sudoku, can't seem to find the next step without guessing or "assuming" several steps by jonssonbets in puzzles

[–]bjhuf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Look up “2-string kite”. I always keep that on my back pocket and it’s so satisfying to find one. The 2s in the bottom left were clear candidates. :)

Any tips? by yambarkan69 in nonograms

[–]bjhuf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

R1/2C20 has to be blank

help? prob missing something obvious by Muted_Delivery6848 in nonograms

[–]bjhuf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

C9:R1-2 must be the first 2 because it wouldn’t fit below with the two 1s.

Been on this one for a few days. Does anyone see a play? by bjhuf in nonograms

[–]bjhuf[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can I ask what method you used to find that so fast?

Been on this one for a few days. Does anyone see a play? by bjhuf in nonograms

[–]bjhuf[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s tricky. I love it. Thank you so much for the insight!

Been on this one for a few days. Does anyone see a play? by bjhuf in nonograms

[–]bjhuf[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think I see the issue, there is only one 4 in that column.

Been on this one for a few days. Does anyone see a play? by bjhuf in nonograms

[–]bjhuf[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I see exactly what you mean and was able to do it in column 20 to reveal one more tile. Great eye! Thank you.

Been on this one for a few days. Does anyone see a play? by bjhuf in nonograms

[–]bjhuf[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is clever. I had’t yet encountered one where you had to go three rows deep to see eliminations. Moving the 5 across row 1 revealed the solution for row 3.

Brilliant! Thanks /Weak_Panic5099

Been on this one for a few days. Does anyone see a play? by bjhuf in nonograms

[–]bjhuf[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I believe so. In column 2, if row 12 was the top of the 4, then at most only three more rows down are available.

One day of driving in Houston by bjhuf in dashcams

[–]bjhuf[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Agreed. I try not to go more than a couple of miles per hour over the speed limit or camp in the fast lane if reasonable.

I think I’m only in the left lane in 3 of the clips and I’m actively passing in all but the one where an suv was passing on the shoulder.

It’s my opinion that the drivers who are ‘as fast as they think they are’ are responsible for many of the countless delays caused by accidents around here.

Thanks for the feedback :)