Tag Archives: Arts

Writing a book? No Sweat! Right? It’s what I do

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I’ve been working on the third edition of Writing In InDesign due out around the first of the year. As usual, I am writing a lot, rearranging everything, doing everything I can to make it more helpful and uplifting to my readers. It will also include the exciting new advances in ebook design and formatting now possible with InDesign CC. But this is just a quote about why we do what we do: ♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦ So, I’m a writer … Continue reading →

Cover Design: The seduction of type effects

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Amateur covers are obvious! The number one mistake is made by adding all kinds of fancy trimmings to your type. Not only does it make the type much harder to read, but all trained designers have been strongly told that NO ONE EVER does that. As a result, there are very few professional covers with type stylized like that. If it is, the type is carefully embossed, maybe beveled. Using the minimal amount necessary to get the … Continue reading →

Self-publishing begins with the fact that you write…

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Where do you start? My assumption is that this is something you are already doing. You have been writing and you have a body of work you want to publish. If you are not writing, you are not a writer. This is not for people who say “I really want to write a book about…” some day in the undefined future. Writing may be cathartic therapy for you. It may be sharing the weirdness of life. It … Continue reading →

A typographic opus from Smashing…

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Alexandar Charchar put together a major statement on modern typography yesterday—written by Espen Brunborg called Respect Thy Typography. You need to read it. Espen starts out with a strong statement of hope for me: Good typography shouldn’t have to rely on ornamental crutches to stand tall. Yet despite all the tools and knowledge available to us, we readily embrace a flourishing, decorative typography, with cheap tricks used in a misguided attempt to make it “pop”. This ancient art may rapidly … Continue reading →

Christian Thriller: Spitzer Hafen by Randall Franklin

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When I received my review copy from the author, I was a little concerned. My experience with Christian thrillers has often been boredom. As I started reading it, I was immediately drawn into the story. My only concern originally was that the evil dudes weren’t nasty enough, but they were truly horrid as I got to know them–absolutely ruthless. They were just always laughing and having a good time as they destroyed their targets and wreaked havoc … Continue reading →