Today I’ve been formatting the paperback version of Practice to Deceive, which is long, long overdue for a paperback version! Just like when I first published the book on Kindle, this is really a testing ground for me… and boy, it’s testing.

I forgot how god-damn finicky Word can be when it comes to formatting. While I write in Scrivener and would never change that, to format, you really need to use an external word processor… and Word is pretty much the only game in town. Getting Word to format correctly so you can create a 6in by 9in paperback is a pain in the ass, though. Especially because of Styles. Grrr.

Well, after a couple of hours, it looks like I’m almost there. Right now assuming I don’t make any more big changes to the text size, etc, Practice to Deceive is looking like it will be a 386-page paperback, roughly. (I have no idea what it’ll cost, but as I’m making it print-on-demand, it won’t be cheap. Sorry, but Kindle / eBook will always be cheaper.)

The next big hurdle is coming up with a new cover design for the book. The original cover (shown here) was one I got from a pre-designed cover site. At the time I was fine with it, even though it wasn’t exactly what I wanted. It was close enough – a woman, looking sexy and suitably mysterious. Over time though, I came to like it less and less. I’m not a huge fan of the typefaces, and the woman, while sexy, doesn’t really look like I picture Linda (or rather, Billy-as-Linda). It’s an elegant cover, but it’s not quite as attention grabbing as I want it to be.

In the years since I’ve learned a lot more about Photoshop and cover design. I created the covers for A Lie Within A Lie, and think they came out pretty well. So, now I’m tinkering with new cover designs for Practice to Deceive. When I’ve got some final candidates, I’ll share them here and I’d love to get people’s opinions on what they think works. Shortly after that, anyone who’s been jones’ing for a paperback will be able to get one, with the new cover included!

Right, back to wrestling with Word.