Editor's THOUGHTS
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I'VE WATCHED AGENTS LAUGH
Having been to my fair share of conferences, I've picked up a habit that started during a frustrating conference in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I noted that the sea of agents in attendance tended to cluster. They whispered to each other, stealing glances at other attendees. As a shy writer, I truly understood partnering with a like soul at a strange event, and assumed that was their motive.
But at the banquet, the agents filled a couple of tables en masse, not sitting with any of the writers who paid to brush elbows with these professionals. They texted, emailed, chuckled, and passed notes to each other as the keynote was delivered. I recall writing down all their names, vowing never to submit to them (Ha! Showed them, huh!?), but better yet, never placing them in my newsletter. To this day I study agents at events, watching to see if they are taking the conference seriously, or if they seem to be just putting in their hours until they can fly back to New York.
But a BIG however goes right here.
Not all agents are like that. I've met some quite pleasant ones. And diligent ones. And ones that believe to the tips of their toes that their authors are grand. Just like not all self-published books come up lacking, not all agents are arrogant.
We cannot afford to lump self-publishing, traditional publishing, agents and publishers into walled boxes of stereotypes. Each and every category has its shining stars . . . and its flawed participants.
That's why you do your homework to learn the facts, not the rumor and opinion, of each tentacle in this octopus we call publishing. I've already been chastised this month by one reader for not giving traditional its due, emphasizing self-pubbing too much . . . seriously? It's Indie Month. Traditional has had its glory for decades.
But you have to know what you are doing. You can't self-publish and expect other people to do it for you. You have to be resilient and innovative, doing the things that a traditional publisher usually does . . . what an agent usually does.
Accept the responsibility and do it right. Use the proper rules and tools to make your work professional, not homespun. Not jerry-rigged. Not amateur.
What if I told you never to paint your bedroom, grow your garden or fix your car? What if I told you the only way to deal with these do-it-yourself tasks was to hire a professional? You'd balk, because some of us are very equipped to handle DIY ventures. I just painted my bedroom and my garden is glorious. But I'll hire a mechanic. It's all in knowing our strengths and weaknesses - capitalizing on our skills yet recognizing when to fall back on the skills of others.
NOTE:
Our guest writer today has a great 35% discount for all FFW readers, especially good for you indie authors who are struggling to format a beautiful book. Read through the feature article and copy the discount code to use at the site. Marvelous tools. I've purchased several of his templates and can't praise them enough. This is one example of using the proper tools.
~HOPE
featured article WITH A SPECIAL OFFER
7 Formatting Errors That Make Your Book Look Unprofessional
by Joel Friedlander
More and more writers are taking advantage of the new tools of publishing to create and publish their own books. This has led to an explosion of creativity, as writers are able to move their own books to market without the long delays and uncertainty of trying to get a traditional publisher to offer a contract.
Of course, there are also lots of authors who publish some of their books with traditional publishers, but still want to issue backlist, experimental, or non-commercial books themselves.
This is all good news for authors. But one of the consequences of authors becoming "do-it-yourself" publishers has been the proliferation of books that don't look quite right.
Although our books may be self-published, we sure don't want them to look sub-par, do we?
For many years I've helped authors get their books produced so they can compete with the books coming from traditional publishers. And while many authors hire professional book designers to create their books for them, this isn't practical or desirable from some people.
Some of the errors I see when reviewing self-published books are very easy to correct, if you only know how. So to help out, I've compiled here a list of the most common book formatting errors.
If you're doing your own formatting, make sure you pin this article up near your workstation. You'll be needing it.
7 Formatting Errors to Avoid
1. Putting page numbers on blank pages.
Blank pages have no text or images on them, and that means they should be truly blank. If you think about it, having a page number on a blank page really doesn't make sense, since there's nothing for the page number to refer to.
2. Using running heads on chapter opening pages or blank pages.
This is probably the most common formatting mistake of all, and I see it often in books from do-it-yourselfers. Just like page numbers, running heads (the type at the top of a page that shows the book title, author name, or chapter title) have no place on a blank page, just leave them off so the pages are truly blank.
3. Using "rag-right" typesetting.
Sometimes authors think they can make their pages look better by using rag-right typesetting. But if you walk over to your bookshelf and start looking at your own books, you will soon discover that virtually all books outside of art books or poetry, use fully justified composition. This means that the left and right margins of your page are straight and all lines except the last line in a paragraph are all the same length. This is what your readers expect to see in your book, so make sure you give it to them.
4. Double spacing between sentences.
Many of us learned to type quite a while ago, and many typing instructors told us to hit the space bar twice after a period. This is perfectly fine for business reports or memos, but it has no place in a book and can potentially cause problems when your book is typeset. So only one space between sentences.
5. Using both indented AND block style spaces between paragraphs.
Since we've started reading so much on web pages, we've grown accustomed to the block style of paragraph formatting. This is when paragraphs are separated by a line space instead of indenting the first line of a paragraph, as is usually done in books. Both work, but you have to pick one and stick to it. If you add spaces between your paragraphs, make sure you don't also indent the first line.
6. Putting the odd numbered pages on the left.
When you open a book, it just makes sense that the first page is page number 1, and that has to be a right-hand page. This rule is absolute, and you should never, ever number your pages with even numbers on right-hand pages.
7. Making super small margins to save pages.
Lots of authors who use print on demand services like CreateSpace know that they will be charged based on how many pages are in their book. But that's no reason to shortchange your readers by making your page margins too small just to save money. If your book is too long, reduce the type size a tiny bit or use a more space-efficient font. Small margins will make your book hard to hold and difficult to read, never a good result.
Paying attention to these details of book formatting will help ensure that your books look and work the way they are supposed to. Your readers will thank you for that, and it's your readers you should keep in mind throughout the publishing process.
Another way to solve a lot of these formatting problems while also getting a well-designed, industry-standard book is to use one of our book templates. They will save you an amazing amount of time and frustration, while making sure your book looks the way it should. You can find out more and see the available designs at: BookDesignTemplates.com.
BIO:
Joel Friedlander (@JFBookman) is an award-winning book designer and blogger. He's been launching the careers of self-publishers since 1994 from his book design and consulting practice at Marin Bookworks in San Rafael, California. Joel also writes TheBookDesigner.com, a popular blog on book design, book marketing and the future of the book, and he is the founder of The Self-Publishing Roadmap, a training course for authors, and
BookDesignTemplates.com, where he provides tools and services for authors who publish their own books. Joel is a past president of the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association. Connect with him on Google+.
NOTE TO READERS:
Joel has created coupon code FFW35 for FFW readers. When you use FFW35 at BookDesignTemplates.com shopping cart, it will give you a 35% discount on anything on the site. Coupon expires on June 10.
SPONSORS
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Fine print
Please forward the newsletter in its entirety. To reprint any editorials, contact hope@fundsforwriters.com for permission. Please do not assume that acknowledgements listed in your publication is considered a valid right to publish.
C. Hope Clark
E-mail: hope@fundsforwriters.com
140-A Amicks Ferry Road #4
Chapin, SC 29036
http://www.fundsforwriters.com
Copyright 2000-2014, C. Hope Clark
ISSN: 1533-1326
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