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So while putting the finishing touches on the manuscript for the Preview Edition of Kindling Moon, I attempt to compile the final version into a *pdf only to discover… it won’t work. Half the pages came out blank, as if the compiler just decided not to use them. Oh well, the program was old, but it’s what I had, so on to Plan “B.” The text and pictures are still finished and intact, after all.

Plan “B” consisted of using Microsoft Word and using a distiller/compiler to turn the original text document into a publishable file. I found a recommended one by 8848Soft.com, loaded it, purchased the shareware key, pushed the button and… it still didn’t work! On to Plan “C”: load the software on a different computer and see if anything changes. It didn’t; apparently, it just doesn’t work.

Plan “D” consisted of a free Adobe.com feature that will let you compile documents, but after 5 of them the charge you (or hope you’ll buy their software). And it worked! Unfortunately, the last page’s graphic seemed to find its way into the second-to-last page text, so I adjusted and did it again. Same problem, but now I became suspicious. Could it be that the final page graphic somehow exceeded a preset limit, border, or something else? I reduce the graphic size again; it compiled perfectly.

Back to Plan “B.” It worked! 8848Soft’s MS Word compiler did the trick (after fixing the mystery margins). So for anyone needing to turn their *docs into *pdfs, here’s a low-cost solution as long as you accept the limitations. Kindling Moon’s Rulebook & Realmbook Preview Edition is finished and ready for inspection.