New Font for Blog Book

I have been working on converting this blog to a book.  One of my concerns was the type face (font) I was going to use when the book goes to print.  My 95-year-old mother has trouble reading small print and I find more and more people gravitating toward large-print books.

I went to the public library yesterday looking for some audiobooks by Rick Riordan.  While looking for the audiobooks, I actually picked-up a print version and the librarian (Thanks, Amy) showed me the front page with the publication data that included the font used for the book.  The book was easy to read and I liked the font.  The font used for The Last Olympian was Centaur MT, 13 point.

I came home and looked for the font on my computer.  Unfortunately I didn't have it and I immediately went to Adobe.com.  I have used Adobe Type Manager for years and thought that Adobe would have the font.

While Adobe Type Manager is largely outmoded--built-in to such programs as Windows Vista--the font was available from Adobe.  I don't know if anyone remembers the "typeballs" used by the IBM Selectric typewriters.  Each ball was for a font and you had to purchase and to change the balls when you wanted to change type face in your typed documents.  The fonts for the computer work in a similar way.  I had to purchase and download three different fonts--Centaur Std, Centaur Std Italic, and Centaur Std Bold--in order to have the three types of fonts I need for the book.  The good news is that they were available and I was able to purchase, download, and install (after using Adobe help menus) the fonts on my computer (in Windows Vista) and in two Adobe programs, PageMaker 7.0 and Adobe Acrobat 9.0 Pro Extended.

You won't see that type face on this blog except in a picture I will include here.  It will work for the book and for the onscreen version of the book.  I need to contact my print-on-demand printer tomorrow to make sure everything will work when I present the finished book in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format for publishing.

Why Would Anyone Want to Read My Blog? (or My Book?)--Trusted Advisor Blog

As I work on editing this blog for publication I ask myself, "Why would anyone want to read this blog or my book?"  What value have I added in the 243 posts that make up this blog to date?

When I first started the blog I wanted the discipline of writing a daily blog to create a book I could publish.  I've worked on several books ad went to a Book Expo in Chicago in 2001 with the intention of publishing and marketing a book.  To date, the only book I have published (in 1992) was my 502-page dissertation.  (Very few people read it, by the way.)

I have several books started and have a goal of writing some fiction targeted for young adults.  I've been an avid reader in that literature for the last six years to build-up a better understanding for the authors, the books, and the genre.

What is this blog about?  That's a challenge.  The blog is about many things.  Wikipedia.org has this to say about a blog: 

A blog (a contraction of the term "web log")^[1] is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic.  Source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog.



This blog reflects what I was thinking about, "top of mind," on the day I wrote each post.  I have gone through the blog in the course of preparing it for editing and publishing and have identified categories that have related posts.  These are still "across the board." 

My primary role is as a "trusted advisor" and many of my posts contain information to be shared from that point of view about the topic included in the post.

This still a challenge for readership.  I'm adding posts each day to the blog and to the book until the day I publish it.  Blog posts made after the publication of the first book will be saved for a follow-on book.  I have a few friends who read the blog often.  (They should, many of their ideas and our discussions find their way in to the daily posts.)  I also have two subscribers to the blog--and I am one of them.

I've explored with other friends in the publishing and bookselling business to see how I can edit the content in a way that will make it compelling for others to read.  I'm still developing those ideas.

Another editing challenge I have is to make the links show-up in the published document.  On the website and the blog, the links work.  In print, they need to be spelled out.  Many of my posts include related links for more information and for examples.

What are your thoughts?

Book Publishing Insights from a Barnes & Noble Bookseller

A friend of mine who is a Barnes and Noble bookseller gave me some insights about book publishing which can be of help in preparing my blog-book for publication and sale.  I am a book publisher working with Lightning Source to make my books available.

If I want to work with booksellers such as Barnes & Noble and Amazon, I will probably need to allow returns.  That can be expensive and I need to be aware up-front who pays for shipping, etc.

My friend suggested that I purchase some on my own for sale when I do a talk or webinar.  She also gave me some references to self-published authors who may have more insights into the business.

Marketing books to publishers can take five months or more.  Unsolicited manuscripts may receive nothing more than form letters.

Some authors have done their homework, having created supportive marketing websites, made the books highly marketable, have their own lists--via websites, webinars, podcasts, or speaking engagements, and are equipped to sell the book with or without the help of a bookstore.

Bookstores usually stay away from self-published, print-on-demand books and books that have a no-return policy.

New authors are advised to join writing groups--frequently found through local public libraries--for networking resources to improve their writing and for insights into how to create and market their written work.

While these insights are not intended to discourage authors, they do form a sort of reality check.