We are happy to present our first book contest, launched together with Writing Magazine!

Your Prize Includes:

Full-colour cover design

Bubok´s book cover designer will contact you to discuss your book and create a brief to ensure the cover complements your new book. You can also submit any high resolution images or any ideas that you would like included. The cover design includes a front and back cover as well as spine design.

50 copies

Once you are satisfied with our cover design and have uploaded and published your book on the Bubok website, we will send 50 copies of your book to the address you provide. You are free to distribute your books where ever you like.

Proof Copy

When the book content is ready to print and the cover design has been approved, we will provide a free proof copy to ensure you are happy with everything before the final 50 copies are printed.

Other Benefits That Come With The Prize

Author Page

By signing up at Bubok and publishing your book on our website, you can create an author page that displays your published work alongside a mini biography and any other information you would like to share. Create a profile and allow the Bubok community to learn about its latest author.

Online Bookstore

Once you set a price for your book it will be available to the public as a printed copy and/or eBook from our online store. Readers can view your book and purchase it directly from the website. We take care of the printing (Printing On Demand) and ship your book directly to your customer. You sit back and collect the profit.

Re-orders

You can purchase additional copies or make amendments to your book at any time by visiting Bubok’s website.

CONDITIONS…

In order to take advantage of the prize, the author must create an account on Bubok and upload the book content.

Manuscript editing and layout are not included in the winning prize. The author is responsible for the book interior.

The winning book must fit Bubok´s book dimension http://www.bubok.co.uk/help/instant and consist of no more than 200 pages.

HOW TO ENTER
To enter, simply send us up to 100 words explaining why your book deserves to reach a wider audience. Bubok team will read all the proposals and select a winner.
Enter online at www.writers-online.co.uk
or by post to: Bubok (WJC0036), Warners Group Publications, Writing Magazine, Fifth Floor, 31-32 Park Row, Leeds LS1 5JD.

The closing date is 5 July 2012.

It´s been four years since Bubok started their journey to help authors fulfill their dream and each year we are proud of our authors and the work they have published.

Today Angel Maria Herrera, Sergio Mejias, Fatima Alvarez and Ruth Vicente sit down for an interview and look back over the last four years.

Four years have passed at Bubok, how do you feel celebrating yet another birthday?

Sergio Mejias. No doubt, to celebrate another birthday in these tough times that we experience right now is a great recognition of our work. It´s great to see Bubok growth in the publishing world and to be a part of a fast growing book community.

Fatima Alvarez. Well … do you remember how you looked and felt at your fourth birthday? Looking at pictures you can tell your parents were there and were excited and eager to see your grow. I feel the same way about Bubok. We grow so fast that sometimes you don´t recognize how fast the time is passing by. I am excited about the new markets we have just entered and can´t wait to see them grow too!

Ruth Vicente. Well the last year have passed so fast, I can´t really believe it. I still feel like I’m sitting with my colleagues and planning for 2011.

Angel Maria Herrera. The progress we made is a good indicator of the number of opportunities we have given writers to fulfill their dream of publishing a book.

Looking back, how did the idea of Bubok became reality?

S.M. To create Bubok was a challenge, to take an innovative idea and make it a reality in the Spanish market was quite complicated. But we believed that Bubok had a great future and did everything possible to make it what it is today.

F.A. The idea came shortly after we created a small editorial house called GrupoBuho. We offered personalized service for authors and realized that there was a growing interest in publishing with limited cost and we thought about an idea that would help achieving just that. It was a matter of logical thinking to make publishing possible first and then offer personalized services as intended.

R.V. The idea grew at our an annual meeting in Zarzalejo ( outside of Madrid) to create a spin-off  of our existing editorial at the time.

Á.M.H. I’ve told the ¨official version¨ many times, today I will tell you the truth; it was at a resort by bonfire and drinks….

During all these years, what has been the greatest recognition for Bubok?

S.M. There have been many, from technical developments to new technology implementations and product development. Also the ability to stay on top of any new developments in the publishing market, the internationalization of Bubok etc…

F.A. Mmmm I think from my perspective it’s the fact of convincing the market that we are the new generation of publishing and can´t be ignored. It feels good to know that the conventional editorial houses are looking up to us.

R.V. Bubok in general has grown in so many aspects; lots of processes have been automated, we have participated in many competitions and award events and have won quite a bit of prizes and awards for our hard work. It feels good to have that recognition.

Á.M.H. The approximately 60,000 titles published awards, prizes and investments mirror Bubok recognition.

Do you have any particular story tied to an author that you would like to share?

S.M. I remember with special affection Carme Pollina, author of “Lesbianarium”. It was the first book presentation that I attended on behalf of Bubok and was introduced as the editor of her work. I think that’s when I realized the true extent of what Bubok is doing.

F.A. There have been many good experiences; authors that have been very pleased with our editorial services, some last minute book editing and printing for authors that have called in stressed out before a book presentation, fun and interesting book presentations and many more…. My favorite, the fact that some of the authors have turned to be good friends.

R.V. There is one author that has been with Bubok from the beginning, and her name is Isabel Blas. I love her books but have never expressed my admiration

Á.M.H. ha ha ha there is so much material we could write a book!

When Bubok started could you have imagined for it to be as successful and welcome as it is today?

S.M. The project took on a dimension in no time, I was not expecting it. In a few weeks we attempted many television, radio and print interviews…The project’s success is a mix of innovation and the technological changes in the publishing industry that positioned ​​Bubok as a leader in this market.

F.A The truth is that I never thought whether it´s going to be success or not. It was just something I thought was fun to participate and help all those aspiring authors to publish their books. I joined the ride and enjoyed any minute of it…

R.V. We knew we opened the door for many authors but we didn´t know this would actually grow internationally. We thought that the writers were a niche community because many of us are writers in one way or the other.

A.M.H  Not at all, I am the first to be surprised

¿What is the last book you read?

S.M. “The boat of a million years” from Poul Anderson.

F.A. In our last book competition I was selected as one of the judges, so I have read the winning book before anybody else did

R.V. “Dos monstruos juntos” by Boris Izaguirre.

Á.M.H. It was a quick read; I know it sounds like a joke…. I have a pile of books waiting for me….. I seriously need to improve my reading speed!

If you were to give advice to all writers, what would it be?

S.M. Explore, be bold, open to try anything, learn how to promote your work, explore the world around you.

F.A.  I always tell our authors to take themselves seriously as writers. Keep in mind you will always find people on your journey trying to tell you self-publishing is not ¨glamorous¨, but the important thing is to believe in yourself. “Fame” must be earned and it´s a long but fun journey to take on. When writing, keep your eyes open for mistakes, be a perfectionist, find the time to edit and edit again. Take pride when designing your cover and make sure you let everybody know you are about to publish a book. Self promotion is an important key in self publishing!

R.V. To never stop feeling, thinking, writing and dreaming….

Á.M.H. The same as I would recommend to any entrepreneur, to be persistent. Vázquez Figueroa told me that his first success came after his twentieth book! Many writers expect to have success after the first book is published.

A new year is about to begin for Bubok, what are your expectations?

S.M. I am certainly looking forward to see the new markets grow. When the internationalization is smoothes out I can assure we have quite some surprises and changes in stock

F.A. I am a simple soul; I am looking forward to lots of fun, a big house and expensive jewelry…. Until then I will continue working hard : D

R.V. I hope that Bubok´s space will consolidate in the digital marketplace.

Á.M.H. To reach every county where the authors need us.

The goal of choosing the right font for your book is to create a readable, consistent, and visually satisfying reading flow that works invisibly, without the awareness of the reader.

Similar to the book story and cover, when choosing the right font for your book, you should always keep your target audience in mind. Depending on whether the work is fiction, non-fiction, educational, religious, scientific or commercial writing, each of them have different characteristics, target audiences and require appropriate corresponding fonts.

Before going any further, you should keep in mind that all fonts can be divided into the two main categories of Serif Font and Sans Serif Fonts. The word ¨Serif¨ describes the small features at the end of each letter and Sans Serif (often used in the printing industry) refers to fonts without “serifs”. There are many varieties between Serif and Sans Serif font groups and both groups contain fonts that are safe to use for large amounts of text.

In general, Serif Fonts are considered easier to read in longer text amounts and printed works like books and newspapers.

Time  Roman / Time New Roman, might be tempting to use, because it has been around for a very long time and was originally employed heavily with newspapers back in the 1930´s. The font sets very tight and can give the look of a very dark and solid block, which is not necessarily recommendable for a book.

Font Family describes variations of font types within the same family. As a general rule you should not use more than 3 fonts in your book, and if you do, make sure you use fonts from the same font family.  Choose one font for the text of your book (main text), a different style for chapter titles and 3^rd if needed for photo captions and graphics.

Font Family: Book Antiqua

Normal: Book Title

Bold: Book Title

Italic: Book Title

Recommended fonts for your book:

:: Palatino Linotype            :: Book Antiqua                    :: Georgia

:: Goudy Old Style              ::Bookman                           :: Adobe Garamond Pro

:: Century Schoolbook

Font Size, Most paper books are printed in 10 or 11 point size but depending on the font it might require larger or maybe even smaller size. Don’t be afraid to add a half-point to reach the optimal size. It’s important that the norm size for younger readers between 5 to 10 year olds is between 12 and 14 point.

If you like to learn more about font history check out I Love Typography it´s a great site for any font fanatics!

In this post, we would like to concentrate on a slightly more complex issue; how to fill out this first pages, engaging the reader to want to keep turning them. We all know, if it’s browsing thru a book online or at your favorite books store, two factors play an important role for your book to be purchased. First an interesting cover catches the reader´s attention and subsequently it’s up to the first critical pages to showcase your writing skills and the stories potential.

You need to earn the trust of the reader, which means the introduction must be well written using strong vocabulary and impeccable grammar.

An opening line is crucial to captivate your reader’s attention. A line that makes the reader want to find out more…..An opening line could be an introduction of your main character, something shocking, a sentence that sets the tone of the story…..

Read these examples and think about how they make you feel and what you think the book could be about….

¨I am an invisible man.¨- Ralph Ellison

¨Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.¨- Charles Dickens

¨It was a wrong number that started it, the telephone ringing three times in the dead of night, and the voice on the other end asking for someone he was not.¨ -Paul Auster

The opening paragraph should contain an introduction to a character(s), an introduction to the world or location the character is surrounded by and perhaps even provide a general introduction to the story plot.

When you introduce a character in your opening paragraph make sure you invite the reader into your characters inner journey. Provide hints on the important and relevant facts that will underline the story of your book later on. Decide if you are going to introduce the main character first or save it for later……Keep in mind each book typically has several types of characters.  A protagonist, is the main character that the story follows and the antagonist, which is a character that conflicts against the protagonist. Having different and contrasting character personalities will make your story more compelling.

When describing your characters world, be creative and pay attention to details; everything counts – time, place, architecture, circumstances and yes, even things like the weather… You do not have to describe all of this in the first 10 pages; but be prepared to give a little taste in proportion to the character you describe. As the story progresses more details will be revealed.

As for a good exercise to get a feel for a good opening line, character description or opening paragraph, we suggest you pick up some of your favorite books and reread the first 30 to 50 pages again. Underline the opening line and first paragraph, write down how it made you feel when reading it. Pay attention to how the main character has been introduced and the environment he/she finds himself and try to implement some of your notes and feelings to your own book. It´s not about copying somebody’s writing style, rather it’s about learning and trying your best to create a unique balance between storytelling, detailed description of the surroundings, while developing your signature writing style.

If you like to learn more, we recommend you check out ¨First 50 Pages¨ by Jeff Gerke, This helpful guide walks you through the tasks your first 50 pages must accomplish in order to avoid leaving readers disoriented, frustrated, or bored.

Says Justine Petrenko, Head of Internationalisation, Bubok Publishing: “There are nearly 11,000 new publishers entering the literary field every year, most of which are self-publishers, which is why Bubok is doing all it can to support the book writing experience. In fact for the first time in 2010 the total amount of non-traditional, social print produced titles outstripped traditional print titles by three to one, a fact that many would have considered impossible 5 years ago. Research has told us that 81% of people felt that they had a book in them and despite feeling compelled to write they were completely overwhelmed by the rigmarole of the whole book publishing industry and as result abandoned their writing aspirations. Bubok is changing this by making it easier for anyone and everyone to self-publish.

Continues Justine: “People have much more choice now as to how and in what format they want to digest their media. You only have to look at the growth in the Kindle with Amazon’s Kindle business. Add to this the spectacular growth in eBooks and it’s very clear that consumer reading habits have changed forever. Bubok is here to facilitate this phenomenal movement in the publishing world by helping budding authors to realise their talents and in turn bring a much greater and wider choice of reading material to the general public.”

With no software to download, users simply upload their file in pdf, doc or ppt format; create a title, author and synopsis; choose binding style, size and cover design or upload their own cover design; set the sales price for the book whether as an eBook or hardcopy and finish by ordering a printed copy to check the final result. Each book is printed on demand and in any quantity, whether as a gift for one or thousands for a much larger audience.

Sounds fair, but the truth is that most of us, when shopping for a book do judge by the cover. The book we tend to pick up is most likely the book with an eye catching cover, an attractive image, interesting font or colors scheme. Once we pick it up, we then read the description and decide if this book is the right fit. Even if you don’t buy it, something still influenced you in your decision to choose that book from the hundreds of other standing next to each other…..

Why? Probably because the author and designer know their audience well and are following some of the design guidelines we are about to outline for you.

Before even starting to think about your cover, you should take time and define your target audience. Remember, you are not designing for yourself, your cover is supposed to attract and communicate with others! So make sure you know the target group you would like your book to connect with, taking into consideration the age, skills, abilities and interest your audience might have.

You have your ideal reader profile ready? Follows this guideline and avoid common design mistakes.

• First, you should create a folder on your computer or a scrapbook and gather images, patterns, and magazine clippings that you think would interest your target audience.

• Find some time for brainstorming, go through your collection of images and fonts and gather first ideas for your book cover. Brainstorming is not a onetime deal. Be patient!

• Once you have some great brainstorm results, try to work on some layouts. Be creative and draw, stick, or paint your ideas on a piece of paper that mirrors your cover size.

• Are some layouts ready? Now go ahead and simplify them. Yes, simplify, remember less is more! The best way to attract a reader to your book is via a clean and functional design.

• When designing your cover, make sure all elements belong together. Create a visual connection with the reader and guide him/ her through the cover; similarities and repetition of shape, color or texture are important to create unity.

• We are exposed to images all day: at work, in the newspaper, TV, advertisements and online. Keep in mind, getting the attention of your reader is difficult, focus on setting a focal point that will attract reader’s attention. If you create that attraction, it will encourage the viewer to look further and actually pick your book among others.Scale and proportion will help you to set emphasis, simply by placing large scale in proportion to other elements on your cover.

• Distribution of visual weight within a cover is a key to creating a balance. Symmetrical balance is simple to create, it´s when one side mirrors the image of the other. Asymmetrical balance is achieved with dissimilar objects that have equal visual weight or eye attraction.

• Including lines to your cover design will create movement but most importantly it will guide the reader through your cover.  Our eyes tend to follow lines easily, use this to your advantage! Use line direction to create feelings; Horizontal lines imply peace, vertical lines imply power and strength and diagonal lines suggest movement. So according to what your book is about strategic line placing, could be used in the cover to underline the feeling of your book.

• Negative Space is important. Make sure you create some negative space that allows your readers eye to rest. Nothing is more distracting then a cover full of clutter!

• Color, is a complex subject. The right color can make or break your cover. Color adds visual interest and it is a powerful communication tool to signal action, influence mood and cause physiological reactions.

• RED is used to stimulate the body and mind and to increase circulation. But also the color red causes people to react with greater speed and force. Red is also a great color to express aggression.
• ORANGE was used to heal the lungs and to increase energy levels.  Orange is considered an energetic color. Orange emphasizes excitement, enthusiasm, and warmth.
• BLUE was believed to soothe illnesses and treat pain. Blue is described as a favorite color by many people and is the color most preferred by men. Blue represents calmness or serenity and it´s often described as peaceful, tranquil, secure, and orderly.
• GREEN symbolizes nature and the natural world. It represents tranquility, good luck, health, and jealousy. Researchers have found out that green improves reading ability it´s increases reading speed and comprehension.
• YELLOW as bright it is, can create feelings of frustration and anger. While it is considered a cheerful color, people are more likely to lose their tempers in yellow rooms and babies tend to cry more in yellow rooms.
• BLACK is often used as a symbol of menace or evil, but it also indicates power. Black usually represents dark characters and it is often associated with witchcraft but also with unhappiness, sexuality, formality, and sophistication.
• WHITE represents purity or innocence. White can create a sense of space but its often described as cold and sterile.

We hope our tips will guide you to a perfect cover and soon we get to see it displayed in our bookstore. Remember, not all of the above may be necessary to implement in one cover, choose up to 3 tips and give your creativity a chance!

To write a book takes a great deal of effort and self control, but who are we to tell, you are a writer or on your way to become one and probably are very familiar with the difficulties that the art of writing brings with it.

In this blog post we would like to bring yourself closer to your goal and make your New Year´s resolution a success.

1. The manuscript. The content of your book has to be perfect before publishing on Bubok.  Make sure you catch those spelling and grammar mistakes before you see them black and white on the paper.

To check spelling, you can use Word’s proofing tools and should always keep your  dictionary handy.  To check your grammar and writing style we always suggest to consult with a friend who may happen to be a journalist or language professor etc …They can not only review your manuscript but also give you valuable feedback regarding your writing style and maybe question the development of some parts of your book…. Remember, criticism is a good thing, and an inherent part of the publishing process.

If you don´t know anybody you can always turn to writers meet ups where you can find lots of people willing to help and of course if you have the ¨change¨, contact a professional editor or consult one of Bubok´s services. Check out our  blog post regarding writing routine where we cover some of the common questions like ¨how to structure a novel?¨or ¨ How to define your  book characters?

2. Prepare your book upload using our book templates in Word format. Our Word templates include 7 different book sizes, each template also includes the complimentary page (blank page), title page and table of contents page.  Download the template that fits your book size directly to your computer and start filling the pages. It´s simple just copy and paste your book into your new template and save it on your computer.

3. Publish your book on Bubok. Create your Bubok account or login if you are already registered, and once a member, click on the publish button; the publishing steps are simple and will guide you thru the entire process; for additional help keep our manual handy.

3.1. Upload your file as a PDF.  Make sure you check it one more time before     uploading, on Bubok you book will print exactly the way you edited it.

3.2. Fill in the details about your book. This is an important step so pay attention and make sure you fill out each blank field. Think about the keywords you think describe the book best, usually it should be words that you think people would search for if they are interested in your type of book. Carefully select the category and sub-category you would like the book to be listed within and provide a short but catchy synopsis that would draw the eye of your potential reader. (Once published, you can always go back and re-edit if you are not convinced).

3.3. Choose the format size of your book. If you used one of our Word templates, choose the size that matches your template.  If the actual page size of your uploaded file does not match one of our sizes, you will be asked to choose one of the closest formats to re-size your book.

In this step you also are asked to choose the type of paper and binding for your book and indicate if you would like your book to be printed in black and white or color.

3.4 Cover design. Here you have 3 different options; you can upload your own cover design, choose one of our templates or hire Buboks cover design service, where a professional designer will design a cover that fits your book and its story!

If you choose one of our templates, you can customize them by changing colors, font character and size. Keep in mind, it´s important that your book stands out from the other books in the library. Keep it simple but attractive, covers with too many colors, fonts and images might stand out, but for all the wrong reasons: D

3.5. Fixing a price on your book is the last step in the publishing process.  Now it’s time to fix your book’s selling price. On screen, you will see a suggested minimum selling price for your book, based on the size of your book, the number of pages and how it is bound.  You will also be asked to determine the profit you want to make on every sale of printed copies, digital epub versions or both.

Once the 5 steps are completed, you can decide if you want your book available to the general public. If you planning on getting an ISBN for your book and make your book available not only on Bubok but also in other online and offline book stores, we will  soon be offering ISBN services that will help you get your book to stand out everywhere and in all mediums.

If you have questions about any of Bubok’s editorial services or general questions about Bubok, our help section is a great way for getting to know us and becoming a Bubok specialist.

We wish you a Happy Year 2012 and Happy Publishing!

So for the debut authors that have decided to embark on a new journey, we have decided to share some tips that will lead you toward your goal of authoring your book:

• Write every day; there is nothing better to improve your writing skills than being consistent. Set up a word per day limit between 300 to 500 words and stick to it.

• Create a routine: following certain customs and having a certain work habits will help you commit and be productive. If you have a busy schedule and writing everyday seems impossible, pick out 3 days per week that you can dedicate at least 30 free minutes.

• Make sure you create an outline of your plot, it will help you to get your book structured.

• Avoid stereotyping your characters. Make sure that each character has a story behind him / her. Make sure each character has some room for change or growth.

• What you write does not have to be true BUT you need to do some research to make sure the story fits the time/ epoch you are writing about. Make sure you got your facts right!

• Reading fuels your talent as a writer: reading should be part of your daily routine as it helps you to understand different writing styles.

• A writer should always have a notebook, ideas will occur at the weirdest times of the day. As we are living in the digital world most of the time the good old notebook has been substituted by a Smartphone, laptop and other digital devices. I doesn’t matter what it is as long you can write or type on it.

• While writing, slowly you will define your writing style and sometimes stories or parts of your book don’t seem that appealing anymore.  Even if you decide to rewrite it, try to preserve the older copies as you never know what they could be good for.

• Once your book is finished, we recommend you read it over and over again. It’s incredible how much editing needs to be done.

• When you think the book is just about ready, share it with other writers and readers, an external point of view will help you see your work from another perspective and identify some aspect that could have been ignored.

We hope these simple tips will help you on your way to authoring an excellent book this winter and  we are looking forward to welcome it on Bubok soon.

Some of you might be familiar with professional book / text editing software like QuarkXPress or InDesign etc, but the reality is that most of us do not have access to such programs or even the time and patience to figure out how they work.

Fortunately, we have a solution; we have created editable Word templates that will make your post-writing life easier; D

Using the custom templates is very simple; choose the template size that fits your book, download it and copy / paste your content into the new templates pages, that’s it!

We have created 7 templates that match the different sizes of our books:

• 21 x 29, 7 cm, also known as A4.  It is the largest book size. Ideal for notes or to print your own magazine

• 21,6 x 27, 9 cm, often used for technical manuals

• 17 x 23,5 cm, small enough to carry everywhere but big enough to read comfortably

• 15×21 cm, commonly used as paperback. It fits in any bag, is convenient and good quality

• 19 x 19 cm, specially designed for travel journals, photo albums and children’s stories

• 22,9 x 17,8 cm, large landscape format. Ideal for a professional presentation of your photos or artwork

• 10,8 x 17, 5 cm, pocket book format, the typical size you find in bookstores. It’s practical and easy to carry around.”

With these templates any doubts regarding free pages and title pages are cleared; forget about font size or line spacing issues and prevent margin mistakes!

Note the template will never substitute a professional editor service, but if your budget is limited they are surely a great alternative.

Remember, if you are planning to add images into the template, the resolution should be 300 pixel per inch to insure a good quality print.

Get the template you need here and start publishing:

To convert any text to a PDF file you only have to install a virtual printer on your computer. This printer works just like normal printer with the difference that a normal printer prints documents on paper and not into a PDF. Once you have installed the virtual printer, you just need to open your book document, click print and select the virtual printer option that you just have installed. Once the book documents have been “printed”, save the newly created book in PDF format as a file on your computer, and subsequently upload it into the Bubok platform at your convenience.

Most computers, by default, have virtual printer options; if your desktop or laptop does not have a PDF print option, you can go-ahead and download one of these virtual printers from the following websites free of charge:

http://www.cutepdf.com/

http://www.pdfcreator.com/?hop=lasa8961