LyX ⇒ Can you really self-publish a book using Lyx?

[insipidtoast]

Hello Everyone,

Will professional printing companies accept a pdf file produced by Lyx? You can specify margins and book size, right?

I just joined this forum, and had a very pleasant introduction thanks to a very kind and intelligent moderator.

I am self-publishing a book I have written this year. At the moment I cannot talk about the details. I was very pleased when I found out about Lyx, saw a youtube tutorial, and copy and pasted one of my book chapters into the program, and hit the preview Ctrl+R. It was amazing how everything instantly looked like a book.

Now, I've got to deal with some formatting issues.

I've read a few tutorials, but I think my issue is doing things that are outside the basic functions of Lyx.

The forum rules are a little intimidating, because I don't know how to view the code or which parts of it I should copy and paste into the forum. My book seems rather simple in terms of layout, so I don't want to go through the headache of learning all this new latex code language, but i am disposed to learning the parts that are applicable to my layout issues if need be.

I like the acronym KISS - Keep it simple stupid. I shrugged off using InDesign for that reason, and was very excited when I learned about Lyx.

Thanks for being a part of the Lyx support network!

[localghost]

[…] Will professional printing companies accept a pdf file produced by Lyx? You can specify margins and book size, right? […]

The final PDF output is not produced by LyX itself, but by LaTeX. And if its output is accepted depends on the print shop (or publisher) itself. I general it should be no problem to produce a high quality book with LyX (if you know how).

[…] I've read a few tutorials, but I think my issue is doing things that are outside the basic functions of Lyx. […]

So its obvious to forget LyX and learn LaTeX.

[…] The forum rules are a little intimidating, because I don't know how to view the code or which parts of it I should copy and paste into the forum. […]

The rules contain enough links with instructions on what to post and what not. Just follow them for more information. For LyX the situation will only be a bit difficult if you don't know how to export your document to LaTeX code and cut a problem down to a minimal example.

[…] Thanks for being a part of the Lyx support network!

We are not an official part of the LyX support network! Official support can be found on the LyX homepage.


Thorsten

[Stefan Kottwitz]

Will professional printing companies accept a pdf file produced by Lyx?

I think LyX isn't important in this decision. If they accept PDF format, and you deliver good quality, why not. Consider LyX as a graphical user interface, it's typesetting engine is TeX with LaTeX, which is capable of producing high quality, also with LyX as front-end.

You can specify margins and book size, right?

These and other settings can be configured in the LyX menu.

I've read a few tutorials, but I think my issue is doing things that are outside the basic functions of Lyx.

Advanced features can be done with LaTeX. Many settings and format customizations can be done in the document preamble with LaTeX commands such as loading additional packages with options and settings. The preamble is available also in the menu, in Document / Settings.

You could start with LyX right away, however I guess you need to learn a bit of LaTeX anyway, so it would be good to have a look at an introduction. This makes it easier, also regarding understanding and implementing solutions you might get here. Most problems can be solved by using a package, so you will look sometimes at the documentation of a package.

Stefan

[insipidtoast]

Ok sounds like I need to learn some LaTeX. I'll have a go at the links for beginners thread that you posted. Are there any tutorials of learning LaTeX in the context of Lyx?

I don't want to layout the book using only LaTeX, because I like the interface Lyx gives me. Nonetheless, I'm having trouble figuring out where/how to insert LaTeX code.

[scottkosty]

insipidtoast, I see that you're still around. How did you go about learning LaTeX/LyX in the end?

Did you read the manuals in the Help menu?

Working through the manuals in the Help menu is a great way to get started. They start out with very easy topics and get pretty advanced. Start at the top ("Introduction") and work your way down to "Customization" if you dare to go that far. These manuals teach both LyX and a fair amount of LaTeX.

[insipidtoast]

Well I just starting picking up LyX again last week, so I've only been learning for a little while.

Back in July I read a bit of this:
The Not So Short
Introduction to LATEX2"
Or LATEX2" in 157 minutes

But now I forget it, so I'm starting over. I think it's probably going to take a bit longer than 157 minutes to get through it though.

I also read a lyx tutorial for self-publishing a book,
Self-publishing with LYX
by Alan L Tyree

That was very helpful, but some of the information didn't match up with my version of lyx I suppose. Reading that guide and just spending a lot of time futzing around with the various options in lyx have really helped me advance quickly. Nonetheless, there are still some little things that are driving me nuts. Sometimes it seems lyx gets in the way of what I want to do, but maybe I'm a bit of a perfectionist...(I don't like to see a big space at the bottom of a page because my image was too big, and had to go on the following page!)

That's just one example. I think I'm just going to start asking some more broader questions on here too, before I get too involved.

[scottkosty]

But now I forget it, so I'm starting over.

I find it useful to keep notes on useful things that I find myself trying to refigure out repeatedly. Keep a separate file of notes for LaTeX and LyX notes. It's important to realize the distinction, especially when you're looking for help. For example for your question on captions, that's not a LyX question. It's a LaTeX question. Knowing this will help you in your google query and where to post the questions. That said, you are welcome to ask it in a LyX forum (in my opinion, although I don't know the rules on this forum), it's just that it would be quicker in the LaTeX forum.

Again, I would highly recommend the LyX documentation files found in the Help menu. They are not intimidating (the first couple, at least) and are a light read in my opinion.

Nonetheless, there are still some little things that are driving me nuts. Sometimes it seems lyx gets in the way of what I want to do, but maybe I'm a bit of a perfectionist...(I don't like to see a big space at the bottom of a page because my image was too big, and had to go on the following page!)

I also think I'm picky. I find that LyX is able to accommodate my level of pickiness with the use of editing the LaTeX preamble and ERT (Evil Red Text) which allows you to insert LaTeX directly. If you are extremely picky then maybe LyX is not the right tool for you.

[insipidtoast]

No, I'm not extremely picky, and in all seriousness I'd doubt there are more than three specific "tweeks" for me to figure out.

I did use the help menu the other day to learn about multicolumns. I need to use those to place various tables side-by-side. The problem is that I like to affix a note to the bottom of the last table in order to identify the source of the info.
(e.g. Source: Moore, Julia).

The problem is that lyx tries to keep that "Source" line in the same format as the columns, which means that "Source: Moore, Julia" turns into
"Source: *HUGE SPACE* Moore, *HUGE SPACE* Julia" in order for it to stretch and align with the rest of the column.

I haven't specifically asked that, because I assume there's a quick ERT fix that I can find in the LATEX2E tutorial. However, sometimes the latex commands mentioned in that tutorial don't seem to work in lyx's ERT.