I am a Writer.
I intented to introduce myself here as a writer. I have written poetry for many years and have had many poems published. I say many because it gets too tedious to list them all and I've found out that most people realize that it doesn't take that much to get a poem published etc. I liked being a poet. I used to be a good poet and to this day many people think I am a poet. It couldn't be farther from the truth - I am a fiction writer. At the moment I am working on what I call my "monster" it is a 220,000 word fantasy novel that has taken me 6 years to get out. The reason I am so specific to say this is because you should know that all those words forced me to find the best program for writing that I could. Programs have become my canvas in all of my mediums. I use Photoshop, HTML-Kit and FlashPeak BlazeFTP to create web design and I use Open Office to write in as well as to design books in. Programs are very important to my way of life and I would never suggest a program to a writer FOR writing if I had not first shown that I was a writer.
Questions I am regularly asked:
1. What program do you use to design books in and why?
I use an open source program called Open Office. Open source means a program that is basically owned by no one and is free to use by the public. Consensus of users improve open source software not ideas of share holders or CEOs. Open Office is free and if you have ever used a text editing program (notepad, wordpad, Word) then you can use this program. I love it. And it also opens and saves .DOC documents so you don't have to worry about saving or editing Word files.
2. What program do you write in and why?
See answer above.
3. Why don't you use Microsoft Word?
Oh how I hate thee, let me count the ways. I won't get into my dislike of Microsoft. It gets complicated. So I'm just going to say that after having over 20,000 words of my novel lost because of a Microsoft Word error I would NEVER use the program again. And, adding insult to injury, anyone who has had to send a Word file through email on a modem connection knows that the files are massive. I send a lot of files through email and I haven't always had DSL so I switched to Open Office whose files are much more reasonably sized. (However, if you are considering switching to Open Office be warned that not everyone can open these files in other programs. You may have to save them as .DOC files until everyone else switches to Open Office too.)
4. What are your regards to use of headers and footers in books?
I've found myself drifting to a more clean way of doing things. The last book I designed didn't even have a header. I would say BE CREATIVE. Just because everyone puts the page number in the middle of the footer does not mean you have to.
5. What would you tell someone regarding fonts?
If you're a writer and submitting work to be published NEVER USE A FONT OTHER THAN TIMES, ARIAL OR COURIER! I cannot stress that enough. I have been on the Editorial Board for The Talking Stick for a few years now and it is infuriating when someone uses a hard to read font. It looks amateurish.
For someone who is designing a book I would say that there are millions of free fonts on the web just waiting for you! It doesn't take a lot of know-how to install and use all of those wonderful fonts out there on the internet. Go looking. You'll be amazed at the change in your design. One note, use caution. Outlandish or hard to read fonts can distract from the book itself. A subtle change can make a huge difference. One of my rules of thumb is that good design should support good writing like a matte and frame supports a beautiful painting. Look to the right for instructions on how to install new fonts on your computer.
6. Any tips or tricks you would tell someone first designing a book?
Most programs default to a gray colored font to save ink. You would have never noticed had I not said anything. You're writing in gray. Most of the time that's good and fine but if you want people to be able to read that book you're designing then you'll change the font color to black before sending it to the printer.
7. Have you used Lulu.com? Would you recommend it?
I have printed two books on Lulu, one a small novel of mine that I finished and just wanted to see published and the other was my monster 240,000 word novel so friends and family could read it. I printed them mostly to see how Lulu did. I am a book designer and I was concerned I would be designing a book to be published in Lulu one day and not even know how it would look. They looked good, they looked real good, Lulu published them quickly and they are of high quality, I would recommend it to anyone.
Things are changing in the writing world. Websites like Lulu.com are proof of this. When I first started writing I had images of the big publisher behind his big desk, in his suit and cigar burning manuscripts (like mine) in his marble fire place for the fun of it. That's just not how it is anymore, once you were nothing if you didn't have a publishing company and an agent backing you, now self publishing is becoming more respected by the day.
8.I've never worked using pdfs before, can I still design a book?
I would say no, a basic knowledge of pdfs is pretty essential. One myth though is that you actually "design" in pdfs which is incorrect, pdfs are the end result not the working copy. You work in the text program you're comfortable in but this program should have an export into pdf ability, if it doesn't, you need to get a new program. Word and OpenOffice both have the capability to export into pdfs I don't know if this is true of other programs but if you're going to get a book published whether it be for Lulu.com or a printer, you need to be able to export into pdfs and you should have a working knowledge of them.
9.What's so great about pdfs anyway? My printer is willing for me to send them a .DOC file.
I'll compare notes when it comes to the difference of a pdf and a text file like a DOC. If you're sending a .DOC to a printer and it has unique fonts in specific places you will need to send the fonts separately for them to use; in a pdf the fonts are literally "embedded" so no fonts need to be sent separately. If you have pictures in your .DOC (and want them to look anywhere near decent) you also need to send these separately with instructions on where the printer needs to add them to the document; in a pdf the pictures are embedded so no pictures need to be sent separately. Simply put a pdf is print ready, the minute it is sent to the printer. A .DOC file requires more work for the printer and that could very well mean more cost for you.
10.I just went to Adobe's website and their pdf software is over $400! Do I need to buy that?
No, no and no. You DO NOT have to buy Adobe's ridiculously expensive pdf software, download their free adobe reader and you're set. Like I said - the program you are using to design your book in MUST HAVE THE EXPORT TO PDF FEATURE or you need to get yourself a new program!
I use an open source program called Open Office. Open source means a program that is basically owned by no one and is free to use by the public. Consensus of users improve open source software not ideas of share holders or CEOs. Open Office is free and if you have ever used a text editing program (notepad, wordpad, Word) then you can use this program. I love it. And it also opens and saves .DOC documents so you don't have to worry about saving or editing Word files.
2. What program do you write in and why?
See answer above.
3. Why don't you use Microsoft Word?
Oh how I hate thee, let me count the ways. I won't get into my dislike of Microsoft. It gets complicated. So I'm just going to say that after having over 20,000 words of my novel lost because of a Microsoft Word error I would NEVER use the program again. And, adding insult to injury, anyone who has had to send a Word file through email on a modem connection knows that the files are massive. I send a lot of files through email and I haven't always had DSL so I switched to Open Office whose files are much more reasonably sized. (However, if you are considering switching to Open Office be warned that not everyone can open these files in other programs. You may have to save them as .DOC files until everyone else switches to Open Office too.)
4. What are your regards to use of headers and footers in books?
I've found myself drifting to a more clean way of doing things. The last book I designed didn't even have a header. I would say BE CREATIVE. Just because everyone puts the page number in the middle of the footer does not mean you have to.
5. What would you tell someone regarding fonts?
If you're a writer and submitting work to be published NEVER USE A FONT OTHER THAN TIMES, ARIAL OR COURIER! I cannot stress that enough. I have been on the Editorial Board for The Talking Stick for a few years now and it is infuriating when someone uses a hard to read font. It looks amateurish.
For someone who is designing a book I would say that there are millions of free fonts on the web just waiting for you! It doesn't take a lot of know-how to install and use all of those wonderful fonts out there on the internet. Go looking. You'll be amazed at the change in your design. One note, use caution. Outlandish or hard to read fonts can distract from the book itself. A subtle change can make a huge difference. One of my rules of thumb is that good design should support good writing like a matte and frame supports a beautiful painting. Look to the right for instructions on how to install new fonts on your computer.
6. Any tips or tricks you would tell someone first designing a book?
Most programs default to a gray colored font to save ink. You would have never noticed had I not said anything. You're writing in gray. Most of the time that's good and fine but if you want people to be able to read that book you're designing then you'll change the font color to black before sending it to the printer.
7. Have you used Lulu.com? Would you recommend it?
I have printed two books on Lulu, one a small novel of mine that I finished and just wanted to see published and the other was my monster 240,000 word novel so friends and family could read it. I printed them mostly to see how Lulu did. I am a book designer and I was concerned I would be designing a book to be published in Lulu one day and not even know how it would look. They looked good, they looked real good, Lulu published them quickly and they are of high quality, I would recommend it to anyone.
Things are changing in the writing world. Websites like Lulu.com are proof of this. When I first started writing I had images of the big publisher behind his big desk, in his suit and cigar burning manuscripts (like mine) in his marble fire place for the fun of it. That's just not how it is anymore, once you were nothing if you didn't have a publishing company and an agent backing you, now self publishing is becoming more respected by the day.
8.I've never worked using pdfs before, can I still design a book?
I would say no, a basic knowledge of pdfs is pretty essential. One myth though is that you actually "design" in pdfs which is incorrect, pdfs are the end result not the working copy. You work in the text program you're comfortable in but this program should have an export into pdf ability, if it doesn't, you need to get a new program. Word and OpenOffice both have the capability to export into pdfs I don't know if this is true of other programs but if you're going to get a book published whether it be for Lulu.com or a printer, you need to be able to export into pdfs and you should have a working knowledge of them.
9.What's so great about pdfs anyway? My printer is willing for me to send them a .DOC file.
I'll compare notes when it comes to the difference of a pdf and a text file like a DOC. If you're sending a .DOC to a printer and it has unique fonts in specific places you will need to send the fonts separately for them to use; in a pdf the fonts are literally "embedded" so no fonts need to be sent separately. If you have pictures in your .DOC (and want them to look anywhere near decent) you also need to send these separately with instructions on where the printer needs to add them to the document; in a pdf the pictures are embedded so no pictures need to be sent separately. Simply put a pdf is print ready, the minute it is sent to the printer. A .DOC file requires more work for the printer and that could very well mean more cost for you.
10.I just went to Adobe's website and their pdf software is over $400! Do I need to buy that?
No, no and no. You DO NOT have to buy Adobe's ridiculously expensive pdf software, download their free adobe reader and you're set. Like I said - the program you are using to design your book in MUST HAVE THE EXPORT TO PDF FEATURE or you need to get yourself a new program!
INTERESTED IN TRYING OPEN OFFICE?
YOU PROBABLY ALREADY HAVE ADOBE READER INSTALLED BUT AN UPGRADE WOULDN'T HURT.
How to Install Fonts
(for windows users)
Go online and save some fonts you like. They will probably be wrapped in a .rar or a .zip file. You may have to install the rar program to open them. The fonts will probably be .ttf files and I always find it easier to save them to the desktop, because you will be deleting them soon. Now click on START and go into Settings> Control Panel. In the Control Panel is a folder called Fonts, open this and copy your new fonts into this folder. That's it! To use these new fonts you may have to restart a program if you had it open at the time, otherwise work as usual.
A note of warning, if you start deleting Fonts you could run into some trouble with Windows. I would suggest, unless you've installed thousands of fonts you don't want, just don't delete fonts.)