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Darcia Helle

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Program For Formatting

« on: March 26, 2012, 07:01:55 AM »

Most of us have been asking when some smart person is going to invent a software program that automatically formats for us. Well, it seems someone has! I have no experience with this, but it sounds promising.

How to Use Scrivener to Format an e-Book for Kindle and Nook:
http://writingishardwork.wordpress.com/2012/03/23/how-to-use-scrivener-to-format-an-e-book-for-kindle-and-nook/


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WestofMars

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Re: Program For Formatting

« Reply #1 on: May 09, 2012, 03:50:27 AM »

Scrivener is fast becoming the IT software for writers. IT -- not as Information Technology. Think style. Yeah. THAT sort of IT.


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Maria Savva

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Re: Program For Formatting

« Reply #2 on: May 09, 2012, 06:37:58 AM »

Ooh, I might have to look into that. Thanks for sharing, Darcia.


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Doug DePew

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Re: Program For Formatting

« Reply #3 on: May 09, 2012, 11:59:25 AM »

I know a woman who just bought that. She said they were running it on a special recently.

I'll report back if I hear she loves it or hates it.
Grin


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Gareth Lewis

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Re: Program For Formatting

« Reply #4 on: May 09, 2012, 12:26:24 PM »

You can try a free trial yourself, http://www.literatureandlatte.com/trial.php.

I've run through the tutorials and there are defenitely some interesting features, but I've been tidying up a lot of little things recently so haven't had time to try it out properly yet.


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Lana

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Re: Program For Formatting

« Reply #5 on: August 16, 2012, 08:09:11 AM »

Are you saying that you guys would pay for software that formats? Hmm...


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Gareth Lewis

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Re: Program For Formatting

« Reply #6 on: August 16, 2012, 08:38:18 AM »

Pay for formatting? Hell, no. I'm not sure I'll use Scrivener for the formatting either, although I have been utilising it for the current novel.

I've found Scrivener most useful for splitting chapters or subsections into groups. Grouping them by viewpoint characters (and I colour code chapters by VP characters, where it's only one VP per chapter) I can work through all of one character's chapters without having to search for them. Since my current work has eight VP characters, this is useful.

One thing that wasn't so good is importing. I can't see any way to split an imported document into chapters. I did the first draft in Word, since I find its auto-correct useful if properly supervised, and then tried loading it in (it's possibly easier if you keep individual chapters in seperate documents). I had to do it the hard way, chapter by chapter, but once I got going it seems to be useful for revising specific things, where you want to flit around to different parts of the text.

It's also useful in remembering where you were when you closed down.

Overall Scrivener seems most useful (to me) for the revisions phase.


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Darcia Helle

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Re: Program For Formatting

« Reply #7 on: August 16, 2012, 08:48:23 AM »

I know a few authors do pay for formatting, whether in software or services. There are some authors who are great with words, but terrible with technology. Also, I don't think Amazon/Kindle or Smashwords are Mac-friendly, though that might have changed.

I do all my own formatting, and haven't paid for software or a service.


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Maria Savva

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Re: Program For Formatting

« Reply #8 on: August 16, 2012, 12:32:56 PM »

Quote from: Darcia Helle on August 16, 2012, 08:48:23 AM

There are some authors who are great with words, but terrible with technology.

You know me well, Darcia


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James Sophi

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Re: Program For Formatting

« Reply #9 on: August 17, 2012, 04:35:38 AM »

There was a previous thread on Scrivener somewhere on this forum, I'm sure of it.

I vaguely remember confessing all my love for the program, and saying how I can't remember how I ever wrote without it.

I'm going to find it... Be right back.

Grin

Edit: Found it! : http://quietfurybooks.com/messageboard/index.php?topic=3073.0


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Darcia Helle

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Re: Program For Formatting

« Reply #10 on: August 17, 2012, 06:51:10 AM »

Wow, how did I miss that thread? Huh

I had no idea the software did all that, James. Very cool! I use OneNote in Word, which I love for organizing, but this sounds like it has all sorts of extras. Something like this would be especially good for people writing a series, or a complicated fantasy or sci-fi novel. Thanks for digging up the thread for us!