Making Your Novel Into A Book

Saturday, May 14, 2016
As writers, we all have the dream of seeing our stories on our bookshelves one day -- whether it be through traditional or self publishing.

But what if you want to have your book on the bookshelf... without having it published? Just so you can read it for fun and look at your words on page?

You can make that happen for under ten dollars. BOOM. And I'm going to show you how. (with rambling, because that's how I do things)


There are so many websites where you can print your book nowadays. Createspace and Blurb are popular ones. I've found that Lulu is the cheapest and easiest option to use. This post will be about Lulu.


As you can see above, you can order both hardcovers and paperbacks. Since the paperbacks are a lot cheaper, I just went for those since I don't have much of a preference.

Making the book itself is very self explanatory. You're able to choose a bunch of different sizes (I just went for the standard 6x9), cream or white inside color, glossy or matte finish...

After you choose all of this, you'll want to upload the book's file. I uploaded it in a simple word file, but a PDF works as well. Before you upload it, make sure you edit your Microsoft Word pages to match the size of the print book. I went to page layout >> size >> more paper sizes >> and edited in the correct lengths. I also set the margins to "0.66" all around, since then you can fit more words in each page.

I was a dork and forgot to think about this thing called fonts. So three of my books were printed in normal Arial, and I printed the last one in Palatino Linotype. (font 11) I like that one a lot better -- it's not quite as bold and eye-killing.



Once it's uploaded... then comes the fun part: the cover. I just used my covers with images from Pinterest and plopped the text on them using Picmonkey. Do not use images from Pinterest if you're going to sell these books on Amazon or self-publish them. Since these were only for personal use and I wanted to print them for fun, I'm going to go ahead and assume that there's no harm in this. :P

The cover was SO much fun... but also very time consuming. And frustrating. *grumbles* It was a very difficult process figuring out where the spine was and how big the text should be. It's not perfect, but since I printed my first drafts... they don't really need to be perfect.

I used the advanced one-piece cover designer. They'll tell you all the dimensions (as you can see below). Picmonkey was great for making specific sizes, though it took a lot of fiddling. Make the cover when you have lots of time and patience. xD


On the back of the cover, I placed in small(ish) text when I wrote the book. It's almost like a timeline of sorts -- I'm super excited to add more to the collection. *happiness*



Lulu has the handy dandy option of "making this book only available to me." So you don't have to worry about it accidentally being published to Amazon. (My worst nightmare ever.)

Click submit, wait for everything to upload... And you're good to go! Each book cost under ten dollars for me, though it might be more or less depending on how long your book is.

They're actually heavier then I expected. They weigh 67.97 ounces, or 4.244 pounds. (because this is obviously an important fact that you want to know. Ha.)

A picture of them on my head. Because, why not? 


ALL FOUR OF THEM! They're positioned below in the order I wrote them from top to bottom. The first one I wrote in January, 2014, and I just finished A Twisted Star in April of 2016. All the excitement. *happy sigh*



SINCE these are first drafts, I went ahead and put The Music Master on the cover instead of Song of the Desert since that's what it was originally called in that stage. It's weird seeing it that way, but ahhh, the memories... ;)

My reason for ordering the first draft is so that I can read them, make notes in them, and then once I edit them (If I will EVER finish editing), I'll order edited version.  This makes it so I can compare them to the originals and see how the story has changed. And I can 100% guarantee that these stories change. A lot.


But SINCE they're first drafts... They have a lot of first-draft lingo. I make things interesting as I write them... as well as 100000x harder to edit. For instance, when I DO remember to put in chapter breaks, this tends to happen: 


And then little comments of despair. #firstdraftproblems


The Sand Dragon's Song is my favorite cover by far. It just makes me super happy and flail whenever I see it. :D


A Twisted Star is my second favorite. The twisted text (heh, see what I did there?) stands out awesome against the night sky. 


Basically, if you get anything out of this post at all, make your novel into a book if you can. It's encouraging to see your Microsoft Word document with a blinking cursor into an actual form that you can hold. (and throw against the wall when you get frustrated with editing) The whole process took me about an hour for one book (which was mostly me fiddling with the cover), and for under ten dollars? That's an insane deal.

// katie grace

I basically threw a bunch of information at you... so any questions? Do you ever find any amusing things in your first drafts? 

124 comments :

  1. This is such an awesome idea!! I will have to do this at some point, thank you so much for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YOU MUST! It's such a satisfying and awesome feeling. :D

      Delete
  2. WOW. This idea is positively brilliant!! There's a novella I wrote last year that I've been wanting to see in physical form but am not quite ready to publish, yet. I'm so excited! Thank you for sharing!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. *squealing* Ahh, you should totally print it out! I'd love to see pictures once you're finished. :D

      Delete
  3. THESE ARE SO SO SO BEAUTIFUL OH MY GOSH! I do have to say the cover of A Twisted Star is my favorite :P

    I've printed out first drafts and never decided to edit them (shame on me really) but I keep promising myself that as a reward for editing a few drafts of a novel then I'll finally get myself a book copy of my novel!

    And question; do you know anything about the shipping if you live overseas? I think these are based in the States right, so if ever would you know if the publishing sites ship them internationally as well?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YESS I love A Twisted Star. *happy hug* I'm actually getting kind of excited (and terrified) of editing it. Because the story is just very dear to me. <3

      YOU SHOULD DO IT! *squealing*

      Ooh, that's a good question. Lemme go check. *checks* Ooh, ouch. Shipping is 17.99. :/ Sometimes there are free shipping coupons or sales you can look for... that's quite a lot. *sighs* How annoying.

      Delete
    2. I just got this in an email from Lulu... Enter code MAYSHIP15 to save 15% on all print books PLUS get free mail shipping. Offer ends May 16th at midnight. Don't forget, coupon codes are CASE-SENSITIVE.

      GASP! And I tried it out on a fake address to the Philippines (that's where you live, yes?) and it works! So maybe you can't get it done before the 16th... but it's an option. :P

      Delete
    3. Awww that is so awesome! I wish I could do that by the 16th but sadly it would take me a zillion years to make the cover alone, and maybe a bit shorter time to format the book, so I guess I won't make it in time.

      Thank you anyway! :P I'll definitely tell you when I get my book printed out. (When, not If, because I'm sure I will make it happen just not really soon)

      Delete
  4. Ooooo, I MUST DO THIS. I would probably literally die to have one of my books sitting on my bookshelf. -- Legit!? Only $2-(ish) dollars to print a 100 page book! *shrieks with the excitement overload* WHY DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS BEFORE???

    My first drafts are hopeless. Mostly just my attempts of 'practically' thinking that the characters need to eat something, so I plop them down and stuff some food into them...in the most random and stupid of places and situations. I've kinda deleted all those scenes out of the later drafts... xD

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ISN'T IT EXCITING?! *squee* I would LOVE to see pictures of your book when you order it. (if you order one.) Maybe you'll share some on your blog? Hopefully?

      Food. I love that food is very important in your first drafts. xD (and hopefully in your later drafts?) FOOD IS VERY HARD FOR ME. Not sure why but it's always easy to remind my characters to eat. And sleep. Sigh. :P

      Delete
    2. Yup, if I do end up printing a book I will most definitely do a blog post. (Probably full of shrieking and dying) I'm just slightly unsure about postage to Australia...But I'll probably end up doing it anyway just for the awesomeness of having the actual book in my hands.

      I do try to keep some eating and sleeping in the later drafts...but half the time it just doesn't sit well, so they end up doing that kind of practical stuff waaaay less often than they should. :D

      Delete
    3. Yeah, postage can be a pain. But keep a look out for codes/coupons/sales because they have those quite a bit -- including free shipping which is always awesome.

      I understand. xD

      Delete
  5. This is so cool. Now I'm halfway debating the idea of printing one of my series- ones that I don't ever plan on actually publishing for money, but which I've been sharing on a forum.

    Also, I feel you on the first draft comments. There have been more and more of those popping up in my drafts lately . . .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't it? You should totally do it. *nodnod* And then share pictures because I'm totally curious and nosy like that. xD

      Heh, they keep things interesting, at least. And add to the word count so it feels like a longer book. *has way too many first draft comments*

      Delete
  6. I think I have to do this. Maybe it will encourage me to finish this draft faster??? *glares at Word document* This is such a fantastic idea!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You should totally do this! I'd love to see it when you're done. :D

      Delete
    2. Guess what I spent all yesterday doing??? LOL.

      Delete
  7. OMG I SO WANT TO DO THIS!!!!! How long does it take to receive them? I've always wanted to know exactly how long my books would be in a book form! But my competency in cover making is limited so we'll see how this goes... :D (Okay, I'm literally thrilled, I might start like this week)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YOU SHOULDDD. Hm, I think it took a little more than a week? It ships 5-7 days AFTER printing, so I'd allow 3-4 days for it to print. So about a week and a half total? 10 days? *throws all the numbers at you, sorry* xD

      YOU SHOULD TOTALLY START IT. EEEK. All the excitement because yaaas.

      Delete
    2. OKAY I AM TOTALLY DOING THIS!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll let you know how it goes :)

      Delete
  8. This is such a cool idea! I will definitely do this when I finish my first draft of my current work in progress. That must be an amazing feeling to be able to hold what you wrote in book form, even when it is the first draft. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Eeek! It is such an amazing feeling. You should definitely join me in it. ;)
      Absolutely! Thanks for reading and commenting. :D

      Delete
  9. This is so cool!! I'll definitely do it when I finish my first draft!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Woahhh, I've heard about Lulu, but I've never actually done it or seen anybody do it, that is totally awesome! I absolutely LOVE the cover of 'A Twisted Star' it's just sooo pretty. :D
    Congrats on finally being a published author Katie! ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. *flailing* It so feels like I'm published! I can't wait until I'm *really* published. *sigh* It'd be so awesome.

      Delete
  11. Wow, that is so cool! That would definitely inspire me to keep writing, to have your first draft in a book form!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's SO inspiring. You should definitely do it. *nodnod*

      Delete
  12. That is so awesome! I should do this when I finish my novel.
    Thank you so much for sharing, Katie, and I do have to say A Twisted Star is so beautiful! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You totally should!

      *squee* I'm very proud of it. xD

      Delete
  13. I published one of my novels through Lulu! =) It's very easy to use and cheap! I couldn't publish a rough draft though...I think it would make me go crazy to have a book that has grammar problems. ;)

    And it is so amazing when you finally hold your FINAL draft in your hand ready to publish!! I hope you can be there soon! =D

    Just a question...you finished A Twisted Star...but you didn't publish it? Or did you and I didn't notice?? =/
    ~Hosanna Emily

    HavingaHeartLikeHis.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well... it's not OFFICIALLY published. I just printed it out so I could enjoy it. :)

      Hm... I'm not quite sure what you're asking about A Twisted Star? I didn't publish it. I printed it out. I finished it in April. :)

      Delete
    2. Oops, I was meaning, did you publish it for the rest of the world to read? =) Because I would LOVE to read A Twisted Star!!!

      Delete
    3. I'm done with school till September so I have nothing better to do... and your books just call me to read them XD

      Delete
    4. Daww you guys are the sweetest. xD
      Noo, sadly I did not publish A Twisted Star to the world. It's a mess and need lots of editing. (not to mention that I'll probably go a traditional publishing route) Hopefully next year sometime I'll start on the edits, and then you all can read it! (if you want to be beta readers. :P)

      Delete
    5. Yes! Yes! I WILL DO ALL THE BETA-ING!!!

      Delete
    6. I will be a Beta reader!! =) **glares are Savannah for raising her hand before me** I can't wait for it to be available to read! =D

      Delete
  14. OKAY SO BASICALLY THE MOST APPEALING THING ABOUT THIS SO FAR IS BEING ABLE TO THROW A TANGIBLE BOOK AGAINST THE WALL WHEN YOU GET FED UP WITH EDITING. BECAUSE LIKE YOU CAN'T DO THAT WITH A COMPUTER FILE OR WITH A STACK OF PAPERS BECAUSE THEY WILL FLY EVERYWHERE AND PICKING UP A BUNCH OF SCATTERED PAPERS IS ARGUABLY WORSE THAN EDITING. (wait maybe not.) XD jk jk THIS LOOKS AWESOME!! Also dude I'm just kind of over here like inwardly freaking out and wilting just a little (a lot) because GIRL. YOU WROTE FOUR BOOKS. WHICH ARE SITTING IN A FREAKING STACK ON YOUR HEAD. DO YOU REALIZE WHAT AN ACCOMPLISHMENT THIS IS?!?! like, aaaaacdhfjkldjsd <3

    I kind of really want to do this now. *searches for that scared emoji* BECAUSE EEEEEP IT'S REALLY COOL SOUNDING/LOOKING. also I love love love the Sand Dragon's Song cover OMG BEAUT. AND ISJFLSJALSAKDJ ALL YOUR FIRST DRAFT NOTES I AM OVER HERE CRACKING UP DUDE THOSE ARE THE BEST. *wipes tears* And those first drafts will also be worth a lot of money when you're a bestselling author some day so hang on to them, yo. ;)

    abbiee

    p.s. "palatino linotype" *closes eyes and nods*

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OH! I almost forgot! I just posted a tag called The Power Of Words and it's all wordy and writerly which made me think of you so I nominated you for it. x)

      Delete
    2. OH MY GOSHHH ABBIEEEE YOUR COMMENTS ALWAYS MAKE ME THE HAPPIEST. *throws around the books in celebration and probably accidentally dies because of all the editing that needs to be done* *none of that just made sense but just GO WITH IT* xD

      You shouldddd it would be absolutely amazing. BUT IF YOU DO I DEMAND PICTURES. LOTS OF THEM. So I can squeal with you and wilt and have all the happy feelings. *squee* Omg, I don't think I'd EVER let ANYONE read them, though. Like, ALL THE CRINGING. ALL THE TYPOS. ALL THE STUPID PLOT. xD

      Delete
  15. WHAT HOW WAS THIS NOT ON MY RADAR BEFORE. Hmm. I shall definitely have to try this. XD (And yes The Sand Dragon's Song is most certainly the best cover. XD)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Katie. Katie Grace. I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO SAY HOW COOL THIS IS!!! *flails*

    And now that's I've calmed down, it looks ... fairly ... complicated. BUT I SHALL DO THIS OH YES. Because I NEEDS my book on my shelf!

    "make this book available only to me" oh yes. I agree, being published on Amazon right now would be my worst nightmare EVER. I would hyperventilate and faint and then hide in a corner ALL DAY FOREVER.

    I get all crazy excited when I see all your books stacked up and I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY. Perhaps it is because those books will REALLY be published someday and everyone will know the epic awesomeness of Katie Grace's stories, mwahaha!

    TSDS has the most incredible cover EVER! *flails more* I loveth it so MUCH! *dies* Ican'teventhinkofwords!!!
    Now I need to go make cool covers for my books :D.

    Haha, your first draft lingo is the funniest :D. Wish I made funny marks like that in my first drafts, then I could go through and laugh at myself. Unfortunately I don't *sigh*. I really should though, it would be amusing!

    So ... yeah, this is the coolest post EVER, I'm SO going to do this with (at least) one of my books! THANK YOU FOR THE POST!

    (also, did you read Samara's Peril yet?)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. (okay, this question might be kinda silly, but do the books arrive in good condition? I'm notoriously picky about my books being in top notch condition ... and staying that way XD.)

      Delete
    2. *sneaks into conversation* Okay, so I'm so sorry for interrupting you, Savannah, but did you say SAMARA'S PERIL?!? *dies* I'm reading it now, and I'M LOVING IT. *cuddles book* Did you like it?

      Delete
    3. ISN'T IT SO COOL? I THINK I MIGHT'VE SCREECHED A COUPLE OF TIMES. *happy dancing*

      Mwahaha, it makes me happy that you have faith that these will be published someday. I SURE HOPE THEY WILL. I'm working hard to get to that point, at least. *nod* I'm excited for you to beta read the others. :D

      Well, never too late to make funny marks with your next draft. Makes editing just a *tiny* bit more enjoyable. :)

      I'M SO GLAD YOU LIKED THIS POST! I always have this fear the night before I publish it and think, "sighhh, I don't like this very much," so it's always nice to hear when people like it. :P

      OOH. Okay. Samara's Peril. I suppose I have a bit of an unpopular opinion? I just... didn't like this one as much? I still liked it, but... The first two were definitely my favorite.

      And yes! They arrived in perfect condition. :) I would make sure to make the text farther away from the edges than you normally would, since my "katie grace" got chopped off a little bit.

      Delete
    4. I would have screeched a LOT of times! I probably WILL screech a lot of times!!! *practices screeching*

      THEY WILL BE PUBLISHED SOME DAY I KNOW IT. Because, come on, SOTD? Epic awesomeness *nods*. AND I AM SO EXCITED TO BETA READ THE OTHERS!!! *excited squeal*

      I like ALL the posts! *whispers* but this one is especially cool because you introduced me to the awesome thing I never knew existed. EEP thank you!!

      I actually agree with you (seeing as I gave the other books five stars and this one four) but I still REALLY enjoyed it! She wrote Elon and Jace really well, I think they were my favorites :).

      Oh good, I was hoping you'd say that :D. I'll be careful to keep my text away from the edge *nods*.

      (Emily: what part of the book are you at right now? I found I liked the last half of the book better than the first :D)

      Delete
    5. I'm a little more than half-way through. Lovin' it so far, though it did seem to be a TAD bit slower? Dunno, but it's still good. xD

      Delete
    6. (oh, Emily, if you e-mail my mom (theperrans AT cox DOT net) I'll invite you to my private blog :))

      Delete
  17. Oh my goodness yes. I need to try doing this. I once sent a the first draw of my WIP to the printer but it was just normal, spiral bound, 9"x12" paper. from They look so pretty and professional even thought they're first drafts.

    Now I have a question: Did you change/take out any spelling errors, or stuff of that nature, before you send it in? About 96% of the time, I don't spell check during NaNo. So when I get around to editing, it's an ocean of red squiggles, and that always bothers me. Then it takes like two weeks to slug through it and remove the grammar probs. *has probs*

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooh, that's still cool! And I bet the spiral bound makes it easier to flip through and edit and make notes. How awesome. :D

      Ha, no. I didn't. I printed the first draft, so there are plenty of errors. Surprisingly this doesn't bother me TOO much, just since it'll be double the awesome when I can compare it to the edited version.

      And don't worry -- the red squiggly lines won't show up.

      Delete
  18. :O THE COVER OF SAND DRAGON. <3 also this idea of having an ACTUAL book format of your drafts...daang brilliant. You should be so proud of all the manuscripts you've written! That is such an amazing accomplishment, Katie!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ALLLL THE EXCITEMENT! It's actually hard to believe. o.O I mean, when did I become a writer? Didn't I used to hate writing? WHAT IS THIS INSANITY. :P

      Delete
  19. I've used Lulu for this before, and it works amazing!!! They're a great company, and everything is thankfully pretty easy. ;) I love it sooo much! There is nothing better than having a copy of your book to edit. And throwing it against the wall is by far one of the best parts. xD
    Oh, and the cover tor "The Twisted Star" is gorgeous!! It's my favorite of the 4. <3 Although "The Music Master" Is pretty awesome as well! As are the rest. ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mwahah. *throws allll the books at the wall and probably ends up giving it a dent* *oops*

      Aaw, thank you! <3 I'm happy with how they turned out. :D

      Delete
  20. I'M NOT ALONE!!!! About a year ago I ordered a copy of one of my books (actually the only one that has ever been completed). I did it through CreateSpace. It's really fun to have it to look at and stuff but I'm rather embarassed now about how bad my cover is. I think I've improved on my cover designing skills since then.
    I like the "A Twisted Star" cover. I love your posts, Katie! You always make me laugh :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. EEK! That's so exciting. :D Do you have pictures of it on your blog somewhere?
      Aaw, that makes me happy. ^.^

      Delete
    2. Yes, I did post pictures- but on my private blog. I'm truly not trying to be snobbish or anything I just share way too much private info on there ro share it with the world. *sighs*
      One of these days I'll have a blog for the whole world to see.

      Delete
    3. Awww sadness. *sniff* It would be awesome to see them someday on a public blog if you ever have one. :)

      Delete
  21. Wow, that's really cool. It kind of makes me want to write a story and print it out! :D But most of my attempts at writing haven't worked out so great, unfortunately. :P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Writing is hard. :P But the nice thing is that you can always try again and keep writing. :)

      Delete
    2. Yes, that's true. :) I think its kind of fun to write, but I don't know if I have any talent in it. :P

      Delete
  22. I've already been writing (and editing. UGH) my novel FURIOUSLY so that I can print a copy for myself. But it's taking. So. Long. *faints* Lulu is an awesome publisher to use! But don't know how I'm going to make a book cover!! *cries* Do you have any tips on making book covers? :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good question, Anika. I agree, covers are SO hard to make!

      Delete
    2. Yeah! I've tried to make one before, but... it didn't turn out so good. :)

      Delete
    3. Sigh. Book covers ARE hard. I think what you want to do is go simple with the image. Or at least make sure that there is blank space. You don't want to place text over a bunch of colors and eye-dizzying things. You can download some awesome fonts over at fontsquirrel.com or dafont.com. That's where I find most of mine and then just plop on the test. :)

      Any other questions with cover making? Sometimes it's easier to answer a specific question than a general one. :P

      Delete
    4. My most-specific questions is how you choose a picture to use as your cover XD. That's always SO hard for me! I never can seem to find any good ones :D.

      Delete
    5. I actually just tried making a cover, and it turned out better than last time! Go to my blog to see what you think!

      Delete
    6. Savannah -- I keep a Pinterest board full of pictures than can possibly be covers. Or for my "A Twisted Star" cover, I found a space like picture, and then scrolled down to the related pins and there were lots of good star images. I found one that I liked, downloaded a font, and viola!

      Delete
  23. OH OH OH OH I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS POST AND NOW IT'S HERE OH MY GOODNESS THIS IS AMAZING. *dies*

    xD First draft lingo is always hilarious. :P

    I MUST DO THIS SOMETIME. *nodnod*

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, and what font did you use for 'twisted' in A Twisted Star? Because IT'S JUST SO GORGEOUS. <3

      Delete
    2. SQUEE! SO EXCITING. :D

      Yes, you must do this. It would be so awesome. :D
      Heh, good question. I believe it was "Windsong." :)

      Delete
  24. This is a cool idea! Your books look so awesome!

    Nabila // Hot Town Cool Girl

    ReplyDelete
  25. Ah I need to do this o.o how long did it take to get to you after you ordered it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yesss you do. I think around 10 days? Somewhere like that. I can't remember the exact amount. :P

      Delete
  26. OH MY GOODNESS THIS IS THE COOLEST THING IN THE WORLD. I HAVE TO DO THIS. NOW. *waits because novel isn't finished* AHHH. And I totally agree with you, the Sand Dragons Song cover is just drool worthy. XD

    *dies in happiness*

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. QUICK FINISH YOUR NOVEL. xD You said you're pretty close though, right? Hopefully? There's Camp NaNo in July coming up FAIRLY soon... that's always motivating. :P

      *dies with you* xD

      Delete
    2. I KNOW. After camp I lost all motivation. I have no idea where it went. Maybe I should search the wardrobe. XP yup, pretty close. But I have major editing left, because I have this thing of always finding new ideas while writing that have to be completely changed throughout the book. :P I'd like to finish before then..I just finished algebra, so, I've just got to get myself moving!

      *continues to drool at those amazing books*

      Delete
    3. YOU FINISHED ALGEBRA. HUZZAH. That is, like, one of the most exciting things ever. *happy squeals*
      And then editing. That's, like, one of the least exciting things ever. xD Though weren't you someone who likes editing? Unless I'm completely wrong about that.

      Delete
  27. Amusing things in my first drafts... Like not knowing a name, and putting in [THEANNOYINGFELLOW] or something like that? xP

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The annoying fellow. xD I love it.
      "[THATEPICHERO]"
      "[UNNECESSARYCOMICRELIEFDUDE]"
      "[NOONEACTUALLYKNOWSWHOTHISCHARACTERIS]"

      Good luck deciphering those. xD

      Delete
    2. YES. xD Those are awesome names.

      Delete
  28. Ahhhhhh I love this <3 I really want to do it! But sadly, I'm broke. *heavy sigh* Yours are so beautiful though! *flails wildly*

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. *heavy sigh with you* SADNESS. Hopefully you'll be able to do it eventually. :D

      Delete
  29. KATIE ASDJHAKJEH THIS IS SO AMAZING OH MY GOOOSHSHHH *FLAILS*

    *deep breath* Okay, sorry xD I've never seen one this cheap before and I've kind of always wanted to get a copy of my novel. Do you like the quality of them? Like, is it actually pretty good?

    I think I will have to do this for my novels once they've all at least gotten a couple rounds of editing because I'd probably cry if I just did the first draft ones xD

    Also *whispers* I want a copy of allll your novels :P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ASDJFLS;J THANK YOUUU.

      YES. They're super nice and I didn't find anything wrong with them! Just make sure to put the text far enough away from the edges because mine got cut off a liiiittle bit.

      *whisper* Mwahaha hopefully eventually that'd be very exciting. <3

      Delete
  30. Thats so cool. Now,when I have the energy and motivation to truly finish a FIRST draft of mine I just might have to do this. Thats really cool, though,

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You must! *cheers* YOU CAN FINISH IT! It's such an amazing feeling when you do. Good luck with writing! How far are you into your draft?

      Delete
  31. OH MY WORD KATIE 76 COMMENTS SO FAR YOU ARE AMAZING.

    This is...SO. SO. COOL! You basically just published yourself for yourself and this is the coolest thing ever. Dunno if I'd have that kind of patience, but if it was something I really wanted to do, then I totally would go for it.
    I love the cover of A Twisted Star. And all of them, actually. Girl, you are amazing. <3333 This is so exciting.

    Also, you are hilarious, Katie. I love all your notes. xD

    amanda @ scattered journal pages

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YEAH IT'S KIND OF CRAZY HOW THAT HAPPENS. o.o

      RIGHT? It's like publishing... but not. Basically without the stress of people reading it and without having to edit it. :P

      Thank youuu. xD I'm glad I'm able to humor people, because sometimes my humor is just the stupidest. :P

      Delete
  32. Okey but DIS IS COOL. Also I tend to be a perfectionist and keep even my first drafts all clean and professional, BUT NOW I'M TOTES USING FIRST DRAFT LINGO and throwing perfectionism out the window. And maybe I'll look into printing my first or second drafts. Also this post cracked me up on more than one occasion. I love your humor. xD

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YES you should totally use first draft lingo. It makes everything so much more interesting. Because, there's no way first drafts are gonna be clean anyway. So go crazy. :P

      Well thanks. :P Though as I was saying above to Hannah, I'm actually surprised people sometimes find it funny? Because sometimes it's just the stupidest and I can groan at myself. (or laugh a bunch. it depends on my mood. :P)

      Delete
  33. This is so cool! Once I finally get around to finishing a book, I'll have to remember this! Thanks Katie :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You should totally do it! :D How close are you to finishing a draft?

      Delete
  34. That is really cool. I'd consider doing that for my first draft, if it weren't for the fact that I only have a physical hand written copy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Whoah, a hand written copy? o.O I admire people who write their novels by hand. That just takes so much work and hand strength. o.o

      Delete
  35. This is such a good idea, I love the look of your books!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Hello Katie,
    Thank you so so much for writing about lulu. I was thinking about getting my book published through createspace, but I'm not sure if I want it published or not. So I am most definitely going to look into this website. Do you know how much it cost to have one book published? And how much it is to have your book shipped to you?
    Reading about you getting your books published makes me so excited to get writing again. Thank you so much for this information. :)
    Love,
    Ashley
    Ps. Does the website give instructions on how to make the cover and everything? And does it tell you how to resize the margins?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Ashley!

      Shipping is under $5, though I got it free with a coupon. It cost under ten dollars for my book.

      The only cover instructions are the ones I included in the post. And just go to "margins" in your word document and enter in your custom size. :)

      Delete
  37. OMG THIS IS AWESOME!! How did you do the sand dragon's cover??? where did you get that freaky sand dragon picture??
    I do love the twisted star cover. So COOOOL
    I am on pg 230 of the Song of the Desert btw. Almost done.
    Aw I totally want to do this now. I actually emailed myself a copy of my final draft of my book to my kindle and I FELT THE SAME WAAY! just having an ebook copy on my kindle I was almost in tears. Probably having a physical copy would elicit the same reaction lol. Though the formatting was kinda terrible.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. EEK! I just found it on Pinterest and plopped some text on there using Picmonkey. :)
      Aaw, having it on the kindle copy is so much fun! I did that with my first novel as I read through it before editing. It felt all professional. (though, like yours, the formatting was HORRIBLE.)

      Delete
  38. THIS IS SO COOL KATIE!!!!! Like, wow. Real books. That you can hold and pet and never have to bring to the library EVER!!!
    I have SO got to do this. And so does Savannah. Like, right now. =D
    -Ariel

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I KNOW IT'S SO AWESOME. *squeal*

      You MUST let me know as soon as you do. Seriously. I want to see a cover if I can and hear all about it. Eek!

      Delete
    2. I most definitely will show you!
      -Ariel

      Delete
  39. I had no idea you could do this!! I'm totally going to have to do this with my firstish draft of Martin Hospitality!! I'ts so neat that you have all your pretty stuffs in real book form ^.^ Thanks for sharing :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Right?? I was so happy when I learned that you could. :D

      Ooh, that would be awesome. o.O I really want a draft of Martin Hospitality. O.O

      Delete
  40. You are such a genius, Katie. I don't know why it never crossed my mind to actually print drafts. Why didn't I know I could do this before now?!? Wow. I am definitely going to be doing this for my next book.

    All of your books are beautiful, by the way. :)

    ReplyDelete
  41. This looks so cool, Katie! I think i'll do this when my first draft of my novel, Broken Pieces, is finished.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Oh my gosh, this is awesome!! I recently started rewriting a story I wrote 4 years ago (when I was 13ish) and ordered a copy of the first draft right after reading this. Seeing an actual book sitting on my desk while editing will definitely help me want to finish this draft. GREAT idea!

    ReplyDelete
  43. Were you able to print one copy or did you have to print a minimum quantity?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can print as little or as many as you'd like. :)

      Delete
    2. When I first logged in, it showed me a minimum of 48-740. I didn't notice until I went through all the steps that you can order a proof copy.

      Delete
  44. This is sooooo amazing! I mean, for real, are you even kidding me??????? I can't wait to get started and I can't thank you enough for advertising for this. I'm thinking this would make a beautiful poem-collection.

    ReplyDelete
  45. This is so cool! I never knew that stuff like this existed. I think I'm going to try it out... I really hate having to print out non-bound papers and carry those around as I read and edit. It's even worse when I give the book to my cousin or grandparents or friends to read and give me feedback on and I have to hand over a loose paper bundle.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Have you ever gotten so book published before?

    ReplyDelete
  47. I love this idea so much! I printed out my first draft just on A4 paper to mark up but I like this so much better. I'm definitely going to try it out in the future :)
    Astrid
    www.astridkaniele.com

    ReplyDelete

don't be shy to hang out in the comment section!
make frens, check back for my replies, keep things clean, shout about pizza, squeal about books, moan about editing... all that cool stuff.