Introducing Booqla, A Versatile Self Publishing Tool

I've been interested in self-publishing for many years and have explored lots of different avenues, from handmade zines and books to ebooks and print on demand. When it comes to print on demand and ebook publishing, there are a lot of different ways to proceed. For example, you can hire a book designer for some or all of your publishing process. You can also utilize different software programs to design and format your book.

While I do know people who are talented in both writing books and completing the layout and publishing related tasks, many of us who want to write and publish aren't so comfortable in the design department. I've tried a number of different tutorials and software programs meant to simplify the process of formatting books for print or ebook downloads, and I've found some ways to complete my DIY publishing projects, but I have to admit that it's not exactly a simple process!

Enter Booqla. Booqla is a web-based, self-publishing tool which allows authors to import their manuscript in Word and instantaneously convert it to Epub format as well as Amazon's Mobi format. It also creates a print-ready PDF which can be edited to fit special requirements of printing companies (such as print on demand publishers).

The idea of Booqla is to limit the amount of steps an author has to take to publish their book, thus saving time and money compared to the price of hiring out the work of having your book formatted. Let's face it, there wouldn't be such a big market for self-publishing services for authors if everyone found it easy; Booqla fills a need in the marketplace by creating an easier to use DIY option.

Even better, Booqla stores your manuscript in their system to make it easy to edit it if you find changes that you want to make (this always happens to me, and then I have to go through different versions of my manuscript files on my computer).

Booqla also makes selling your book easier through an affiliate sales system. They have a "Minimart" which allows you to set up as many small webshops as you want, place them on any website or social media outlet you want, and use this tool to sell your books. You can easily create a share a small button to sell your books in all sorts of places, such as discussion forums on topics relevant to your book.

Developed in Sweden, Booqla is available in Europe, the Middle East, and the US. Learn more at www.booqla.com.

A New Invention for Public Restrooms

Public restrooms are one of those helpful yet infrequently discussed necessities of the world. I mean, why would you want to initiate a conversation about restrooms? To take that idea a bit farther, upon leaving a public restroom, how hard is it to actually say something to a coworker or business acquaintance or a stranger, even when you might want to give someone a polite warning to "wait a moment before entering"? I'd say it's one of those situations where people just pretend it isn't happening, and that doesn't spare anyone any embarrassment.

A Swedish company called Ixbari Solutions has come up with an invention called WC-Avoider that allows people to discreetly notify others to avoid a "recently used" restroom. We've all seen the indicators on restroom doors that indicate "Vacant" or "Occupied." The WC-Avoider offers a third setting, "Recently Used."

Upon exiting a restroom, a person would have the option of pressing a button or turning a handle inside the restroom door to activate the "Recently Used" setting, thus avoiding the situation of either making an awkward announcement or simply ignoring the issue.

While this invention could be used in public restrooms in all sorts of settings, I think it could be especially useful in the workplace. People spend more and more time working at all hours, and this invention helps restore a little more of a sense of privacy among coworkers.