questions about Font and offsetcover

My novel's not yet ready for submission so I don't know the answer. Any chance you can go back to this "Somebody in the publishing world" and have them tell you? Sounds unreasonable to me for someone to tell you you don't have a "real" book just because of something easily changable like font and format.

Seems to me the POD business should have their requirements on their Web site.

Good luck!

There is always a "somebody in the publishing world" who is eager to put down a POD book as not "real."

What is the definition of a book? According to Wikipedia: A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of paper, parchment, or other material, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf, and each side of a leaf is called a page. A book produced in electronic format is known as an e-book.

Another definition I found is: book n. Abbr. b., B., bk.1. A volume made up of written or printed pages fastened along one side and encased between protective covers.2. Any written or printed literary work. 3. A bound volume of blank or ruled pages.

A while back a young newspaper reporter attended one of my self-publishing seminars and told the class that my books are not "real books." I asked her what her definition of a book was and she said Something that is published by a traditional publishing house." I then asked her how many books she had written and had published. She admitted none. I then asked her for a ballpark figure what she made annually. She said about $16,000. I explained to her that I took in about six times that much this year publishing books that were not “real” by her definition, and my money was “real” when I spent it.

Don’t worry about the people who will run your work down, just ignore them and go forward. By the way, those people are usually employees of a publishing company. As a self-publisher you are the boss, something they don’t have the courage to be. Remember, those who can’t, criticize. My motto is “Living well is the best revenge.”

But back to your original question, I use Time New Roman for all of my book text, and I currently have five books and eight specialty guides in print, as well as a bi-monthly nationally circulated tabloid RV newspaper www.gypsyjournal.net.

Nick Russell said:

Don’t worry about the people who will run your work down, just ignore them and go forward. By the way, those people are usually employees of a publishing company. As a self-publisher you are the boss, something they don’t have the courage to be. Remember, those who can’t, criticize. My motto is “Living well is the best revenge.”

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Awesome Nick, thanks for this. That's exactly what I tell myself everyday when I start wondering "why the hell am I doing this to myself?"

buttterflywilma said:

Somebody in the publishing world told me my PODbook is not a 'real' book
because of the typography (TNR) the way i formatted it and the print.

So after feeling down i got inspired and i'd like to change a thing or two.

What is the best font for my non-fiction MS
Palatino linotype or TNR? I have a slight preference for Linotype.
Should i use 11pt or ..?

Also can i have an offsetcover with a POD interior?
Or is it better to have both offset?

I hope someone has some answers

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Your best bet is to hire a book designer to do the typography and layout. That will be the closest to a "real book" look you can get.

The next best option is to use the fonts (and sizes) that look good according to the content and the trim size. Eleven-point fonts look good on some trim sizes, horribly oversized on others, and tiny on others still.

I work in the industry, I am not a book snob. I think POD books are real books too. But, as a book designer, Times looks horrid. For me, it's not about "real" versus "fake", "professional" or "unprofessional", it's about what looks good. Times and Courier have their place, it's just not in published books.

Printing: a POD interior and cover are fine. Most people can't tell the difference between a good POD print and an offset print.

The trick of self-publishing is not printing too many copies of your book (that way leads to bankruptcy). Going with POD or digital short run for your galleys and handsell units, you're better off. A friend printed "only" 1000 copies of his book, and about 900 of them are sitting in boxes in his living room. I know it's your baby and it "just has to sell" because you love it so, but don't let your enthusiasm ruin you financially.