The Book Designer is another wonderful resource available on the web, free to everyone. I was referred to it by Jackie Urbanovic when I asked about alternatives to Adobe’s InDesign. The new edition is only available via the “Cloud” and is very expensive for those of us who do not use it everyday. Something like $50 a month.
Her short answer on InDesign was “no,”but she referred me to The Book Designer by Joel Friedlander, a very useful website for anyone considering publishing a book or designing text. The site also has a free 24 page booklet on self-publishing, 10 Things You Need to Know About Self-Publishing.
Tons of resources here. Many links to other well-selected sites on design and publishing. Topics include writing, book design, planning a book, understanding fonts and typography, print choices, ebooks and ebook readers, and marketing.
Best Book Designer Posts Include:
Understanding Fonts & Typography with nine links to specific topics, including elements of a book page, what goes on the title page with two examples, 5 layout mistakes, and book page layout. One of the nice things about the site is that Friedlander doesn’t overwhelm you with information. He gives from 2-10 examples and moves on. But you can trust those examples.
Five Favorite Fonts for Interior Book Design takes the guessing out of which font to use to make work look professional.
The site also has great comments—don’t miss them.
And don’t miss this site if you are planning on self-publishing anything.
I used his signature as an image because his header is rather undistinguished. The design of the site doesn’t match the quality of the information or the examples given.
Thanks very much for the mention, Sharon, I really appreciate it.