How to read more: our 6 best tips

In BOOK CLUB
18 August 2022
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Reading is an activity that we hold dear at Calaméo. In addition to being beneficial to your creativity and vocabulary, reading allows you to escape and relax. What more could you ask for? However, according to statistics, 27% of adults in the US didn’t read a book in 2018. If this is the case for you, you may not have enough time or motivation. Because we’re big readers, and we like to promote reading, here are our 6 best tips on how to read more.

1. Read in the morning and/or the evening

The first moment that you can find time to read is in your bed. In the morning or the evening, set a goal of reading one chapter. It will be easy to find 5 to 10 minutes at this time each day, and you can increase your reading time gradually.

2. Read on public transportation

Another time when it’s easy to read is on public transportation. If you take the subway (or bus or tram or train, etc.) 30 minutes a day, that is 30 minutes of possible reading time. That’s not insignificant! And if you feel uncomfortable at first about reading in public, take a paperback in your bag every day to the office anyway, there will come a time when you’ll be comfortable!

3. Read instead of scrolling endlessly on the web

Every day we spend several hours on our screens scrolling aimlessly, often on social media. The past few years, we have been spending more time than ever on the Internet. All this time roaming the Internet for no real reason could be spent alternatively: reading! And if you like to spend time in front of your screens, you can always decide to read publications on Calaméo (more on that below.)

4. Reread your favorite books

There’s no harm in reading your favorite books several times. You are in familiar territory: you already know that you like them and that they won’t disappoint you. These rereads may even give you a renewed interest in reading in general. After rereading your favorite books, we recommend reading books in the same genre or by the same author to keep you motivated.

5. Read your favorite genres and authors

To get motivated to read again, there’s nothing better than tackling the latest book by your favorite author. Or maybe a newly released manga, if that’s a genre that you particularly like. Clearly, it’s easier to read genres and writing styles that you already know and appreciate.

6. Read excerpts on Calaméo

Finally, both to optimize your time and to motivate yourself: read excerpts on Calaméo. On the one hand, you will have the opportunity to read excerpts from books from a wide variety of genres. On the other hand, you will be able to find what does or doesn’t interest you, and that will help you on your journey to reading more.

Have fun!

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Digital publishing for your book club

In BOOK CLUB
30 June 2022

If book clubs were previously considered old-fashioned, they have recently experienced a resurgence, as you can see in our infographic. So what is the difference between classic and online book clubs, and why should you use Calaméo and digital publishing to enhance your members’ experience? We’ll explain it all!

Classic vs. online book clubs

What is a book club?

Simply put, it’s the gathering of people who love to read and discuss books. Generally, the club reads the same book at the same time and meets monthly to discuss their reading. They meet at one of the members’ homes or in public places like a café or library.

Online book clubs: on the rise

With the successive lockdowns due to Covid, there was a big jump in online book clubs these past couple of years. In fact, because of more time at home, there was a convergence of phenomena: classic book clubs that already existed turned to the web to be able to continue to gather, and many people found a new passion for reading while at home. The Internet has therefore enabled many reading groups to form and meet, especially on social networks and on video conferencing platforms such as Zoom.

Different ways to host

The classic book club is somewhat limited, with membership generally capped at about ten members because they meet in person. The online club, however, allows for a much larger number of members. For example, Belletrist, actress Emma Roberts’ online book club, has over 268,000 subscribers on Instagram.

The same great benefits

Whether book clubs are online or in person, they share the same benefits. It’s a good way to discover new authors, read books that you haven’t heard of, and discuss with other book lovers. It’s also a good way to maintain social ties and avoid isolation. Book clubs are therefore very beneficial for their members.

Digital publishing for your book club

Whether your club has existed for 10 years or hasn’t even started yet, digital publishing can be a great way to facilitate interaction and enhance your members’ experience.

🔎 READ: Is digital publishing right for you?

You will be able to use Calaméo two different ways: as a reader and as a content creator.

As a reader on the platform

As a reader on the Calaméo platform, you have many possibilities. Here are a few that your club members might find useful:

💡 TIP: Even though you don’t need a Calaméo account to read on the platform, we suggest that you create a free BASIC account for each member so they can add publications to their Favorites list, plus much more!

As a content creator on the platform

If you would like to use our digital publishing platform to store and share your content with your book club, here are some ideas of what you can put online with Calaméo:

  • book excerpts
  • meeting minutes
  • reading guides
  • interviews with authors
  • and much more!

💡 TIP: Choose the PREMIUM plan to unlock the “Subscribers” feature, which can be useful for restricting access to documents that are for your book club members only. Or choose the PLATINUM plan if you want to have access to all of our features.

BOOK CLUB

Write and publish your novel

In BOOK CLUB
4 August 2022

Did you know? Over half of Brits would like to write a book! Luckily for them, and all other aspiring writers, it has never been easier to write, self-publish, and share your literary creations thanks to digital publishing platforms like Calaméo. Today, we will share our quick guide on how to write and publish your first novel with Calaméo.

How to write a novel

Writing a novel is similar to writing a novella or short story, the main steps are the same. However, it will require even more preparation, writing and proofreading time.

The main steps for writing your novel

To write your novel, you need to follow a few major steps. As you will see, it’s not the writing that will take the most time, but rather the preparation and proofreading that will be the most time-consuming tasks.

Preparation

  • Choosing the genre of the novel (crime, historical, fantasy, etc.)
  • Reflecting on the narrative
  • Character sheets
  • Detailed chronological plan of the different scenes and actions
  • Researching places, dates, events
  • Reflecting on the main themes to be addressed

Writing

  • Writing each scene

Proofreading

  • Initial proofreading (several times)
  • Corrections
  • Rewriting scenes
  • Final proofreading

Our tips

The process of writing a novel can look very different depending on the author. Here are a few general tips that may help you:

  • Think carefully about the type of narrator and point of view (first person, second person, third person, etc.)
  • Base your imaginary locations on real locations (use photos as inspiration)
  • Make sure to respect the different characters: their choices and reactions must correspond to them
  • When writing the first draft of your novel, never go backwards. Always go forward and do not correct or rewrite anything. Save it for the rewriting stage. Otherwise, you may never finish!

How to self-publish your novel with Calaméo

Publishing your content on Calaméo requires only a few steps and offers many advantages.

Page layout

In your word processor, make sure you choose a layout that is comfortable for your readers to read. Think of your design as a real book: the font must be legible. Avoid serif fonts and ensure that the font size is large enough to read on a screen (including mobile!).

💡 TIP: Make sure you export your document in a format accepted by Calameo.

Uploading to Calaméo

Putting your novel online is quick and easy on Calameo: it’s just one click away! Thanks to our unique technology, your documents are transformed in just a few seconds into superb flipbooks suitable for reading everywhere.

Enrichments

Our Editor tool enables you to enrich your publications with multimedia. Easily add videos, audio tracks, images, and both internal and external links to turn your novel into a unique reading experience!

Sharing

Once your novel is published on Calaméo, you can share it with the entire world. Embed it in your website or blog, create a digital library, share it on your social media pages, send it via email…you have so many choices!

Share all your literary creations with the world today by creating your free Calaméo account!