tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post114969301831158836..comments2024-03-28T02:00:11.260-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Business Cards and Computer SavvyJA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1150393813012425542006-06-15T12:50:00.000-05:002006-06-15T12:50:00.000-05:00I can definitely second the recommendation for Vis...I can definitely second the recommendation for VistaPrint. Better quality than many of the inexpensive online services, very easy to use, and they have great sales.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1150162915499350532006-06-12T20:41:00.000-05:002006-06-12T20:41:00.000-05:00Great idea... I have never thought of it. BTW like...Great idea... I have never thought of it. BTW like your books. CynCyn Bagleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08404416186783891402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1150128906355622282006-06-12T11:15:00.000-05:002006-06-12T11:15:00.000-05:00Thanks for the tip on overnightprints.com. There ...Thanks for the tip on overnightprints.com. There are so many printing companies that it's hard to know which ones do quality work without a recommendation like this.<BR/><BR/>I love DIYing it as much as possible--it appeals to the control freak in me. Plus I married a professional web designer, which means plenty of DIH-ing it, too.Jerihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13986567025249948237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1149881767365217862006-06-09T14:36:00.000-05:002006-06-09T14:36:00.000-05:00I think pros should certainly be utilized when nee...I think pros should certainly be utilized when needed.<BR/><BR/>Having a pro design your website is a good idea. But there's no need to pay the pro to maintain an update your site after it has been created, because you can learn that yourself.<BR/><BR/>Here's my philosphy--I don't mind paying professionals if they can do something more than I'm capable of, in the case of time or talent.<BR/><BR/>But before I pay anyone for anything, I figure out if it's something that I can do myself.<BR/><BR/>Give a man a fish, blah blah blah...JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1149880686852513492006-06-09T14:18:00.000-05:002006-06-09T14:18:00.000-05:00A great suggestion, Joe. HOWEVER - it isn't all th...A great suggestion, Joe. HOWEVER - it isn't all that difficult to go ahead and make homemade, double-sided cards on pro stock.<BR/><BR/>If you bought full-quality stock, and followed instructions your business card maker program gave you (or even Word can do this) you can have very very professional cards.<BR/><BR/>Granted, Kinkos is pretty great too.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10996771273232767374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1149877592425959922006-06-09T13:26:00.000-05:002006-06-09T13:26:00.000-05:00Adding on...I agree about the headshots. My sister...Adding on...<BR/>I agree about the headshots. My sister took mine, while she was going to school for photography. I like it, and we took a ton of shots. She gets a pub credit and I get a good headshot. <BR/><BR/>So you might consider a photog student if you really can't afford a pro. Plus you need a signed release for the pics from anywhere you get them taken. Photos are the property of the photog otherwise. <BR/><BR/>She's coming home soon again, I think I'll get a new one taken. I've got a different haircut now, and I like it better.Christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13809850928628103065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1149877362815822222006-06-09T13:22:00.000-05:002006-06-09T13:22:00.000-05:00I just got a great program to do audio recordings....I just got a great program to do audio recordings... http://www.freefunfiles.com/software/audiovideo/musiccreation/wavepad.html<BR/><BR/>It's totally free and small; and super easy to use and edit. I literally zoomed in on the mistakes so I could see them and just... cut them out.<BR/><BR/>Combined with an inexpensive heatset/microphone combo, it's been like a new toy!Christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13809850928628103065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1149851206788937582006-06-09T06:06:00.000-05:002006-06-09T06:06:00.000-05:00He liked that "Dear God," didn't he?Business cards...He liked that "Dear God," didn't he?<BR/>Business cards w/book info is brilliant.Bernitahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05264585685253812090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1149825048017424252006-06-08T22:50:00.000-05:002006-06-08T22:50:00.000-05:00Argh.Argh.s.w. vaughnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09102544611773720262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1149821096947593142006-06-08T21:44:00.000-05:002006-06-08T21:44:00.000-05:00Good ideas, Joe. DON'T forget to put your ISBN num...Good ideas, Joe. DON'T forget to put your ISBN numbers on your cards and/or bookmarks. I can't tell you how many booksellers have told me they appreciate having that information. <BR/><BR/>I am perfectly capable of designing my own business cards, but it's TIME. I decided to pay someone (just like I hired someone to do my website) because I don't have the time to do everything. And I agree--you want something that looks professional.Allison Brennanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02872860080644987843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1149819551765329622006-06-08T21:19:00.000-05:002006-06-08T21:19:00.000-05:00Great advice, Joe.I've got the cut 'n paste down. ...Great advice, Joe.<BR/><BR/>I've got the cut 'n paste down. And I use Photoshop. Now I just need a book to stick the cards into.Keith Bodaylahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17753090973861120197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1149819172664458142006-06-08T21:12:00.000-05:002006-06-08T21:12:00.000-05:00This was the very first post that I actually knew ...This was the very first post that I actually knew how to do all of the things you talked about...very cool!Bonnie S. Calhounhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11769607640246518804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1149813860512753582006-06-08T19:44:00.000-05:002006-06-08T19:44:00.000-05:00Any decent print shop will print up a box of simpl...Any decent print shop will print up a box of simple cards for $15 to $18.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1149785726308409942006-06-08T11:55:00.000-05:002006-06-08T11:55:00.000-05:00While I do agree that people (not just writers) sh...While I do agree that people (not just writers) should expand their skills and DIY whenever feasible, I'm going to be a bit of a devil's advocate. Two areas where I found it worthwhile to hire a professional were 1) the headshot; and 2) the website. What decided me? Looking at a lot of authors' photos, and perusing about a hundred and fifty authors' websites--plus recognizing the limits of my skills and my time.<BR/><BR/>Most of the DIY websites I saw LOOKED like DIY. (Yours is an exception, Joe). They are disorganized, difficult to navigate, and/or have clashing, poor or no color to them. They look amateurish. Not the image I want to project. For me to build the kind of website I envisioned would have required far too much time, not only in the actual building but the learning curve, as well. Time is money, after all, and for this particular job, I decided it would be cheaper to hire a pro. <BR/><BR/>And even if I did take the time to learn how to build a website, I never would have been able to match the quality of the pro I hired. I simply don't have the visual talent.<BR/><BR/>At this point, my time is better spent writing. That's my strength.<BR/><BR/>I DIY whenever I can feasibly do so; as I mentioned above, I agree with that philosophy. For some jobs, though, it's not about cheap. It's about excellence. If I can't achieve excellence on my own, then that's what the pros are for.Christine Fletcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17350760019997430843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1149777706276288432006-06-08T09:41:00.000-05:002006-06-08T09:41:00.000-05:00Great post! One thing I'd like to add is that a l...Great post! One thing I'd like to add is that a lot of the stuff you mentioned, at least as far as programs go, can be had very cheap or even free.<BR/><BR/>In lieu of Acrobat, PrimoPDF installs itself as a printer and you can make PDFs from just about any program that lets you print. It has security options that let you disallow printing and copying of contents as well.<BR/><BR/>http://www.primopdf.com/<BR/><BR/>Paint Shop Pro is a great program. I started out on PSP7 and still prefer its simplicity to Photoshop. Ebay is a good place to find PSP7 and newer, as well as Photoshop 7 or newer. The older versions of the programs may not have all the fancy new tricks built in, but they still do the basics as well as they ever did and they don't cost nearly as much, nor do they require as powerful a system. <BR/><BR/>Another option is GIMP, which is a completely free graphic editing program. <BR/><BR/>http://www.gimp.org/<BR/><BR/>For more basic needs, there's also Paint NET for Windows 2000/XP users, provided by Washington State University and also free to download and use:<BR/><BR/>http://www.eecs.wsu.edu/paint.net/<BR/><BR/>On the web design end, there's a pretty powerful little program on the net that few seem to talk about. It's called HTML Kit. <BR/><BR/>http://www.chami.com/html-kit/<BR/><BR/>There's also tutorials for all this stuff out there on Google. That is, if you trust Google.William G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05740219478641196382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1149776820862602572006-06-08T09:27:00.000-05:002006-06-08T09:27:00.000-05:00Dear God, and I can barely cut 'n paste.It's never...<I>Dear God, and I can barely cut 'n paste.</I><BR/><BR/>It's never too late to learn. :)JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1149767748111747682006-06-08T06:55:00.000-05:002006-06-08T06:55:00.000-05:00I like Paintshop Pro, too. I have version 6. Never...I like Paintshop Pro, too. I have version 6. Never seen a reason to get anything different.Bob Farleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12511976142310659750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1149766381620090672006-06-08T06:33:00.000-05:002006-06-08T06:33:00.000-05:00Vistaprint is good too.Vistaprint is good too.Christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13809850928628103065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1149764494269532232006-06-08T06:01:00.000-05:002006-06-08T06:01:00.000-05:00Dear God, and I can barely cut 'n paste.So I eat d...Dear God, and I can barely cut 'n paste.<BR/>So I eat dust, so sue me.Bernitahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05264585685253812090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1149739678943568882006-06-07T23:07:00.000-05:002006-06-07T23:07:00.000-05:00Thanks. I figure if I'm short on money, I can alw...Thanks. I figure if I'm short on money, I can always print up a bunch of those cards that the deaf people with pencils use at the airport.Flip Dixonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17704311610420242618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1149739374971870712006-06-07T23:02:00.000-05:002006-06-07T23:02:00.000-05:00Brilliant advice, Joe.Thanks!Best,FranBrilliant advice, Joe.<BR/><BR/>Thanks!<BR/><BR/>Best,<BR/>FranFran Frielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11779189702107014516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1149732976259843782006-06-07T21:16:00.000-05:002006-06-07T21:16:00.000-05:00Joe great suggestions.Joe great suggestions.LA Burtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05345898907635634816noreply@blogger.com