The Little Brown Book

The little brown book was the final touch and “show stopper” to a project that started in August 2021.  My client, Jan, showed me an existing pocket-sized prayer book, The Rule of the Secular Order. The cover was laminated on a red-paper stock with gold-foil stamping. Jan had an upcoming conference in August 2022 and hoped…

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follow the leader

Follow the Leader

Follow the Leader was a kid’s game from my past. Wikipedia explains how it worked: Players first chose a leader or “head of the line,” and the remaining players (the followers) all lined up behind the leader. Then, as the leader moved around, all the players mimicked the leader’s actions. These days, I follow the leaders in book marketing. These are experts…

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Curious about book covers

My friend Sherry saw my Facebook post about the St. Louis Publishers Association’s webinar, “How to Publish Your Book.” I teach a segment on book design. Sherry was curious because she would like to write a book. Here are the questions she asked about book covers.  Q. Do you read a book from cover to…

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Searching for a particular photo

Searching for a particular photo can be frustrating. I’m the graphic designer for Heart magazine, published by the Society of the Sacred Heart since 2003. Pamela Schaeffer, the editor who started the magazine, wrote “The covers, photos of hearts in nature, are symbolic of Christ’s presence at the heart of the universe.”  Each issue has a beautiful,…

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