Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Kindle Create

 

Ever since Kindle Create appeared on the scene, it's been a time saver for me. I write in Word, as most authors do, and it's simple to upload a Word doc into the app and then add front and back matter. Since my novellas don't have chapters, the chapter function was of no concern to me. But with BOOM! and with my latest novella collection, chapters were imperative, and I admit adding a table of contents was a bit of a learning curve. Nevertheless, I conquered it. 

The app itself works relatively smoothly. It does have a couple of bugs that I hope will be worked out. If one has saved her project but wants to go back and make a change, it can be quirky. I originally titled my novella collection something I decided to adjust, but when I tried to change it, I found that I had to delete the title page completely and re-add a new one.

And the spacing is odd. I learned long ago to write my novels in Times New Roman, size 12 font, double-spaced. In Kindle Create, the spacing doesn't consistently transfer, so I've had to go through the pasted document, line by line, and make adjustments. 

The other glitch that baffles me only happened recently. When I exported my latest work, it saved it under the name of my previous project, even though I gave it a distinct title. Obviously that makes me nervous when uploading to Amazon's site. I'll be sure to click the preview button on Amazon to ensure I don't look like a fool, having inadvertently uploaded the wrong file.

Overall, however, if you haven't downloaded the Kindle Create app, I recommend it. Like everything, it requires a bit of hands-on learning, but you can preview the look of your novel on various devices ~ Kindle, tablet, phone ~ and make adjustments as needed. And it allows you to add a dedication, an epigraph, and back matter that lists your other books, to name a few of its bells and whistles.

Authors would do well to give Kindle Create a shot.

 

No comments:

Post a Comment