Musings from N-K projects. How do you find a graphic designer? Review the portfolio, read client testimonials and blog posts.
Yes, we judge books by their covers — and that’s exactly what I teach twice a year when I co-teach with the St. Louis Publishers Association at the local community college (adult education). The class is designed for new and aspiring authors who are curious about writing a book, and my topic is always book…
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Friendship That Started With a Book I first met Bobbi Linkemer around 2008 at a St. Louis Publishers Association (SLPA) meeting. Not long after, she invited me to meet with her—one of her author clients needed a book designer. That project had its share of blunders (I was still a newbie in the book design…
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Several years ago, I had the pleasure of designing Singing the Gospel by Dr. James C. Gear. Right away, I had a clear direction for the cover: gospel singers in action. The challenge? Finding the right image—one that was visually compelling, allowed room for the title and subtitle, and truly captured the spirit of gospel music. The…
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Author Lonnie Whitaker asked me to help bring his latest children’s book, Mulligan Goes to Mars, to life. Before I joined the project, Lonnie had already commissioned illustrator Kristina Young, who also illustrated his three previous Mulligan titles. This was the fourth adventure featuring Mulligan the cat. I downloaded the completed illustrations via Dropbox and prepared to dive…
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Are you an aspiring author with more questions than answers? Before the Launch is the guidebook you didn’t know you needed. Written by publishing pros David Wogahn and Manon Wogahn, this workbook-style resource is packed with expert advice from two people who’ve helped more than 400 authors bring their books to life. A Clear, Author-Friendly Structure This…
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Related posts: Finding images online Searching for a particular photo Just A Long Walk – case study Follow the Leader
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Is it the book designer’s job to clean up the manuscript in Microsoft Word? This is the question I asked Google after receiving two book manuscripts—neither of which used style sheets correctly, or at all. In both cases, the authors did not apply Word’s built-in styles like Heading 1, Heading 2, or Heading 3. Instead,…
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I’m coaching my friend, Jeanette, as she takes on the challenge of writing and self-publishing her first book. Her project, Walk the Pilgrims’ Path: Sacred Steps of the Black Madonna Shrine and Grottos (Pacific, Missouri), is about a fascinating and niche topic. She wants to publish her ebook and distribute it online to help support the…
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