This is great! I did something similar with the first ever books I self-published back in 2009. Terrible. But I can't expect perfection on the first, as much as I tried to copy one of the "BIG 5" formatting styles cover to cover. Learned so much, and always learning, from your emails. Thank you for sharing. It helps when we see someone whose work is so amazing now to be reminded that we all don't start out that way. We all truly do start at zero before we improve with practice and consistency in our passions over time.
Doing so has been in the back of my mind for years. Just haven’t followed through yet!
It depends on the trim size and paper weight. 72 pages would feel perfectly fine if the trim size was smaller—but then again, a smaller trim size would increase the number of pages.
There’s no real science to it, it’s kind of just intuition and personal taste. I like the relationship between the two to feel more balanced and less on an extreme end of the spectrum
Makes sense. Thanks always for shedding light on these things. Thanks also for pointing out that the books gutter requires larger interior margins. I’m glad I’m not learning that lesson the hard way 😀
P.s. Vellum sets up appropriate margins automatically and you can go in and adjust them! But yeah, make those suckers at least 0.75. I usually like even a bit more (but it does depend on the book)
I don’t mind thin books and I like the cover, actually, it’s bold. I also like the wide margins and pulling the quotes out, that’s a neat idea especially for a well known book.
I agree with you about keeping page layout consistent throughout the book (unless there’s a reason for it relevant to the content) and about the need for wider left hand margins for readability and the deal-breaker for me is font size and spacing. I read fast and I need white space to do that, even when my eyes were less short-sighted.
I can see a lot of great elements in your design… And the best part is, you have improved on all the things you did wrong. That is what firsts are for, giving it your all while knowing full well you are fresh out of the gate and very few people hit a home run. Wow, doesn’t that apply to so many situations!!! (Git your mind out of the gutter! I was here first!)
But you didn’t let it stop you from mastering your craft, and the fact you are still willing to share your first serious project is wonderful. It will help so many others find the faults in their own firsts not as Carter blinding blows, but the realization that you learn from every experience and there is always room for improvement.
For the record, floppy, thin publications kinda make me cringe too.
You’re on my list for cover artistry if I ever complete a novel. 👍😉
This is great! I did something similar with the first ever books I self-published back in 2009. Terrible. But I can't expect perfection on the first, as much as I tried to copy one of the "BIG 5" formatting styles cover to cover. Learned so much, and always learning, from your emails. Thank you for sharing. It helps when we see someone whose work is so amazing now to be reminded that we all don't start out that way. We all truly do start at zero before we improve with practice and consistency in our passions over time.
Thanks Erica! I definitely have even worse work than this 🙂
I really love those margins actually - but yes. I am okay with thin books that are small in size. 🫡
I still want to do a book with margins like that—just better!
Cool to see the gap between good concept and execution. I’d love to see you tackle this project again.
Question: about how many pages in a paperback are necessary to achieve “not floppy” status?
Doing so has been in the back of my mind for years. Just haven’t followed through yet!
It depends on the trim size and paper weight. 72 pages would feel perfectly fine if the trim size was smaller—but then again, a smaller trim size would increase the number of pages.
There’s no real science to it, it’s kind of just intuition and personal taste. I like the relationship between the two to feel more balanced and less on an extreme end of the spectrum
Makes sense. Thanks always for shedding light on these things. Thanks also for pointing out that the books gutter requires larger interior margins. I’m glad I’m not learning that lesson the hard way 😀
Happy to share 🙂
P.s. Vellum sets up appropriate margins automatically and you can go in and adjust them! But yeah, make those suckers at least 0.75. I usually like even a bit more (but it does depend on the book)
Super fun. I really enjoy posts like this -- a learning experience for both the author and the reader :D
I noticed the margins right away, but love that your younger self's reasoning was wanting to leave extra room for marginalia.
Thanks Auzin! I’m glad you enjoyed this one.
Your assessment is fair. Not horrible, but certainly a learning experience.
Always more to learn.
I don’t mind thin books and I like the cover, actually, it’s bold. I also like the wide margins and pulling the quotes out, that’s a neat idea especially for a well known book.
I agree with you about keeping page layout consistent throughout the book (unless there’s a reason for it relevant to the content) and about the need for wider left hand margins for readability and the deal-breaker for me is font size and spacing. I read fast and I need white space to do that, even when my eyes were less short-sighted.
Thanks Jack!
I like some of the dedign concepts. But clearly needs some help as you pointed out in your critique.
I can see a lot of great elements in your design… And the best part is, you have improved on all the things you did wrong. That is what firsts are for, giving it your all while knowing full well you are fresh out of the gate and very few people hit a home run. Wow, doesn’t that apply to so many situations!!! (Git your mind out of the gutter! I was here first!)
But you didn’t let it stop you from mastering your craft, and the fact you are still willing to share your first serious project is wonderful. It will help so many others find the faults in their own firsts not as Carter blinding blows, but the realization that you learn from every experience and there is always room for improvement.
For the record, floppy, thin publications kinda make me cringe too.
You’re on my list for cover artistry if I ever complete a novel. 👍😉