Season’s Readings: A Holiday Gift of Gratitude and Great Books

As the holiday season arrives and the year winds down, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude. To those I’ve had the privilege of working with this year, thank you for trusting me with your stories and allowing me to play a role in bringing them to life. To everyone who visits this blog or follows along with my work, thank you for your interest and support—it means so much.

To share a little inspiration this holiday season, I’ve put together a collection of book recommendations. Each one is a meaningful read that has provided enrichment throughout my year. Whether you’re looking for something special for yourself or a thoughtful gift for a loved one, these books are sure to bring depth and delight to the season.

The Serviceberry

by Robin Wall Kimmerer

One of my favorite authors, Kimmerer also wrote the highly acclaimed Braiding Sweetgrass (consider this a bonus recommendation!). In The Serviceberry, she speaks of embracing a gift economy and offers a framework for embodying care, reciprocity, and gratitude for the Earth. It's a beautiful, nourishing book that encourages us to reconnect with and step into the gift of the living, breathing, wild world around us.

A Thousand Mornings: Poems

by Mary Oliver

This small but profound collection of poems is perfect for savoring one verse at a time, perhaps with your morning coffee. Mary Oliver’s crystalline simplicity and deep reflections on nature offer a quiet yet powerful way to start the day. Her mastery of words is unparalleled, weaving together her observations of the wild world and the human heart in ways that linger long after you’ve turned the page.

Eavesdropping on Animals: What We Can Learn From Wildlife Conversations

by George Bumann

I had the privilege of meeting George during a workshop in Yellowstone National Park, where he shared his deep knowledge and infectious enthusiasm for the natural world. He’s incredibly knowledgeable, engaging, and funny, with a remarkable talent for replicating animal sounds that brings the natural world vividly to life. His new book captures his expertise and humor, and is a doorway into the more-than-human conversations taking place in the wild all around us. This book is an excellent choice for anyone ready to reawaken their ability to listen, understand, and learn from nature.

Each of these books holds something quite special, and I hope they bring you as much insight and joy as they’ve brought me. I want to mention that I wasn’t paid or incentivized to share these recommendations—they’re simply books I love and feel are worth sharing.

I’d love to hear from you: what books have inspired or delighted you this year? Send me an email to share your favorites—I’m always on the lookout for new recommendations!

Wishing you a holiday season filled with peace and connection, and a new year filled with creativity and possibility.

P.S. If you enjoy content like this, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter for more book design tips, recommendations, and updates!

Adapt Your Print Book for the Digital World: Smart Tips eBook Formatting

Adapt Your Print Book for the Digital World: Smart Tips for eBook Formatting

A couple of weeks ago, I found myself exploring the banks of the Clark Fork River captivated by the scene unfolding at the water’s edge. The vibrant plant life was thriving in that transitional moment between fall and winter, adapting effortlessly with grand flair to these ever evolving seasonal shifts—much like stories, which can take on new forms while still preserving their beauty and essence.

Adaptability is one of the most remarkable qualities of a story—it can shape itself to fit any medium, from a beautifully printed hardcover to the screen of an e-reader. But embracing this adaptability often means rethinking how your book works in its new digital form.

When formatting an ebook, it’s essential to prioritize user experience. While it might feel tempting to replicate your print book exactly, digital reading comes with unique challenges. Wide elements like tables and charts, for example, often don’t translate well to smaller screens. Instead, consider reworking them into simpler, reflowable formats that are easy to read and interact with. This isn’t a compromise—it’s an opportunity to enhance how readers engage with your content.

Start with Essentials Up Front
Your ebook should immediately inform readers where they are with a clear title page and concise copyright details. This ensures a polished, professional impression from the first screen.
Use a Clickable Table of Contents
An interactive ToC is a hallmark of a well-designed ebook. Readers can jump directly to chapters or sections with a tap, making their reading journey seamless and enjoyable.
Rework Wide Content
Tables, charts, and other wide elements don’t always work well on digital screens. Simplify them or break them into smaller, readable chunks. Reflowable text or images are easier for readers to navigate and keep their focus on your content, not struggling with layout issues.
Incorporate Interactive Features
Ebooks offer tools print can’t match. Add features like hyperlinks to external resources, embedded multimedia (such as audio or video), or pop-up definitions for complex terms. These elements can make your ebook more dynamic and valuable.
Refine Chapter Layouts and Enhance Readability
Begin each chapter on a new page and maintain consistent formatting for headings and subheadings. Use adequate spacing and section breaks to keep the narrative flowing. These small adjustments create a smoother and more enjoyable reading experience for your audience.
Leverage the Back Matter
The back matter is an incredible space for adding value and engaging readers:

Acknowledgments: Thank collaborators, editors, family, or supporters. This adds a personal touch.
About the Author: Share your story and include links to your website, social media, or newsletter sign-up.
Call-to-Action: Invite readers to leave a review, check out related books, or explore additional content.
Sneak Peeks and Previews: Offer a teaser for your next book to entice readers to keep following your work.
Interactive Links: Use links to drive traffic to resources, blogs, or even exclusive downloads.

Proofreading Tips for Self-Publishing Authors: How to Perfect Your Manuscript Before Publishing

I recently enjoyed some fall days on a trip to Yellowstone National Park for a workshop called Decoding the Language of Nature. Taught by expert naturalists and animal trackers Jon Young and George Bumann, it was an incredible experience—learning about, watching, and listening to wolves, coyotes, bison, pronghorn, birds, and other wild creatures all participating in a continuous flow of intricate communication. Spending time honing my eyes and ears to begin listening in reminded me of how small details shape the bigger picture—something that’s just as true for books as it is for the natural world.

After returning from this remarkable experience, I’ve been diving back into book design and working with self-publishing authors to help them bring their manuscripts to life. A recent conversation with one of my clients about the importance of proofreading sparked the idea for this blog post. I thought it might be helpful to share some essential tips for authors looking to refine their own work before publishing.

While hiring a professional proofreader is always the ideal choice for a polished final product, some authors prefer to tackle the proofreading process themselves. If that’s you, here are a few crucial tips to help catch those pesky errors and ensure your manuscript is ready for readers.

Take a Break
Setting your manuscript aside for a day or two before you begin proofreading is one of the most effective ways to gain fresh outlook. Coming back to your work with rested eyes allows you to spot issues you might otherwise miss. This step can make all the difference when it comes to catching errors in your own writing.
Print it Out
Reading on paper offers a new perspective. Errors, inconsistencies, and awkward formatting are often easier to catch when you’re looking at a physical page instead of a screen. Printing out your manuscript also allows you to make notes and corrections directly on the paper, which can streamline your editing process.
Use a Checklist
Proofreading without a plan can make it easy to overlook small but significant details. Create a checklist that covers common issues, such as spelling, grammar, and punctuation, as well as elements specific to your manuscript, like character name consistency or formatting. This ensures a thorough review and helps produce a more professional final product.
Read Backwards
One helpful trick for catching typos and other small errors is to read your manuscript backwards. By isolating each word, you force yourself to slow down and focus on individual elements, which makes it easier to spot mistakes. This technique helps you catch spelling errors and misplaced words that might be missed when reading normally.
Eliminate Distractions
Proofreading requires your full attention, so be sure to find a quiet space where you can focus. Minimizing distractions—whether it’s turning off notifications, setting aside dedicated time, or finding a quiet environment—will help you catch subtle errors and polish your manuscript effectively.

Want more? See Below...

Capture Your Reader’s Attention with Stunning Cover Design

Why Invest in Professional Cover Design?

A compelling cover does more than catch the eye; it speaks to the heart of your prospective readers, inviting them into the world you've created. With a blend of artistry and strategy, a well-designed cover can make your book stand out while fitting seamlessly within your genre. It's about creating a visual narrative that resonates with your audience, encouraging them to explore further.

How I Can Assist You

With my expertise, we can navigate the intricacies of cover design together. From understanding your book’s essence and target audience to selecting imagery and typography that amplifies your story I'm here to bring your vision to life and be your guide through the process to ensure your cover is not just beautiful but effective.

Here are some ways that we will collaborate on your book cover:

Personalized Cover Design: Your book's genre, target audience, and core message guide my design strategy. I delve into the specifics, from genre norms to the subtleties that make your book unique, crafting a cover that not only captivates but also communicates.

Technical Expertise: Transitioning from manuscript to print or eBook format is seamless when you work with me. I handle the complexities of file creation and formatting, ensuring your book is ready for platforms like Amazon's KDP and IngramSpark, without the technical headaches.

Collaborative Process: Your vision is paramount. Through regular updates and open communication, I ensure that the design aligns with your expectations, incorporating your feedback and providing revisions to perfect your cover and interior layout.

Showcasing Success

Every project is a story of collaboration and creativity, resulting in covers that not only captivate but also sell. For a glimpse into the transformative power of exceptional cover design, I invite you to explore my portfolio of recent projects and discover how I've worked together with authors to elevate their visions into captivating visual stories.

Ready to Transform Your Cover?

Embarking on your cover design journey is just an email away. Contact me to discuss how we can turn your vision into a visual masterpiece that attracts and delights your target readership.

I would love to be a part of your publishing adventure and look forward to creating something remarkable together!

What goes on your front cover?

Tips for book cover design success.

Last month I talked about what content to include on your back cover, so, naturally, I thought I would expand on the important elements to include on your front cover. As with the back cover, it is critical to know who your audience is as you begin developing the copy and design of the front cover.

Because it is the first thing that potential readers will see, everything that is placed on the cover needs to be well thought out and intentional. The actual visual approach that you take with the design will vary depending on if your book is fiction or nonfiction, but in both cases the front cover should immediately speak to your audience when they see it.

Here are some things to include:

Title. The title will want to be the most prominent element on the page and set in a font that is fairly simple and easy to read. Keep in mind that if you are selling your book online the front cover will be thumbnail size when presented to online shoppers in browsers and reading devices. Therefore the legibility of the title needs to be crystal clear in both the larger printed version and the digital thumbnail size.

Subtitle (if applicable). This element is #2 in priority after the title. It also wants to be very legible and easy to read at small sizes. Often the subtitle is set in a smaller less "fancy" font than the title, but is still complimentary to the title. The design of the title and subtitle work together to create a typographic grouping that works with and enhances the rest of the design.

Series Number (if applicable). If your book is part of a series you can choose to include this information on the front cover. Usually it is quite small and worked into the typographic design of the title and subtitle or, in some cases, across the top of the page. Some authors choose to only put this on the spine or back cover, but if your book's fans will mostly be reading it as an ebook it can be helpful for them to see the series number on the front cover.

Endorsement. If you have an endorsement from a person with a well-known name, great for you! Endorsements can help add credibility to your book and it may work well to give a big name endorsement some prominence on the front cover, but limit it to one and keep it short. Start collecting endorsements and reviews early!

Author Name. Of course readers will want to know who the author is! This element is most commonly placed in the lower third of the front cover. Unless you are a super well-known and established author, the prevailing advice is to keep the author name small.

Design. Buyers do judge books by their covers! All of the previously mentioned elements need to work seamlessly with the overall design of the book. Hire a professional book cover designer to avoid a front cover design that is easily recognized as amateurish. The design of your book cover can be made up of images, or illustrations, it can be strictly typographic, or it can be a combination of all these things. Whichever direction you choose should reveal the tone of your book right away so that upon first glance the reader can instantly get a sense for the content inside. The design should also be reflective of other books in your genre - similar, but distinct, so that it "fits" with the other books on the shelf and also stands out. Finally - don't forget to look at a gray scale version of your cover - some e-readers don't display color, so the cover must still look good and be readable in gray scale.

After the audience is defined and the research and planning is done then is it ready for the design phase. When I design the front cover of your book some of my goals include:

Readability of the title font
Seeking creative continuity from the front cover, over the spine and onto the back cover (and inside/outside flaps if it's a dust jacket).
Making sure the cover scales down to smaller sizes well.
Creating a cover that is unique but fits in the genre.
And finally...ensuring that you - the publisher! - absolutely love your book's cover design.

Back Cover Copy – What goes here?

Learn about which elements should go on your back cover to help sell more books.

Ever wonder what to put on the back cover of your book? This area should be used as a marketing tool that helps people see the benefits of buying your book. The copy that you put here should be aimed specifically at your audience, using language that they resonate and connect with. Ultimately, the back cover content is what sells the book. After the front cover or spine has snagged their attention, the copy that appears here will hopefully seal the deal and result in your reader making the purchase. And, because attention spans are short, this content needs to be easy to quickly read.

Here are some things to include:

A tagline. Appearing at the very top of the page, use an enticing one or two line sentence to provoke interest or intrigue. Keep it short to grab your reader's attention and pull them further down the page into more details about the book.

A book summary or blurb. This one or two paragraph block should be written with your reader in mind. However, it shouldn't be written in the same style as your book. Think of it more like ad copy, and to write effective ad copy it is critical to know who your reader is and then talk directly to them using language that they'll relate to. The book summary can help your reader understand why they want to buy your book and communicate to them how this book will benefit their life.

Reviews, endorsements, testimonials. Include 2-3 of your best reviews on the back cover. These short statements of praise from others helps add a feeling of credibility to your book. Seeing that other people, maybe some of them well-known, have read, endorsed and recommend your book, builds a sense of trust with your potential reader. Be sure to include your reviewer's name and credentials if they have them.

Author biography and photo. Give people a way to start getting to know you as an author. Include a short bio about yourself and why you wrote the book. Keep it brief and clear, saving the longer list of achievements and story for your "About the Author" page in your book or on your website. Use a simple, professionally taken head shot for the photo.

Publishing Information. This section is for your ISBN bar code and could include the bookstore category, price (if you choose to include that), and your website address.

After you have all of the copy for the cover, only then is it ready for the design phase. When I design the back cover of your book some of my goals include:

Maintaining visual continuity that may come from the front cover and/or elements of the interior style.
Keeping the information on the back cover easily digestible with the most important copy presented in a way that grabs the eye.
Using various design techniques to eliminate any potential for an overcrowded, or cluttered feeling.

Hit the Book Cover Design Grand Slam!

For a Grand Slam Cover Design, start with a Book Cover Design Brief.

What is a Book Cover Design Brief, and why do you need one?

A book cover design brief is something that is vital to any design project. It provides, me, your book cover designer, with clear and precise information about your book so that I can effectively do my job and create a book cover that you love!

Without some direction, your designer has to make assumptions about what they think you will like. Sometimes it works out and you get a cover that is acceptable, but more often than not, without a proper set of expectations and guidelines, it misses the mark and they have to go back to the drawing board and begin again. This can be frustrating to both the author and designer as it inevitably adds more time and cost to the project.

This scenario can be avoided by taking some time before the design process begins to develop your ideas and vision. A book cover design brief will help you collect, compile, and distill these ideas, thoughts, and research into a format that you can hand to your book cover designer. Think of this as an opportunity for you to deeply explore what you want your book cover to look like and then tell your designer exactly what you want to achieve. A book cover design brief is no place for generalities. Here, you should be as specific as possible and move past the impulse to say things like “I want this design to pop” or “Just make my cover look good.”

To help you with this process, using resources and suggestions from other designers as well as pulling from my own experience, I've compiled a book cover design brief that you can review and start developing the specific vision and goal for your book cover. When you sign up for my newsletter, you can download it for free!

The Serviceberry

A Thousand Mornings: Poems

Eavesdropping on Animals: What We Can Learn From Wildlife Conversations

A Yellowstone day drawing to a spectacular close.

Want More Tips for Your Self-Publishing Journey?

My newsletter is packed with helpful advice on book formatting, design, and digital publishing. It’s your personal resource for making your book stand out!

Help for Independent Presses

Book Design & Production

6 ways to Elevate Your eBook Design

Want More Tips for Your Self-Publishing Journey?

My newsletter is packed with helpful advice on book formatting, design, and digital publishing. It’s your personal resource for making your book stand out!

What’s Next?

Help for Independent Presses

Book Design & Production

5 Proofreading Tips for Self-Publishing Authors

Practical Steps to Help You Polish Your Own Manuscript

Download all 10 Tips

These 5 tips will help you begin to refine your manuscript. But there’s more to consider if you’re committed to a truly polished final draft! To access all 10 of my proofreading tips to help you through the process, you can download the full resource here by signing up for my newsletter.

What’s Next?

Final Thoughts

Help for Independent Presses

Book Design & Production

Why Invest in Professional Cover Design?

How I Can Assist You

Here are some ways that we will collaborate on your book cover:

Showcasing Success

Ready to Transform Your Cover?

Help for Independent Presses

Book Design & Production

Tips for book cover design success.

Help for Independent Presses

Book Design & Production

Learn about which elements should go on your back cover to help sell more books.

Help for Independent Presses

Book Design & Production

For a Grand Slam Cover Design, start with a Book Cover Design Brief.

What is a Book Cover Design Brief, and why do you need one?

Help for Independent Presses

Book Design & Production

These 5 tips will help you begin to refine your manuscript.
But there’s more to consider if you’re committed to a truly polished final draft!
To access all 10 of my proofreading tips to help you through the process, you can download the full resource here by signing up for my newsletter.