“Everyone has a book in them” … you’ve heard it said a thousand times. It’s probably true, but getting that book out in readable form is a challenge. The publishing industry is in a volatile state and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to have a book published in the traditional way. Meanwhile, more and more writers are considering the path of self-publishing. This, however, is not a path for the faint-hearted. If you don’t want your book to be dismissed as ‘amateur’, you won’t try to skimp on the essential parts of the publishing process. Some of these can be rather expensive, but unfortunately, if your self-published book is less than professional, it may have a very short life.
One of the components that makes your book feel professional is the cover design and text layout . Can you do it yourself? The answer to that is … maybe.
Have you been frequently told (preferably by people outside ‘friends and family’) that you have a ‘flair for design’. That’s a good start, but not necessarily a guarantee of success – a flair for interior design, for instance, may not translate into an understanding of form and space on a page.
Do you have any knowledge of typography?
Do you have appropriate page layout software such as InDesign or Quark Xpress (quite expensive, by the way)? (No, Microsoft Word is not good enough!).
Do you understand the issues involved in preparing a file for commercial printing?
Do you know what good page design actually is?
If your answer to all, or most, of these is ‘no’, then you would be well-advised to engage a professional designer to help you. Make sure you choose one who has experience of book design.
But if you can answer ‘yes’ to a number of these points, and are willing to learn what you don’t know, then go ahead. It might be a good idea to try your hand at an ebook before tackling the more complex task of preparing a book for print.
Email me at melisanda1(at)me.com for my free ebook, “ebook design for non-designers”. (The design principles are relevant for print books too.)
It’s horses for courses really, isn’t it?
I’ve had a bit of experience with page layout and found it to be extremely time consuming as well as frustrating. If you’re a writer, you’re better off spending your time writing, or thinking about writing, rather than using an entirely different part of your brain to struggle with how your words best fit and look good. That’s a job for the experts.
Page layout is indeed time-consuming, but for the most part I find it relaxing … a bit like knitting
At times it’s challenging, especially when there are many illustrations to be included. But that’s when it becomes an interesting play of shape and space. Sometimes I suspect I’m a little too obsessed with getting the balance right.
Off The Shelf sounds like a really inventive and practical solution. If I could write, I’d definitely use it!
Of course you can write, Priscilla. Everyone can write when they learn to say what is in their heart. Of course, to get it into publishable form it then needs a certain amount of polishing. I guess I’ll never be a professional writer because I just hate the polishing.