It would be lovely if there were a template for a print-on-demand book, set up to lay out for print in standard paperback size, as accepted by print-on-demand companies like lulu.com.
The Paperback Novel compile format preset is designed for use with CreateSpace. It could be modified to work with LuLu with minimal changes (probably just in the Page Settings compile section, as they aren’t very strict about what you do for the typesetting itself).
Thanks, AmberV - how would I know what to change?
Take a look at the Lulu.com guidelines if you want to use Lulu.com. I created the novel template settings by looking at the CreateSpace guidelines and going through the Compile settings accordingly, so you’ll just need to do the same for Lulu or whichever PoD service you decide to use. You could start from the “Paperback novel” compile format preset and tweak from there.
All the best,
Keith
Maelduin, Have you looked at the video called “Compiling Using Presets” on the video tutorials page at: http://www.literatureandlatte.com/video.php? It includes a useful overview of how to output your work to three different preset formats, including the “Paperback novel” format and ebook format, which could give you an idea of how to get started.
Astrid
About to. I can’t find the Compile for Paperback setting though.
Oh, wait, it’s in Format As rather than Compile For. (I can never quite work out the difference between the functions of these, so normally leave Format As alone.)
Dear God, that video is complicated. Going to have a quiet walk with the dog while my heart rate slows down.
Edit: Note: for future videos, do separate ones for each method of compiling, and link them well so people can find them easily.
[Lying down to rest with a moist cloth on brow]
While we are making requests for videos - please please please make non-Quicktime versions available.
(I’m on a Windows work machine with no admin rights so can’t watch them 
)
The Compile videos are broken up into separate topics. The 8-minute one is entitled “Compiling Using Presets”, and that’s exactly what it shows. Presets allow you to compile a single project to multiple formats, so it demonstrates how you can do that. Breaking that video down into separate videos for each format wouldn’t really make any sense, given that the whole point of it is to show how presets allow you to compile to different formats.
All the best,
Keith
pigfender - They’re also up on YouTube, here: youtube.com/user/davidmj13#g/u
Ok, in that case I can’t complain.
I STILL can’t watch them (Non HTML 5 browser and no Flash), but that’s frankly my fault for working where I do.
Luckily (!) that won’t be my problem much longer.
PS, Hey Jennifer! Hope you are well.
Congrats, I hope?
I’m doing well, thanks–exhausted, but well!
Yup, complete life change (except for the ever lovely Mrs Pigfender of course!) in 5 days and counting.
Glad to hear it!
I know it just shows compiling using presets, but it reminds me fearfully of that Dan Leno quick-fire solo about the complicated relations of his family, who were all cousins and double cousins and uncles who were also step-brothers, and “follow me closely now, this is rather intricate”, and “there was a milkman in there…”
I can’t comment on the L&L videos because - as I mentioned above - I’ve never seen them, but I do know what you mean, Maelduin, as I’ve seen many video tutorials in the past which are generally good, but if they happen to go too quickly over the one bit that you struggling with - the missing piece that will help everything else fall into place - then they can take several view before they click.
Given the amount of time you’ve spent invested in the program - since 2008 - there’s clearly a lot about it which suits your way of working. So perhaps more personalised tuition might be more helpful. Gwen Hernandez, author of the upcoming “Scrivener For Dummies” book, runs online classes in Scrivener. Classes are $30 I believe. I’ve not done one, so have no idea what they cover etc, but it might be worth looking into.
gwenhernandez.com/
Although I have long since given up on that elusive dream of turning you into a contented Scrivener user, if such a thing were possible and if we could make everything in such a way that it all made perfect sense to you instantly, you know you’d get bored.
On a more serious note, Pigfender’s suggestion is a very good one - you have been using Scrivener for a long time and although it seems that you have decided to persevere with the program (hopefully because it does add something to your workflow and not because you’re a masochist punishing yourself for past sins!), at the same time you clearly still find some of its concepts a little baffling despite reference to the help materials, videos and our attempts at assistance. If you find that the help we provide doesn’t click with you for some reason - and most people love the videos and help materials, but obviously everyone is different and learns differently - then I know for a fact that people who have been on it rave about Gwen’s course, so it is definitely worth considering.
No, no, I love Scrivener, and use it well. (Incidentally, if you look in the ebook I’ve just released - amazon.co.uk/Love-ebook/dp/B … 378&sr=8-1 - you’ll see that Scrivener is among those thanked.)
The video tutorials are a bit confusing, at times, but maybe this is just me; I like a tutorial to tell me how to do one thing, not three at a time.
Edit: Thanks for the suggestion of a course, but it would be pointless for me to take it, because I can only remember information I use all the time. (For instance, I’ve read David Hewson’s good book on writing novels with Scrivener, and started using keywords, but can no longer remember, a month later, his instructions on making notes and links in different ways. If I need them, I have his book and can look them up.) Actually, I think most people learn this way.
Do you think written tutorials (like the main one) would work better for you so you can go at your own pace and only study the parts individually? Written tutorials are something we’d like to start putting out as well as the videos, so it might be something worth keeping an eye out for if that appeals.
Phew! And thank you for thanking Scrivener in your book, much appreciated!
One thing that might be of use to you: I’m currently proof-reading a short e-book by a guy called Ed Ditto which is entirely about self-publishing to different formats - epub, .mobi, CreateSpace, Smash Words and so on. That should be out shortly. But yeah, as Ioa says, we do want to get more short, to-the-point written tutorials put out there, too. One of the reason we took on Katherine, Jeff and Astrid recently to help with support was so that we could free up some time to put together more specialised, short tutorials that cover a single topic for users, so that you can look them up when you need them on the site. We’re currently working on a backlog of other stuff that needs doing, but that is high up on the list next.
Thanks and all the best,
Keith
Written tutorials are good, but what I’ve found really, really helpful is two things:
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David Hewson’s book, which has clear, brief instructions and good illustrations (though it’s easier to read on iPad and computer than on Kindle, because those illustrations won’t size up for me on the Kindle - perhaps a function of the Scrivener method of outputting, which may make the ills an actual size rather than proportional?)
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Some of the more recent videos are very short - just a minute or two, and dealing with just one thing, and these are brilliant. If that video on compiling for print, for instance had been three videos, and taking it a bit slower, this would be ideal.
I’ve shown various friends things they didn’t know in Scrivener, and vice versa; last week I showed a pal how to use keywords (and why you should), and she showed me how to use it for organising laying out a magazine. That kind of ad hoc learning is what I’m best at, and I think what most people are best at, really.
I’m very grateful for the kind help I’ve got here over the years in using the program - and hope that my questions and those of others help to make the program better, as well.