Self-publishing with Adobe InDesign
An interview with book designer, Beattie Alvarez
Beattie Alvarez, Commissioning Editor at Christmas Press Books, author and book designer of over 30 books joined the NEWC's Program Manager, Lyn Aspey, over coffee for a quick chat on all things self-publishing.
Hi Beattie, Thanks for joining me on this cold morning !
The NEWC team are very excited about the professional development opportunities we’re delivering in August through the Country Arts Support Program, via Create NSW and Arts North West.
Feedback coming out of the very successful self-publishing workshop held in 2019 clearly showed just how important the self-publishing option is for our local writing community.
The Workshops will be held over three weekends, Saturday 7, 14 & 21 August. For details see: Self-publishing with InDesign.
Hi Beattie, Thanks for joining me on this cold morning !
The NEWC team are very excited about the professional development opportunities we’re delivering in August through the Country Arts Support Program, via Create NSW and Arts North West.
Feedback coming out of the very successful self-publishing workshop held in 2019 clearly showed just how important the self-publishing option is for our local writing community.
The Workshops will be held over three weekends, Saturday 7, 14 & 21 August. For details see: Self-publishing with InDesign.
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You will be hosting three linked in-person workshops in Armidale on 7, 14 and 21 August. This is a fab opportunity for local writers embarking on a self-publishing career!
What level of experience do the participants need in InDesign, and what other items should they have on hand, before starting the course? |
All participants need to have a basic knowledge of InDesign (how to create a new document, resize images etc). This workshop is about the details of what is expected with a book. I learnt on the job, so there are things I did in the beginning which I now cringe at!
I will be teaching everyone how to set margins so that you don’t lose words or images in the gutter, how to resize pages and get them to sit side by side so that you can make a cover, and other little bits and pieces that you don’t tend to think of. Do note that I’m teaching you how to make print ready books, not e-books! (I’ve done a little bit with e-books, but not enough to teach about it!) Everybody needs to have a manuscript or document ready to turn into a book, an idea for the cover — with images — and InDesign loaded on their computers. Also, a sense of humour! Three days without laughter is tough.
I will be teaching everyone how to set margins so that you don’t lose words or images in the gutter, how to resize pages and get them to sit side by side so that you can make a cover, and other little bits and pieces that you don’t tend to think of. Do note that I’m teaching you how to make print ready books, not e-books! (I’ve done a little bit with e-books, but not enough to teach about it!) Everybody needs to have a manuscript or document ready to turn into a book, an idea for the cover — with images — and InDesign loaded on their computers. Also, a sense of humour! Three days without laughter is tough.
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Adobe InDesign is the industry-standard software for book design – what do you think are the key challenges for a self-published author to overcome when they’re starting out?
Honestly, learning the software and how to make it work (one of my favourite sayings!) is the hardest part. There’s always more to it than you think there is. As I said, I’m self-taught mostly, so I have found ways around things when the computer says "no".
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The author may not have any experience in graphic design and be lost amidst layout and typography options. Are there any pro-tips that you can share – what do YOU wish you knew when starting out?
Come to the workshops and you’ll find out! Seriously though, because I started in picture books, there were things about novels that never occurred to me, like justified text (up and down as well as side to side) and getting rid of hyphens. I'll be honest - when starting out on this journey, it's HARD WORK and can be very frustrating but that's why we're running this workshop!
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Yes, it is Beattie! So, now, what about cover design? What will the self-published author have to consider and apply when creating a cover design?
Is it boring to say commercial appeal? Because that’s really the main part of it. You want to sell the book and people DO judge books by their covers. Make sure the words are visible over the image, fonts that aren’t too fussy or that fit the book if you insist on fussy ones, and spine width! Make sure you have that right or it’s going to be a big mess!
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Okay Beattie, time to share: tell us what part of the book design process you enjoy the most, and what part do you like the least?
Believe it or not, I enjoy most of the process. I like the beginning where I start to see it come together, I’m happy when I get to the point of putting page numbers in because I’m almost there. What I don’t like is when I’ve done the page numbers, I THINK I’m almost there, but then I have to fiddle with tiny details that aren’t working. The part I like the least is when I’m finished — except that I’m not. I’ve exported the document as a PDF to the printer’s specifications, I’m looking through it and… I find a mistake. So I have to go back, fix it up, export again, check again and… find another mistake. There’s only so many times you can do this in one sitting without going mad. Make sure you get up, take a break, have a cry or a coffee before you go back again!
In your opinion, what would be the most important considerations for a writer planning to embark on a self-publishing journey?
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Writing the book! There’s no point in having a beautiful book if the story isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. Also, know your limits. If you aren’t great with technology and don’t have years to teach yourself how to use it then pass the job onto someone else.
Thank you Beattie! It's been great catching up.
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