Book designer Joel Friedlander talks with BookBaby president Brian Felsen about why DIY authors should still hire a professional designer when it comes time to print books. Firstly, Microsoft Word is not a professional product in terms of typesetting, layout, etc. So you’re already at a disadvantage if you want to handle everything yourself.
But more importantly, when you “do it yourself,” you have to know what you’re doing– and book design is not a skill you can learn in 45 minutes; it can take years to learn well. You want someone with that kind of expertise on your team when it comes time to release your book; after all, you’ve put too much effort into your book to release it with design mistakes.
Joel Friedlander: The Book Designer
