Going Beyond a Simple eBook

When I started this project, the idea of creating a real paper book and an eBook was more than I wanted to deal with. I thought that I should just do an eBook and get something published as soon as possible. I believed that I had good reason to be hasty. For one thing, I had to learn how to draw…and paint…and use Photoshop…and Procreate…and learn color theory, and everything else that goes with starting a career as an illustrator. Yes, I consider myself an illustrator, an illustrator just starting out.

After watching the process of other children’s book illustrators, I got to thinking that, to be taken seriously, I have to publish an actual paper version of my book as well as an eBook. Even though a paper book has mean special considerations than seem complicated, I have to face them. There’s the front matter, title page, cover images — all every exciting features that contribute to the professional “feel” of a book. I want my book to have that feel.

Today I created a second inDesign project for the paper version. The main change is that the paper book will be in portrait mode, not landscape mode. I’ll have to redesign the layout of images and text, and even create images that cover two pages. This is exciting stuff!

Here’s a view of the some ideas I have for the first few pages of front matter as they would look in portrait mode.

book_summary_image.png portrait view, paper book, self-publishing


A 32-Page Book is a 27-Page Book

Children’s picture books usually have 32 pages. This number is arrived at by the way eight-page “signatures” are created by folding two pieces of paper in half to create an eight-page unit. As a consequence, the number of pages in a children’s book is a multiple of eight. There are some 24-page books, and some longer books, such as Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, which has 48 pages.

Initially I assumed that I would have 32 pages to tell my story. As an impatient rookie, I didn’t do my homework — I didn’t consider that a professionally published book has “front matter” that uses five pages for the title page, a page for the ISBN, publication date, blank pages, and publisher information. Without these pages, the book lacks the fundamental features of a serious book.

Since I don’t want my readers to think I’m a hack, or worse, a lazy, sloppy, hack, I’m going to bring my book up to a professional level. However, adding five pages for front matter gives me a 37-page book. I’ll have to cut five pages of text and images. Despite the extra work I have in front of me, I’m relieved that my book will look like it was done with care and attention to detail.

In the image below (from inDesign), you can see that the story in a 32-page book actually starts on page six.

book_front_matter.png children's picture book, page numbering, front matter, Ingramspark,e-book

About the business of self-publishing

After dashing wildly and heedlessly into creating a picture book, the consequences of cavalier haste are now upon me. With my head now engaged in the business side of self-publishing, I spent the day trying to wrap my head around the details of publishing a very simple book, which is not really as simple as I naively thought it would be.

I’ve already mentioned the daunting Ingramspark Publisher Compensation Calculator. Today I watched several videos about the ins and outs of preparing and publishing a children’s picture book.