Book Design

Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover – Part 3Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover – Part 3

Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover – Part 3

This third installment of Judging a Book by its Cover looks at great book cover designs that won the 2012…

11 months ago
Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover – Part 2Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover – Part 2

Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover – Part 2

Part 1 of Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover critiqued "professional" covers taken from Amazon's Editor's choice…

11 months ago
Book Cover Typefaces and Cover Design Horror StoriesBook Cover Typefaces and Cover Design Horror Stories

Book Cover Typefaces and Cover Design Horror Stories

I recently responded to a question in a writers’ forum from an author who was in the process of designing…

11 months ago
Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by Its Cover – Part 1Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by Its Cover – Part 1

Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by Its Cover – Part 1

Nothing screams “amateur” like a poorly crafted book cover. The standards for book design aspired to by trade publishers are…

11 months ago
Proposed Standards for Book TypographyProposed Standards for Book Typography

Proposed Standards for Book Typography

The word processor has placed new burdens on writers to understand how to use italics, big and small capitals, dashes,…

11 months ago
Book Design Basics – Drop Caps and Initial ImpressionsBook Design Basics – Drop Caps and Initial Impressions

Book Design Basics – Drop Caps and Initial Impressions

NITIAL CAPITALS have historical roots in the early days of book design; their use predates the printing press and the…

11 months ago
Book Design Basics – Dashes, Hyphens and DotsBook Design Basics – Dashes, Hyphens and Dots

Book Design Basics – Dashes, Hyphens and Dots

This section on dashes, hyphens and dots goes beyond typographic aesthetics to explore how we can communicate more effectively as…

11 months ago
Book Design Basics: Small Capitals – Avoiding Capital OffensesBook Design Basics: Small Capitals – Avoiding Capital Offenses

Book Design Basics: Small Capitals – Avoiding Capital Offenses

Use of Small Capitals—uppercase characters designed at lowercase scale—is one aspect of writing and book design that isn’t taught in…

11 months ago
Book Design Basics Part 3: Running The NumbersBook Design Basics Part 3: Running The Numbers

Book Design Basics Part 3: Running The Numbers

Part 3 of Book Design Basics explores better ways to present numbers on your pages. Numbers (called figures) look simple…

11 months ago
The Single Most Important Contribution to PublishingThe Single Most Important Contribution to Publishing

The Single Most Important Contribution to Publishing

Many readers still love to feel the subtle emboss of letters stamped on paper with metal type. I was rummaging…

11 months ago