Book Design for Independent Authors

BAIPA Features Three-Person Design Panel on February 7

Sometimes cliches are true. Potential buyers of BAIPA authors’ books really DO judge a book by its cover! So it’s particularly appropriate that the topic of our special first-Saturday-in-February meeting (February 7) is a panel discussing book cover and internal design for independent authors.

Moderated by BAIPA President Becky Parker Geist, our three design experts on the panel are:

Joel Friedlander	Joel Friedlander (@JFBookman) is an award-winning book designer, a blogger, the author of A Self-Publisher’s Companion: Expert Advice for Authors Who Want to Publish and the recently published The Self-Publisher’s Ultimate Resource Guide. He’s been launching the careers of self-publishers since 1994 and writes TheBookDesigner.com, a popular blog on book design, book marketing and the future of the book. Joel is also the founder of the online training course, The Self-Publishing Roadmap.
Jim Shubin	Jim Shubin—also known as the Book Alchemist—is an award-winning book designer and publisher. In a previous life he was an Art Director and Creative Director at some of San Francisco’s hottest agencies and in Melbourne, Australia. He has also taught college-level design, typography, and photography in California and Australia. [email protected]
David Kudler	David Kudler serves as publisher for Stillpoint Digital Press. Since 1999, he has overseen the publications program of Joseph Campbell Foundation, for which he has edited three posthumous volumes of Campbell’s previously unpublished work (Pathways to Bliss, Myths of Light and Sake & Satori) and has managed the publication of over eighty print, ebook, print, audio, and video titles, including the third edition of the seminal Hero with a Thousand Faces. He is honored to serve as the vice-president for the Bay Area Independent Publisher’s Association (BAIPA).
Becky Parker Geist BAIPA President	Moderator: Becky Parker Geist (BAIPA President) is a voiceover professional, owner of Pro Audio Voices, and CEO of DoodleeBooks LLC. Pro Audio Voices serves clients internationally, and is the go-to place for exceptional voiceover services for audiobooks, animation, and advertising, with an emphasis on materials with uplifting and inspiring stories and messages. Pro Audio Voices provides an easy and accessible path for authors and publishers new to audio production.

Topics will include:

What elements make a book cover attract our target marke?
What subliminal messages are we sending with the cover?
How does the internal layout and design impact the reader?
Should an author do a preliminary layout and design before hiring a designer?

There will be an afternoon workshop led by Jim Shubin, the Book Alchemist. He will cover tips for saving time and money on book design and production, such as: