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…
At a recent publishing workshop, an attendee asked me a simple question: “What is metadata for a book?” I was caught a bit off guard. My quick answer was, “It’s keywords, categories, and the book description (blurb or synopsis).” But in truth—it’s much more than that. What Exactly Is Book Metadata? There are plenty of explanations…
“Tara” is a new author with no marketing plan. I first met her more than four years ago when she contacted me about book design. At that time, her manuscript was not yet complete or edited. Fast forward to 2025: after years of writing, revising, editing, and creating a companion workbook—plus going through design and…
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 world), but it also marked the beginning of a friendship …
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…
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…
The Netherlands is famous for their art museums. We had a guided tour of the Rijksmuseum (the national museum). After the tour, we wandered through the rooms and enjoyed viewing Dutch artists such as Rembrandt, Vermeer, van Gogh and many more paintings.
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,…
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…
If you’re self-publishing your book, you’ll need to open accounts with online companies such as IngramSpark, KDP, or others. Additionally, you might choose to buy your own ISBNs from Bowker (MyIdentifiers.com). Properly managing these accounts and ensuring consistent information is crucial to avoid potential headaches down the line. The Problem: Error Message Recently, one of…