Selecting a book font seems simple enough, but important subtleties and fine points of typography are not obvious to the…
The following publishing advice is based on my own experiences and those of my clients. I hope you find it…
Writers often ask about the difference between "straight" or "dumb" quotation marks and traditional printers' quotes, commonly referred to as…
Tom Morkes published The Perfect Book sales Page on his blog. I'm usually the first person to reject formulaic approaches…
Many self-publishers start their book projects with unrealistic expectations and misunderstandings about how publishing works. A huge industry has arisen…
Should you give away books for free? The value of book giveaways can't be assessed by formula. The prevailing mythology…
This article explains how to produce and market a professional quality audiobook using Amazon ACX. Through ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange),…
Once you have your book cover design looking spirited and professional on your computer screen, how can you ensure that…
This article explains the tab ruler found on every word processor and typesetting application. Understanding the simple and elegant split…
Digital typography offers capabilities that printers working with hot lead type and wood type could only dream of. Digital type…
Page layout programs like Adobe Indesign and Quark, allow typographers to exert fine control over justified text to remove gaps…
Hyphens are an important contributor to elegant, easy-to-read typography, especially when text is fully justified as is the convention in…
Book design has changed since publishing became a gigantic industry. Typesetting was once performed by trained craftsmen who apprenticed to…
In my work with writers, I come across many common technical problems with manuscripts. These usually spring from the best…
You threw a grand party but nobody came. Your novel is so good but you're not selling books. What happened?…
Part 1 of Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover critiqued "professional" covers taken from Amazon's Editor's choice…
I recently responded to a question in a writers’ forum from an author who was in the process of designing…
Few subjects arouse more passion among writers and designers than the debate over how many spaces should follow a period.…
One question that loops endlessly on writers’ forums is “How can I sell more books?” The question is a natural…
What is true self-publishing? What is the difference between self-publishing and “vanity publishing” or “subsidy publishing?” How do these differ…
The word processor has placed new burdens on writers to understand how to use italics, big and small capitals, dashes,…
After completing the final draft of a manuscript for my fifth book, I wanted a reality check. I hired a…
NITIAL CAPITALS have historical roots in the early days of book design; their use predates the printing press and the…
Indie publishers are everywhere and so are indie bookstores, but apart from their names, the two have little in common.…
This section on dashes, hyphens and dots goes beyond typographic aesthetics to explore how we can communicate more effectively as…
The notion of real publishing as opposed to self-publishing and the stigma surrounding it is obsolete. I have no objections…
Use of Small Capitals—uppercase characters designed at lowercase scale—is one aspect of writing and book design that isn’t taught in…
Part 3 of Book Design Basics explores better ways to present numbers on your pages. Numbers (called figures) look simple…
Book design is a lost art. Though book design discussions usually focus on covers, consider how much more time a…
Part 2 of Fundamentals of Book Design explores optical margins, paragraph formatting and spaces. Read about margins, layout and leading…
Editing is one of the first hurdles you’ll encounter as an independent writer. Your fan club is your enemy. Encouraging…
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