My Design Services
It might seem counter intuitive, but in most cases, any one person should do only one of the steps to complete your book: developmental editor (very early, big picture), copy editor, proofreader. Okay, so the book layout designer can be done by the developmental or copy editor, but the designer should not be the proofreader. They are too close to the subject.
Forest for the trees, and all that . . .
Contact me to discuss rates. Typically around $10 to $20 per page, depending on the task.
1
Copyediting
When your manuscript is done and ready to send off, now is the time for a copyeditor. At this time, the language, the developmental edits for a story are done: flow, language, character development. Now it is time to clean up the language: ensure consistent names, proper grammar and spelling (based on the story). You will want to do this step regardless of where it is headed. Self-publishing? Pitching to publishers? Either way, it needs to be clean before whatever the next step is.
2
Book Layout
Self-publishing has lost its stigma. In the bad old days, the publishing industry was neatly tucked in the iron fist of the Big 5 (the five publishers who owned all the publishers). Now you can make a fantastic book without them. But you need your book to be laid out on the page well. Not just font choices, but where lines break, how paragraphs are separated, integrating any images. Of course, your book layout is only there to support your story, but they should both be amazing, right?
3
Proofreading
Your book is laid out. Ready for print? Not yet. Someone needs to take another look. A proofread catches any remaining errors such as typos, ensures design is consistent, watches for any errors that will come up in printing. They are the last bastion between you and the inevitable errors in your printed book. The proofreader tries to find as many as they can so your finished book will be as close to perfection as humanly possible.
Designs of the Past
Ask me which I prefer: book layout or lettering? I cannot answer. Both are so satisfying.
Layout
Layout sees the book come to life. Like Frankenstein's monster, it jerks and jolts until it is upright and out stumbling around the world on epic treks.
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Twisting Time
anthology run by Megan Archer, 2022
Lay out color PDF and black-and-white print books.
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Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest
2021–2022
Laid out broadsides and zine collection of winners. (Also illustrated broadsides from 2011–14, and 2018–2022.
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First Second
In addition to laying out the book and first design pass, I laid out and styled the lettering from the art.
Clash of Clans: Books 1 and 2 (2022, 2023); History Comics: Roanoke Mystery (2020); History Comics: The Great Chicago Fire (2019); Island Book (2019); The Nameless City: The Divided Earth (2018); Head Games (2016)
Introduction: Awesome 'Possum, Volume 3, by Ursula Vernon.
Lettering Layout
Lettering layout sees a comic come to life. Consistency in lettering brings power to places with larger, smaller, or unique text.
Lettering Setup for First Second
2022: Look on the Bright Side; Continental Drifter; Homicide, Books 1 and 2; Ruined; The He-Man Effect; Dictatorship; Bea Wolf; In Limbo
2021: Shuna’s Journey; Now Let Me Fly; Belle; Einstein; History Comics: Transcontinental Railroad; Demon in the Woods; Why the People; So Much for Love; Himawari House; Forever Friends; The Greatest Thing
Spread: Eisner-nominee So Much for Love by Lambda Sophie (First Second)
I laid out the original lettering for the English edition. So fun to figure out the line breaks and emphases!
Proofread
Lettering layout sees a comic come to life. Consistency in lettering brings power to places with larger, smaller, or unique text.
Proofreading for Chelsea Green
2022: At Work in the Ruins; The (Big) Year that Flew By; Wildcrafted Vinegar; The Small-Scale Poultry Flock, Revised Edition; Cider Planet; Birds, Beasts, and Bedlam
2021: Energetic Herbalism; Cold-Hardy Fruits and Nuts; Fermentation Journey; The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora
