[stylist] Hi, everyone

[Rowena Portch]

Thanks so much for the replies. I am an avid Mac user and rely on VoiceOver—Apple's built in screen reader. For the most part, I love it. Unfortunately, Microsoft and Adobe products are not accessible on the Mac, at all. 

I do have a Windows machine running JAWS that I only use for my stenography when doing closed captioning. I don't even have Word or Adobe products installed on that machine. 

That being said, I'm wondering if I can somehow write Apple Scripts that will enable me to use those products on the Mac. If anyone knows how to do that, I would be greatly appreciative for a little assistance. I've never written scripts on my Mac. 

Donna, I understand about what you mean about having CreateSpace typeset your manuscript. I don't much care for their quality of work, which is why I did my own typesetting. 

Bridget, you sound like an expert in JAWS. I may need to pick your brain a bit to learn a few tricks. 

This group seems like a fun one. I'm looking forward to getting to know you all more. 

Rowena
Rowena
Author of the Spirian Saga
http://RowenaPortch.com


> On Apr 12, 2015, at 12:10 PM, Applebutter Hill <applebutterhill at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi Rowena,
> Welcome to the list. I have RP as well, and I have had no useful vision for
> decades. My first novel, The Heart of Applebutter Hill, was self-published
> in 2013. I tried to get an agent, but my portrayal of a blind teenaged girl
> was "unrealistic" - i.e. not needy and one-dimensional enough for the
> industry.
> 
> To answer your question ... I used MS Word to format my book for Smashwords,
> Kindle and Nook. I use the screen reader Jaws and Word 2010. I would not
> call it inaccessible, just maddeningly tedious. I had used Word to format my
> book for print and was actually very close to being done with it when I
> burned out and hired Create Space to do it. Setting up the page formatting
> using CS's guidelines for finished size, margins  and gutters was
> straight-forward, and somehow, I figured out sections, styles and page
> numbering, but I got a bit stumped trying to get the page headers right.
> It's doable, but trying to give yourself a crash course on Jaws, Word and
> the CS instructions all at the same time was more than I could ultimately
> manage. I wish I'd taken a breather and completed it myself, but I'm not
> really sorry I spent the $300 or whatever it was.
> 
> Looking forward to getting to know you,
> Donna W. Hill
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Rowena Portch
> via stylist
> Sent: Sunday, April 12, 2015 2:55 PM
> To: stylist at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [stylist] Hi, everyone
> 
> My name is Rowena Portch. I have been a professional writer for over 30
> years and absolutely love it. When I lost my sight to RP, 10 years ago, I
> had to learn to continue my craft without sight. It has been a long and
> arduous journey that I still seem to be traversing. I owned my own
> publishing businesses, and have helped many new writers achieve their
> writing goals.
> 
> Many years ago, I went the traditional publishing path with an established
> New York agent and wrote for Tor Books. That experience left a rather bitter
> taste in my mouth so I pulled myself from the radar for several years.
> 
> Today, I have nine novels published and one short story. I’m working on my
> next two novels—yes, both at the same time.  Hopefully, they will be
> released by the end of this year.
> 
> I’m looking forward to getting more involved with this group. For now, I’m
> curious as to what tools my fellow blind authors use to get the job done. I
> am using Pages on my Mac for writing. I used Microsoft word to format my
> ebooks, and Adobe InDesign to format my paperback books, but both of those
> programs are inaccessible, and I find I am unable to see well enough to
> continue using those programs. So, long story short, what do you use to
> format your books for publication?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> R o w e n a  P o r t c h
> Author of the Spirian Saga
> 
> RowenaPortch.com <http://rowenaportch.com/>
> 
> View the Book Trailer for The Spirian Saga, a new paranormal romance
> <http://youtu.be/XeNmJkXyJv0>
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