Novel layout in InDesign...

Submitted by thornysarus on Sat, 2006-05-13 14:35.

Member's Forum

A friend of mine is using InDesign to lay out his next novel. A damn fine writer as well. He emailed me to ask about kerning, fonts, etc. and I'm passing his question along to you all:

Jeremy writes: "So, what do I set the Kerning and the Leading, etc. for the actual body text? And what would you suggest using as far as fonts go?"

I was actually hoping that someone had a template lying around, which would be most helpful.

Much thanks in advance.

Terry

Try the Adobe Exchange. I'm

Submitted by Abdul on Sat, 2006-05-13 15:08.

Try the Adobe Exchange. I'm sure they've got something knocking about there.

Nothing in Exchange

Submitted by thornysarus on Sat, 2006-05-13 15:16.

Yeah. I checked there before posting here. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Terry Thornhill

e-zign Design Group

No easy answer here

Submitted by bteverybody on Sat, 2006-05-13 16:41.

It really depends on what kind of novel he's writing, page count, and trim size. Large type with airy leading is easier on the eyes, but can quickly become an "easy reader" and too juvenile. If you start at about 10/13.5, it'd be airy enough for readability, but not so dense that it looks intimidating.

Typeface selection would follow the same guidelines as usual. Something with a huge X-height would again border on juvenile and easy-reader. The best thing to do here would be to lay out 3 sample chapters (or duplicate one 3 times), and use a different typeface in each one. Print it out, trim it down, and see which one works best.

Hope this helps some. Sorry it's not a direct answer.

I've always heard that Times

Submitted by arvana on Sat, 2006-05-13 19:11.

I've always heard that Times Roman is the easiest-to-read font, although nobody really knows why. Perhaps it's just because it's the font that we read most in print so our eyes can scan it more quickly.

As bteverybody says, it depends what kind of novel it is, but although you can play with the fonts for headings etc, in most cases it's best to stick to established standards for the body text.

Arvana
arvanadesign.com

My personal choice

Submitted by spencereholtaway on Sun, 2006-05-14 10:42.

My personal choice of typeface for novels is Baskerville MT (MonoType). It's a very readable font, and not as generic as TNR.

Spencer E Holtaway
Graphic Designer

- Erm -

Submitted by synnestro on Sun, 2006-05-14 21:47.

..Is your friend going to actually print the book ??

Because for the writer of a novel to do the layout is usually a waste of time - the writer writes, the publisher publishes.

I know several people who deal with publishing, and one of their biggest annoyances is people who submit laid out work - which has to be stripped out and laid out again before it can be used.

If he's asking about leading/fonts/etc, maybe he shouldn't be doing anything about the layout..
..And if he's got InDesign without knowing the basics, I think he has more money than sense.

Sorry, but that's my view,
Peter

"If he's asking about

Submitted by firstkyne on Tue, 2007-09-18 23:19.

"If he's asking about leading/fonts/etc, maybe he shouldn't be doing anything about the layout..
..And if he's got InDesign without knowing the basics, I think he has more money than sense.

Sorry, but that's my view"

I have to say, Peter, that is a very arrogant and unhelpful post. Why are you trying to second guess the guy in question only to conclude he must be a clueless idiot?
I know plenty of writers who find SEEING what they write AS IT MIGHT APPEAR ON THE PAGE very useful. It helps flow, sentence length, pacing and rhythm.
Did it not occur to you that he's asking about leading/fonts because the information is hard to for anyone to find, from mewbie to pro?

For layout, there is no standard; it is down to the taste and skill of the typesetter.
A standard US paperback is 5.5 inch / 13.97cm x 8.5 inch / 21.59cm.
Header 1.27cm, Footer 2.58cm, inside 1.52 outside 1.78 is not unusual.
I would recommend TNR at 11.5-11.75 if you want to see how your words stack up in a typical paperback font. But, if you are going to be WORKING on your text in this layout (i.e. re-reading/re-writing repeatedly) TNR is NOT that fun to work with. I find Verdana much easier on the eye for this kind of work.
Hope that helps.

Opinions vary...

Submitted by JimD on Wed, 2007-09-19 03:02.

I have to say, Peter, that is a very arrogant and unhelpful post. Why are you trying to second guess the guy in question only to conclude he must be a clueless idiot?

I didn't see his post as arrogant at all. And contrary to your opinion, I think he was more helpful than some may be willing to see.

When you're dealing with a book/novel, poor typography can make even the greatest story so difficult to read that it brings you to near tears. It's simply not something with little to no experience should **dabble** with and still expect to be profitable.

I also saw nowhere in his post where he said the guy was a clueless idiot. Saying someone has more money than sense is a reference often used to express the opinion that just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean you SHOULD do something. Some things are better off left to the pros.

This is how I interpreted Peter's response.

You've offered some good advice as well... right up until you mentioned Verdana. That font works well for brief blocks of text, but an entire book full of 10-11 pt Verdana gives me a headache just thinking about it. ;-)

-----------
Visit Creative Guy for graphics and Mac OS tips, tricks, tutorials and commentary

hi a while ago i stumbled on

Submitted by Flub-Dub on Mon, 2006-05-15 09:04.

a while ago i stumbled on this one.
and found it to be really cool.

you can self publish your own books, and they are printed on demand, as people order them. or you can order a whole lot for you.
maybe your friend does not know about it
http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/sell/products/books

i know its cafepress, but i think that if you search, you can find something similar. and i dont see what could go wrong if you submit a good pdf.
plus, you can order a single copy, and if its not ok, you can adjust the design and then order a different copy.

as far as the font goes. i always knew you should use classic serif fonts
times new roman, garamond etc
but take a look here too

http://www.linotype.com/1502/books.html

cheers
--------------------------------------------------
always outnumbered, never outgunned

- lulu -

Submitted by synnestro on Tue, 2006-05-16 22:28.

I heard about a site called lulu.com..
..Which is about self-publishing - in many forms.

Once you can produce your own stuff, there's no reason to rely on 'normal' distribution channels.

"always outnumbered, never outgunned" = prodigy reference ??

he, no. that album was kinda

Submitted by Flub-Dub on Wed, 2006-05-17 08:25.

he, no. that album was kinda weak.
its more like a western movie reference.
i dig the actual meaning.

no matter how many of you [enemies] are there, you will
never have bigger and better guns then us.
and our guns and skill make up for the difference :p

--------------------------------------------------
always outnumbered, never outgunned

He is the printer also?

Submitted by griffoso on Wed, 2007-09-19 10:47.

If he plans on sending the novel to a print publisher I would have to tell him to get with the printer and ask what they suggest to use, he could save the author unnecessary work and valueable time lost on details he doesn't have to worry about.