The document original for upload can be in either Microsoft Word or PDF format.
These formats are preferred because they work best when encrypting to .ENC format
for use with the CopySafe PDF Reader. No protection should be applied to the
original document because when you upload either .DOC, .ENC or .PDF you will have
the opportunity to select a variety of protection options that will be very much
more effective and more secure than anything available from your document
editor.
By all means include images where necessary, but please ensure that the type of
images used is suitable for this process. If in doubt run a test conversion, and
if the images don't look so good when displayed in the CopySafe PDF Reader try
using a different image type. BMP and JPG images are most reliable, and any
dependence on transparency should be avoided. Always use good quality images so
that they won't look pixilated when one enlarges the page to the max.
With regard to font selection, the less the better. Times New Roman is usually
set as the default font in Microsoft Word for a reason, and that's because it's
easily one of the most legible fonts that can be used where there are large
bodies of text in paragraphs. By changing a font from that default setting will
not impair legibility but it may also affect the spacing between letters. The
overall appearance of your publication very much depends on what language and
fonts are available on the end user's computer, so the best plan of action is
KISS (keep it simple stupid).
Artwork for the book cover
The artwork required for your book cover can be a single image of minimum size
of 470 pixels high x 270 pixels wide.
The image file that you upload needs to be of GIF, JPG or PNG format. Do not upload any
other file format because your upload will be automatically converted and
resized for use as a thumbnail, product image and full size image by the server.
Please keep in mind that the first image that a site visitor will see is the
thumbnail (160x 96 pixels) so your cover design must look good at this size.
Most computers these days use monitors capable of displaying 96 DPI (pixels per
inch) so the resolution of your artwork image must be at least 96 DPI, but don't
worry if it's as high as 300 DPI because the server will automatically optimize
your image for you.
The cover image needs to portray what your publication is about and it's title
needs to be clearly read, nothing fancy. Photos can be taken by digital cameras
but if you want a professional look, have a look at what's available from the
many online photo-stock web sites, which provide thousands of images to choose
from, taken by professionals and for use royalty free. A high quality 400 x 400
pixel image might only cost $2. However you may need to start a photo-stock
account with a minimum purchase of $10, but don't worry, because you will surely
use up that credit on your next book covers.
Ok, so you can use web-search and download whatever image you see for free. As
an author of publications that you will be presenting as authentic and original
works, do you want to be seen as a thief of intellectual property? It's best to
steer clear of plagiarism... especially if ever your publications get reviewed,
because those people writing reviews will looking for anything to chew on.
If you are using an odd image composing program that will not allow you to
export an image as GIF, JPG or PNG, then what you can do is make it display as
large as possible on your screen and then take a screen shot by pressing the
"Printscreen" key on your keyboard. To retrieve the screen shot you can open
Paint (standard on all Windows computers) and click on "paste" to place a copy
into the image area. Make sure you save the image to disk when done. You can
upload that image without any cropping because when you do upload, you will be
able to select the area that you want to use and crop to size then.
If you need help or advise, do not hesitate to use the online support form and
ask. ArtistScope is keen to assist all new artists and authors.
A PayPal or similar merchant account
The author is responsible for procuring and arranging their own merchant card
facility. The PayPal service
is one well known and well established service that has been around for more
than a decade. The PayPal service is available from most countries and transacts
in almost as many currencies. To use PayPal for your eBook sales all you have to
do is nominate your PayPal username (the email address used for your PayPal
account) and you'll be ready for trading as soon as your publication is approved
for release by our administrator.
For those without a PayPal account, you will find that there is little to no
delay in establishing a new merchant account, and it's totally free. All you pay
is a transaction fee when you make a sale. Funds paid into PayPal can be
transferred to your real account at any time. Which service you choose will
depend on factors like volume. Those doing a lot of business can always use a
service provided by their bank (available in some countries) for instant
payments, while other services may offer smaller transaction fees but only
payout at the end of the month.
Some users may have restrictions in their own country as to which card service
can or can't be used. If another card service is required, simple let us know
which one for your account to be customized. If you are stuck and cannot use any
of the card services normally available, let us know as we can do the needful,
at a premium of course.
Note that when you upload and prepare your eBook to be advertised online, you
will asked to nominate the price and also the currency. The currency that you
nominate should be the currency that is used for the transaction.
Publishing Guideline
A document original for upload
