Customer Reviews

Indie Publishing: How to Design and Publish Your Own Book (Design Brief)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With the rise of DIY crafts and easier-than-ever access to professional book printing, this book fills a need. Unlike any book on independent publishing I've seen, this one takes authors and designers through a visual tour of the basics of independent publishing.

Indie Publishing is not an exhaustive manual about the business of publishing nor is it a technical design manual. Its strength is in demystifying a process that has been kept quite opaque by publishers for decades. It guides people through the stages of indie publishing such as designing, planning, handmaking books or having books printed. If you are looking for more information about any one aspect: typography, business planning, marketing, editing, etc., then there is a bibliography with well-proven resources covering those details.

Ellen Lupton, the editor, has fashioned a careful structure which reveals each stage in logical sequence. The writing enriches the visuals. Many design books are poorly written. This one you actually want to read. And read again.

The photos illustrate key points while serving as inspirations. The abundance of sample projects spans the gamut from experimental to commercial. They allow readers to imagine the books they'd like to publish fitting somewhere in between.

I'm a big fan of Princeton Architectural Press. Their ability to maintain high quality and affordability is rare and refreshing. The printing is sharp, the papers are substantial and the design of the book honors the projects without being the least bit dry. It is fresh and serves by itself as a source of inspiration for readers.

I'll be recommending this book to my design students and friends who have books in them waiting to be shared with the world. Thanks to all who contributed to this book. You've opened doors for many.

This book is a brief overview that spans many aspects of indie publishing: the zine, the portfolio, the fiction novel, the art book, binding, etc... but does so much in so few pages that most of the information in the book is already known to any reader that has an interest in indie publishing.

I say that this book is more magazine than book, because it has a nice visual layout, not much information, and would be something you would flip through-- reading out of order, quickly glacing, and turning pages quickly rather than a book that has thick information to absorb. Its nice if you need a little inspiration and want to flip through it from time to time, but I'd mostly advise people just to check this one out from the library.

I love this book. Its technical and design aspects have already been lauded and rightfully so. The book is rife with information and examples on every aspect of the bookmaking process. It's an easy read and with chapters on poetry, fiction, portfolios and zines you get a taste for the possibilities with any genre. Practical production basics and accompanying illustrations are provided hand in hand with wise and witty instruction. Reading this book has been like taking a workshop with an innovative teacher. Yet what I found most valuable is the inspiration gleaned from each page of this little gem of a manual. Chapter after chapter I felt more encouraged and confident as if Ellen Lupton and team were saying, "Go on, you can do it--here's how." Thank you Ellen, Princeton Architectural Press and Maryland Institute College of Art, I'm using this guide to publish my first book!

When I wanted to publish my own photographic memoir, the advice in this book was really helpful, and now that I've done it, I would recommend this book as a useful guide.

There is some very good inspiration in this little book. There is also some very nice instruction on book construction. I do wish they had spent some time talking about or mentioning some of very good open source graphics apps instead of all the really expensive apps. That would have balanced the book better. But then I guess you can't expect much else from people who are trained in graphic design and tend to be a bit biased. All in all though I would recommend this book as an inspiration tool.

I always wanted to design and publish a book of my own. With the instructions and tips enclosed in this book, I am able to create something that will fulfill my goal.

This is an excellent resource for those thinking about doing an independent publishing project. As an introduction to the subject, it covers all aspects of the process. It backs up it's carefully written text with the fact the book itself is so well designed.

A unique approach with an attractive format and tantalizing ideas. I love it. I had this one out of the library and decided I had to have my own copy.

This book is a quick, easy and visual guide to the basics of creating your own book. It has an example breakdown of the copyright page, a schematic for book layout, information on distribution and publishing choices, typeface suggestions, and other information of interest to people looking into designing and publishing their own book. It is not an in-depth manual, but rather a quick reference and overview. It is also an inspirational venture into the artistic potential of independent publishing. The author gives information on zines, chapbooks and other publishing formats and provides a section on how to manually make (bind) your own books.

If you are looking for an in-depth guide to publishing, distributing and marketing your book, this title would not be the one for you. If you want a visually stimulating book with a brief overview of the independent publishing process, book and cover design and some basic references, this is your book. It would probably be better suited as a guide for those creating artistic books (books as art) than those venturing into standard publishing via POD or vanity presses.