Book Design Quotes

“Forty minutes later, I leaned back in my chair, and looked at the thousand or so pages of manuscript towering on my desk. It hit me. Holy cow. This author had total control over this book. Total. And it was one of seven. One. Of. Seven.”
― Carla Bolte, William T. Vollmann: A Critical Companion

“There are a lot of conventions, a vocabulary and a set of practices and assumptions that underlie most professional book design. Since design is important to the eventual success of your book whether you attempt to do it yourself or hire it out, it pays to know something about those conventions and assumptions. After all, we don’t want anything getting in the way of your communication with your readers. You’ve got a message for them, a story to tell, or ideas to spread. That’s what’s important.”
― Joel Friedlander, The Self-Publisher's Ultimate Resource Guide

“Even when you do nothing, you are doing something. Be aware of your decisions and what they mean for the book you are designing. You can make books better or worse. The content is the engine that leads to ideas, personal ideas, crazy ideas. Be clear about who you are, what you believe in and do not try to be someone else. Stick to your ideas. Embrace them. However impulsive or intuitive they might be, they are your treasures. Rely on the inner feeling that what you look for will work, that it will be right. Use your imagination to make the book that does not exist yet. It could be your best book ever.”
― Armand Mevis