Making a self published book look as people expect a book to look is so important. While big well known Authors can get away with gimmicks such as not using quotation marks in dialog. But most readers expect a book look like other books in look and feel. Readability is enhanced by the correct choice of Font and spacing. Book size, shape, Indenting, and line spacing all contribute to making a book easy to read and enjoyable. One of the most standard book sizes is 5.5 x 8.5. Big enough but not too big. It just feels right in your hand. This basic page layout has about a half inch outside margin. Interior margins depend on the number of pages in the book. The more pages the larger the center margin needs to be to not have the book feel cramped.Continue reading
Category: Self Publishing
Adobe Indesign, Affinity Publisher, or Scribus, which one?
I have been doing page design for years. Scribus is the currently the only page layout software that runs on Linux. I have used Linux for years so my first page layout software was Scribus. In the last two years I have used both Adobe InDesign and Affinity Publisher for book design projects. Sadly, InDesign and Affinity Publisher only run on Mac or Windows, so when using them I have to leave Linux behind. All three have all the features needed to create a good looking book or magazine. Why should you choose one over the other?Continue reading
About getting your self published book into bookstores
Self-published book into bookstores Is a good long article covering the issues and dangers of getting you book into bookstores. “Many Authors want to get their book into hundreds (or even thousands) of bookstores across the country. It’s one of the most common dreams I hear from first-time Authors.” “Today, being in bookstores doesn’t guarantee book sales—and it’s not the best way to make money with your book." "Even if you can get your book onto thousands of shelves across the country (and most Authors can’t), you’re taking a huge financial risk—the kind that can bankrupt a self-published Author.”Continue reading
Ingram Spark just became my go-to for print-on-demand
I think Ingram Spark just became my go-to for print on demand. I have always liked the quality of books printed by Ingram a bit better. Up until now because Amazon KDP print books had free setup and an easy approach to getting printed proof copies made going with Amazon KDP first seem smoother. All good reasons to go with Amazon KDP first or perhaps as the only printer.Continue reading
Twelve things you need to know about Print on Demand and Self Publishing.
Independent publishing / self publishing is a fast growing part of the publishing landscape. New technology, specifically print on demand (POD) printing, now allows self publishers and small independent publishers to produce quality books and market them worldwide in a way that was not possible before. The Interesting Fact of the Day Blog says that “In the U.S. total books sold is about 840 million unit sales, with about 20% being e-books and 80% being print books. A huge area of growth has been the “self-publishing” industry. Self-publishing means that that author mainly uses his/her own resources to publish the book without use of an established publishing house.” The 840 million figure seems to be based on 2017 statistics.Continue reading
Fonts – Who buys Fonts?
Why are fonts so expensive? Why are there so many free fonts available? Who makes them and why? Gwern atempts to explain in https://www.gwern.net/Fonts "Fonts are a rare highlight in software design—stable, with well-defined uses, highly-compatible software stacks, and long-lived. Unsurprisingly, a back-catalogue of tens or hundreds of thousands of digital fonts out there, many nigh-indistinguishable from the next in both form and function.Continue reading