Trying to decide which program to buy for publishing books

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Permalink Reply by Cathy Bowman on January 28, 2010 at 12:20pm

Hi Kimberly,

You're right about Quark or InDesign -- those are the two page layout programs that are most common. I use InDesign and really like it. I've never been very proficient with Quark, but the few times I've had to use it for specific projects, it's been very frustrating for me. Personally, I think it's harder to learn. If you've used any of the other Adobe products (PageMaker or Illustrator), you'll catch on to InDesign very easily. InDesign is a little bit less expensive, too. So that's my recommendation!

Cathy Bowman
About Books, Inc.
www.about-books.com

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Permalink Reply by Kimberly Allen on January 28, 2010 at 1:27pm

Thanks for your input Cathy it is appreciated!

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Permalink Reply by Dan Kohan on January 28, 2010 at 2:15pm

Kimberly, both are professional design programs with a steep learning curve. Most designers these days use InDesign, with Quark falling to a distant second place (although it's still popular in some markets). There are really no other programs that are acceptable for professional book layout.

Both programs cost many hundreds of dollars and will take you weeks to learn to use properly. And you may have a great native design sense that will allow you to design attractive books out of the gate, but you probably don't. You're probably better off contracting the layout to a designer or typesetter rather than doing it yourself. (Not to get all self-promoty, but that's what I do.) The fastest way to turn book stores and book reviewers off your product is to present them with a design that doesn't look professional.

Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Kimberly Allen on February 1, 2010 at 1:27pm

Thanks Don, I will keep this in mind!

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Permalink Reply by Sandra Adell on February 3, 2010 at 8:12pm

Hi, Kimberly:

If you don't already have some level of proficiency in interior book design, I would contract it out to someone who does it for a living. My new book, CONFESSIONS OF A SLOT MACHINE QUEEN, was designed by James Arneson [Jaad book design]. I am very pleased with the outcome and I know that it's the quality that libraries [one of my targeted markets] are looking for. Also, working with a designer was quite an education. I was fortunate to have hired someone who was very generous in terms of explaining all that I needed to do. Right now, he's finishing up with my website. I tried to create my own site through dreamweaver, but just had too much to do, like working out a business plan for my new publishing company and marketing materials for the book.

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Permalink Reply by JustYourType.biz Book Designer on February 4, 2010 at 10:01am

Hi Kimberly,
If you are new to the business, I would strongly suggest hiring a professional to design, layout and properly and professionally typeset your books - there are many "rules of the road" that an untrained eye and unskilled person would have no clue about but that will set your book apart from a do-it-yourself book.

Best wishes in your publishing ventures!

Sue Balcer
JustYourType.biz Book Designer

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Permalink Reply by Cindy Downes on March 16, 2010 at 4:18am

Hi Kimberly,

I self-publish using Quark and been using it since late 1990s. It is expensive and I've tried to change to InDesign, but I'm so used to Quark I can't seem to make the change. I love Quark. But it is very difficult to learn. However, not impossible. If you decided to do your own designing (which can save a lot of money for a new author), check out Lynda.com for training. For $25.00 per month, you can get all the training you need on Quark or InDesign or any other software for that matter. My favorite design resource for learning how to actually design a book, is the NonDesigner's Design Book by Robin Williams. This is a classic and extremely helpful.

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