More Than a Blog, Not Quite a Book

For several years now I’ve been encouraged by my online forum-mates to compile all of my original 200-plus tarot spreads (most of which are scattered throughout the nearly 1,150 posts of this blog) into a book for public purchase. I did in fact make an attempt to interest a couple of metaphysical publishing houses, to no avail. I then checked into self-publishing but the cost to do what I wanted (not to mention the extensive labor) would be prohibitive given the niche market it would enter. So I settled for gathering up all of my spreads in Adobe PDF format, sorting them into a series of topic-specific folders, adding table-of-contents lists and a bit of explanatory text to them, and rolling everything into a master folder of around 15 megabytes (unzipped) that can be emailed to customers.

I had originally planned to publish a bound volume, but then I remembered how hard it can be to keep a bound book open on your table or lap while trying to shuffle and deal tarot cards. Next I thought that I would go with a spiral-bound workbook format that would lay flat. The cost of equipment and materials killed that one since the generous number of full-color layouts would make the book large and expensive to produce, putting it well out of the reach of the average tarot enthusiast. Finally, I decided that I would proceed with PDF files (someone implored me not to do an e-book, and I’m well aware how sketchy the formatting of those can be) and offer them through this blog. As I’ve set it up, the spreads can be accessed individually with ease and printed out if you like; personally, I keep copies in an indexed binder so I can grab them immediately when needed, but if you have a PDF-enabled phone or tablet with a large enough color screen to read them that might be your best bet.

I’ve created a sidebar page for the purpose, and will deal with payment via PayPal the same way I have been handling paid tarot readings (there is a PayPal button on my WordPress home page). You will have to contact me first so I can get your e-mail address, and you will need a computer, tablet or phone that can read Adobe PDF files. It appears that, except for the “one-spread-per-day” authors and the occasional mammoth volume like the 300-page work by James Ricklef, I’m offering around twice as many spreads as the moderate-sized compilations that sell for $10-to-$12 in Kindle format and a bit more in paperback.  So I’m asking $15USD to start and will see where it goes from there. In testing the email function, I found that the folder had to be zipped for it to send so I saved it in 7-Zip format. The 7-Zip program is free to download for PC but I’m not sure there is a mobile app (although there may be a compatible one), so check that out first if you want to go mobile.