OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna Penn
Podcast: Download (Duration: 33:56 — 7.8MB)
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Joel Friedlander has an extensive background in printing, graphic design, typography and book publishing as well as being an author and blogger. His business, Marin Bookworks, is based in Marin County, California and helps authors and publishers get to market on time with a great looking, properly constructed book. Joel's fantastic blog, TheBookDesigner.com is packed with resources for writers and publishers.
In this podcast, you will learn:
- What exactly a book designer does – and how this can give you a checklist of things you need to do for your book
- What are your goals for your book? This will shape the design and many other questions about your book
- You need to be in print, AND in business, so you need to consider the business aspects of your book
- 3 things that self-published authors do that make their books stand out as unprofessional – and how to avoid these mistakes
- Remember: Odd-numbered pages go on the right, Blank pages are truly blank (no page numbers, no heads) and be consistent. Bonus tip: Keep a style guide to use as you go through(you can use Microsoft Word Styles)
- In terms of software, if you want to DIY, options include MS Word, MS Publisher, all the way up to pro packages like In Design
- Font advice – try Garamond, Bembo, Caslon, Janson. Avoid Times New Roman for books.
- Designing books for the ebook formats vs. for print books. Currently, ebooks are not well-formatted, but that will change as technology changes. Currently, PDF is the best option for fully formatted ebooks e.g. photography, tables etc.
- Tips for cover design. It is a marketing decision, not based on emotional creative expression. Keep the cover simple so it is obvious when people see it on a digital screen i.e. make the text readable at 1 inch high. Also, don't use a white background as it fades into the background on Amazon.com
- Tips for a successful blog. How Joel's blog got so big, so fast. Success is a combination of a) free writing experience and ability to write and create b) passion for the subject of book design and self-publishing and c) expert advice from Yaro Starak's Blog Profits Blueprint.
- How blogging is so rewarding for its own sake, let alone for marketing and platform building! Focus on a topic you love and can think of many articles to write on. Joel now blogs every day, and we discuss tips for what to write.
- On blog design: People come to your blog to read so don't obscure this reading area. Start on the left, have a white background and make sure there is lots of white space.
You can connect with Joel at his blog, TheBookDesigner.com (there are loads of free resources for authors there as well). He is also on Twitter @JFBookman
Joanna, it was great fun to “meet” you via Skype, and to have the chance to talk books and book design for your interview. Thanks so much for including me in your awesome blog, I really appreciate it.
Thanks for this! This is wonderful stuff, and very helpful. I always learn so much from your blog.
Sarah Allen
(my creative writing blog)