A year after publishing his photo/travel book Happy Hours for Photographers, photographer Frank Menkel began reconsidering the cover. Although the book was well received, his friend James Gibson—an author himself—felt the cover could be stronger and suggested that Frank contact me. I was immediately interested. Frank’s photography is exceptional, and he had an enviable problem: a…
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…
From Stock Images to AI-Generated Artwork Three book cover concepts created with stock images were presented to a first-time author. However, he was not satisfied with the initial designs. After reviewing the layouts, he envisioned a more specific concept. I directed him to several stock image websites to search for suitable visuals. Unfortunately, he couldn’t…
The task of redesigning the book cover for Corinne’s poetry collection, The Rings of Nature, was an exciting opportunity to breathe new life into the visual representation of her book. The existing cover, though depicting a scenic outdoor landscape, lacked the visual impact needed to capture the essence of Corinne’s poetry. The goal was to create…
When co-authors Bob Stuckey and Ken Cooper contacted me about designing their business book, The Control Catastrophe: Why your organization is wasting money and how to fix it, they gave me a brief description of their manuscript and identified their target audience—corporate executives, managers and supervisors. The Design Process I began my process by looking at other books…
First-time author James Gibson contacted me about designing his memoir, Just a Long Walk. I asked if his manuscript was finished and if it was professionally edited.* It was not, so I suggested that he contact Andy Doty (Editwright.com) for editing and book coaching services. Andy got the project and circled back to me to design…
Many people want to tell their stories. I recently designed a medley of memoirs. Self-publishing and printing are excellent ways to accomplish this and reach the perfect readers. The following memoirs were written by first-time authors whom I guided through the design and book-production process. What design elements are generally used for the cover of…
A team of three educators contacted me to help them publish their curriculum, a project management book for middle-school students. This was their first foray into publishing. Their requirements: editing, ebook publishing, an attractive cover design, and file formats. I replied, “I’m a book designer, not an editor, but I’m happy to recommend editors I’ve…
The Winter Celebration flier was intended for the employees of a corporate DEI Council (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion) 1) The client provided a Word doc with a rough hierarchy—what comes first, second, etc.—as well as hyperlinks to register for the event. There were no graphics; it was up to me to create a festive and inviting flier.…
It takes a team to create a children’s book. In this case study, the team consisted of an author, an illustrator, and a book designer, all of whom worked collaboratively on the project. First-time author, Jon Ferry, commissioned me to design his book, Across the Battlefield: A Pawn’s Journey. He wrote, “I am nearing the point…