- Joined
- Sep 29, 2011
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- 129
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- Brooklyn, NY
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- soulinblackandwhite.blogspot.com
I agree. There are some basics that folks should know regarding setting up a book's guts. Most of that information can be found online or just going to your personal library and checking professionally developed books. Things like average words per line or number of lines on a page. These are actually pretty static bits of information that doesn't take a degree to find.If your book isn't typeset properly then your readers are going to be put off it. They might not know why, or be able to explain what's wrong with it: but they might find it difficult to read for no obvious reason, or find that it jars on their nerves somehow.
As for my Word analogy: you missed my point. It wasn't intended to imply that Word can set up a print file: read it again, and think about whether Word provides the equipment required for anyone to write a book properly. If that's too oblique for you, consider this: does owning a good pair of running shoes mean that you're suddenly a world-class runner? Or does having access to the best set of straightening-irons make you a brilliant hairdresser?
No, it's not the shoes. But that would mean that typesetting is some kind of extremely difficult process that requires knowledge that isn't easily obtained.
At this point, I've yet to see why anyone would have to hire a typesetter if they're willing to put in the time to research. I get that some folks aren't willing to spend the time to do it, and would rather write. Can't knock that! But, some are dealing with a budget, and paying a typesetting to do something they can do themselves can be an unnecessary expense.