What’s the carbon footprint of a fire-breathing dragon?
Frankly, I’ve no idea. But I do know, by choosing to print my self-published novels on groundwood paper, I can lower their CO2 emissions by at least 15%. That’s what Amazon says, at least, and I’m prepared to believe them.
So I’m pleased to announce that every paperback edition of my Ultimate Dragon Saga will now be printed on groundwood stock. Not only is it better for the planet, but I actually prefer the look and feel of this lower carbon paper. The off-white colour is easy on the eye, and the softer texture brings with it a lovely tactile quality that reminds me of all the sci-fi and fantasy paperbacks I read in my youth, back in the ‘70s and ‘80s.
In switching to this new paper, I’ve taken the opportunity to tweak the formatting of these three dragon novels. When I first set up Dragoncharm for self-publication back in 2014, I matched the font size to the original HarperCollins paperback edition, and adhered to a standard Amazon KDP template for overall layout.
Reflecting on my choices later, I wished I’d gone for bigger text and wider margins. But my priority at that point was rolling out the rest of my back catalogue, so any thoughts of reformatting went on the back burner. Now, at last, I’ve fired up the stove again and made those long overdue changes.
First, I’ve increased the size of the Garamond font from 10.5pt to 12pt. This, combined with the calming coloration of the groundwood paper, makes the text much easier on the eye. Second, I’ve widened the margins, so the pages are less crowded. As a result, the page count has rocketed from 400 to around 550. However, because the groundwood stock is lighter, the new edition weighs about the same as the original, despite the increase in bulk.
I’ve also made a few small revisions to the cover. The front cover retains the full colour illustration I created for the original release. However, instead of using Amazon KDP’s rather limited ‘Cover Creator’ feature for the spine and back cover, I’ve extended my artwork to wrap fully around the book.
After satisfying myself that the newly repackaged Dragoncharm is as good as I’d hoped, I rolled out the same changes across its two sequels, Dragonstorm and Dragonflame. In the fullness of time, I plan to switch the rest of my back catalogue over to groundwood paper.
Oh, and if as a reader you’ve gone paperless, rest assured that all my books are also available as ebooks for Kindle.
Graham Edwards – Author & Journalist 