Book Update 1/18/2010

And the latest update on the Fan To Pro Book from Last week.

Updates:

  • I'm still adding extra content.  Frankly its hard to know where to stop – and when I risk diluting the book.  I'm sure this is going to be updated every year or two.  Most of it is done, and the final question is if I include some extra resources.
  • I got an offer to have a pro-drawn cover by another small press enthusiast I know.  I'm debating that – I'm still torn between a more abstract cover versus something more colorful that they offer.  I've gotten a lot of conflicting advice on what to do cover-wise.
  • The book looks like it'll be 6" by 9" and around 100-120 pages.
  • I am not decided on an index.  I'm leaning towards no, or a very small one.  I have determined a comprehensive index is useless and a waste of space.
  • I'm going with Arial type.  I'm debating if 10pt or 12pt is best.  I want it very readable but not bulked up.

Lessons Learned:

  • I like double-spaces between paragraphs for technical and educational books like this one, but not fiction.  Not sure that helps, but it is interesting.
  • Non-fiction books can be hard to really measure.  In this case I've looked at the book so much it seems a bit stale and incomplete no matter how much I include.
  • Doing a book and a blog at the same time requires you know where one ends and the other begins.
  • Someone needs to write a book on cover design.  Or I haven't found it yet.
  • I really like Arial.

Still on target for late March/early April.

– Steven Savage