Indie Publishing: How to Design and Publish Your Own Book [Paperback]

Ellen Lupton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 3, 2008 | ISBN-10: 1568987609 | ISBN-13: 978-1568987606 | Edition: 1

Once referred to derisively as "vanity publishing," self-published books are finally taking their place alongside moreaccepted indie categories such as music, film, and theater. Indie Publishing is a practical guide to creating and distributing printed books regardless of your background, skill set, or ambition. It will help you realize projects of every scale and budget, from the traditional bookmaking techniques used to create zines to the more ambitious industrial production methods required to produce hardcover books in large quantity.

Indie Publishing's special focus on the visual design of books makes it unique among publish-it-yourself manuals. Readers are taken step-by-step through the process of designing a book to give it personal style as well as visual coherence and authority. Design principles such as scale, cropping, pacing, and typography are explored in relation to each example, along with commentary on how to create effective title pages, tables of contents, captions, and more. Indie Publishing aims to inspire readers with examples of print projects similar to those they might undertake on their own. Sample designs include a picture book, artist's portfolio, exhibition catalog, poetry chapbook, novel, and zine. Indie Publishing addresses the important business aspects of independentpublishingfrom how and why you should get an isbn number to creating promotional materials and using the internet to market your book. This comprehensive, illustrated guide concludes with a curated portfolio of the most exciting examples of independent publishing from the contemporary scene, reproduced in full color. If you have content to share and you want to give it a fresh and orderly form, this book will kick-start your project and keep you motivated until the ink dries. Indie Publishing is the eighth title in our best-selling Design Briefs series, which has sold more than 100,000 copies worldwide.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Someday I'm going to make my own book, from start to finish. It's something that I've wanted to do for awhile, a physical parallel to building a web site from scratch. When I do, Ellen Lupton's Indie Publishing will be my guide. At 170-some pages it's not exhaustive, but the book does briefly touch all the bases: typography, cover design, binding types, and examples of several different types of books. There's also a section on handmade books with hands-on directions for making your own book -- folded books, stitched pamphlets, or stab bound -- without having to visit the printer." --Jason Kottke, Kottke.org, October 20, 2008

"The do-it-yourself movement in arts and craftsaccelerated by the wide availability of sophisticated digital technology, as well as access to information, and people, through the internet is creating a boon in one very key area: Self-publishing." -- Harry Allen --Harry Allen Radio (WBAI), April 24th, 2009

"So youve dreamed of creating your own novel/poetry book/portfolio/picture book/zine but havent got a clue where to start? Indie Publishing: How to Design and Produce Your Own Book, edited by Ellen Lupton and published by Princeton Architectural Press, might be a good first step. The inspiring do-it-yourself guide walks you through the bookmaking basics, demystifying the process and providing practical guidance on everything from visual design to printing to marketing." --Curled Up With A Book, February 10, 2009

"Lupton, a 2007 recipient of the AIGA Gold Medal, also directs MICAs Center for Design Thinking, for which faculty and students collaborate on publications that educate the broader community about design issues and practices. The Centers newest publication, Indie Publishing: How to Design and Produce Your Own Book, will be released this month by MICA and Princeton Architectural Press. It was written and designed by GDMFA students and faculty." --Maryland Institute College of Art Newsletter, September, 2008

"An insightful guide on how to design and distribute your self-published book." --How Magazine, April, 2009

"Brilliantly designed and written with an encouraging tone, this also ventures into the world of handmade book arts with concise instructions on how to print and bind your own book. From font choices to binding to distribution, this leaves no question unanswered." --Buds Art Books

"One of my favorite type of books are books about ...Books. This is sort of a manual in how to make and design and produce your own books. It is cleverly designed, and full of good details for the upcoming punk publisher." -- Tosh --Good Reads

"If it is true what insiders claim, that public interest is shifting away from the mass media to independent and small productions, then this book is both a good start and a helpful guide for artists who are producing their own books. Developed by a team of students and professors, it gives readers both confidence and an overview of small publishing houses and artist books. It also explains necessities such as ISBNs and marketing in the book trade and describes in short steps the use of InDesign and how to create hand-crafted artist books. And since this book itself originated from a workshop on book design, every page is a pleasure to behold, and excellent visual solutions are found for all type of difficulties. In recent years, niche products, at least the trust of buyers and now command more on bookshop shelves. More and more, the independent nature of publications is inversely proportionate to the size of the publishing house." --Foam Magazine

Review

"(Indie Publishing) has already proven to be wildly popular indeed, it's already in its second printing, the first sold out almost immediately upon release. Lupton has been the Director of the MFA Graphic Design program at Maryland Institute of College of Art since 1997 and is the author and/or editor of a multitude of books published by P.A.Press: The ABCs of Triangle Square Circle: The Bauhaus and Design Theory, D.I.Y. Design it Yourself, and Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors - Students. With these books, she's proved to be expert at crafting accessible titles about design and now, with the help of a few contributors, independent publishing."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press; 1 edition (November 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568987609
• ISBN-13: 978-1568987606
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,247 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > Arts & Photography > Graphic Design > Commercial > Book Design
  • #22 in Books > Education & Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Publishing & Books > Book Industry
  • #72 in Books > Professional & Technical > Architecture > Drafting & Presentation

More About the Author

Ellen Lupton is the author, coauthor, or editor of 13 books with PAPress, including Design Culture Now; Skin: Surface, Substance + Design; Inside Design Now; Thinking with Type; D.I.Y.: Design It Yourself; and D.I.Y. Kids. She is Curator of Contemporary Design, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution, New York and Director, Graphic Design MFA Program, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore. she is hte recipient of numerous awards including I.D. Forty, 1992; Chrysler Design Award, 1996; and AIGA Gold Medal, 2007.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Independent Publishing Elegantly Demystified October 28, 2008

By reader and maker

Format:Paperback

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.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars More Magazine than book... February 6, 2009

By Peabody

Format:Paperback

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.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An artist's perspective... January 15, 2009

By L. Brooks

Format:Paperback

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!