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Home » Book Construction Blueprint

Is Offset Printing the Future for Indie Authors?

by Joel Friedlander on February 12, 2018 17 Comments

Self-published authors have ridden to fame and fortune on the wings of two technologies: e-books, and the hybrid print book production-distribution method known as print on demand. Each of these technologies reduces the financial risk inherent in book publishing. This is especially important for print books, where print on demand has eliminated the need for […]

Filed Under: Book Construction Blueprint, Book Printing, Book Production Tagged With: Book Construction Blueprint, offset printing

How to Create Artwork to Foil, Stamp, and Emboss Your Books

by Joel Friedlander on December 4, 2017 12 Comments

A look at how to prepare artwork for books that will be foil stamped, blind stamped, or embossed with stamping dies

Filed Under: Book Construction Blueprint, Book Printing, Book Production Tagged With: bookbinding, casebound, Casewrap, Thomson-Shore

Book Title Pages: 500 Years of Inspiration

by Joel Friedlander on September 8, 2014 5 Comments

Ed. note: This post (part of the Book Construction Blueprint series) was briefly published on February 2, 2010, and removed a few hours later. After hitting the “Publish” button I realized there were numerous images in the post that needed more than attribution, they needed permission from the rights holder. In this case, that was […]

Filed Under: Book Construction Blueprint, Book Design Tagged With: Baskerville, Bodoni, Eric Gill, title page, typography, William Morris

Why Self-Published Books Look Self-Published

by Joel Friedlander on August 15, 2012 142 Comments

Why Self-Published Books Look Self-Published describes a host of mistakes that authors make and how to avoid them

Filed Under: Book Construction Blueprint, Book Design, Self-Publishing Tagged With: BAIPA, Book Awards, book design, book layout, self publishing

Self-Publishing Basics: How to Organize Your Book’s Front Matter

by Joel Friedlander on February 8, 2012 54 Comments

Self-Publishing Basics: How to Organize Your Book’s Front Matter includes a checklist of front matter items.

Filed Under: Book Construction Blueprint, Book Design, Editorial, Self Publishing Basics Tagged With: book construction, book design, book publishing, front matter, frontmatter, parts of a book, self publishing

How to Check Your Book Proof in 3 Simple Steps

by Joel Friedlander on August 16, 2011 20 Comments

How to Check Your Book Proof in 3 Simple Steps including a step by step process to approve the interior layout, the content, and the cover of your book

Filed Under: Book Construction Blueprint, Book Production, Self-Publishing Tagged With: book design, Book Printing, book production, book proof, CreateSpace, print on demand, publishing a book, self publishing

Book Design for Self-Publishers: Workflow, Interior Design Stage

by Joel Friedlander on March 31, 2011 5 Comments

Book Design for Self-Publishers: Workflow, Interior Design Stage including creating page elements, selecting typefaces to use in the book, and more

Filed Under: Book Construction Blueprint, Book Design, Self-Publishing Tagged With: book design, book production, graphic design, interior design, publish a book, self publishing, typography, workflow

4 Top Book Formatting Mistakes to Avoid

by Joel Friedlander on March 9, 2011 50 Comments

4 Top Book Formatting Mistakes to Avoid and why they create problems in your book. Including the wrong way to space text, to import copy, and to style it.

Filed Under: Book Construction Blueprint, Book Design, Book Production, Self-Publishing Tagged With: Adobe Creative Suite, Adobe InDesign, book design, desktop publishing, formatting, graphic design, self publishing, styles

Book Design for Self-Publishers: Workflow Overview

by Joel Friedlander on January 25, 2011 7 Comments

Book Design for Self-Publishers: Workflow Overview including three stages: Design, Layout and Production, plus Graphics and Covers

Filed Under: Book Construction Blueprint, Book Design, Book Production, Self-Publishing Tagged With: book design, book production, DIY publishing, indie publishing, publish a book, self publishing, workflow

Understanding Book Printing Estimates for Self-Publishers, Part 3

by Joel Friedlander on January 19, 2011 14 Comments

Understanding Book Printing Estimates for Self-Publishers, Part 3 in which we look at the Printer’s Quotation and derive the cost of our books

Filed Under: Book Construction Blueprint, Book Production, Self-Publishing Tagged With: book production, offset printer, offset printing, print your book, printer's quotation, publish a book, quote, request for estimate, self publishing, Thomson-Shore

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"Writers change the world one reader at a time. But you can't change the world with a book that's still on your hard drive or in a box under your bed. This blog exists to help you get that book into people's hands."
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