Meeting my book designer
How do we feel about in-person meetings these days? Sometimes things are done better without zoom, I’m convinced…
I feel the same way with holding a book in my hands versus reading with an e-reader. Something special about the physical aspect right? I had my first meeting with my book designer, Angela, a few weeks ago. I was so happy to meet in person so that I could share my journals with her. I know that flipping through the journals’ pages is much more effective than looking at photos of them via webcam.
One of the biggest ideas we talked about was how to get that real “journal” feel come through in a book that can be printed over and over. There is so much to consider that I didn’t even realize, from incorporating my handwriting instead of typed fonts, to ensuring the colours of each entry really pop. There are little things in my journals that are very physical - paper textures, glued-down edges, shiny stickers, rips & tears from all my students reading & handling them over years… In fact, one physical thing you would notice right away is that ALL my journals are hand-sewn (by myself) down the spine so that they can remain intact. They have for sure come apart over the years. They are physical entities; living documents. A handwritten journal (I believe) is like holding magic in your hands.
<— all the journal spines, with stitching & often tape too (& maybe even hot glue lol)
Soooo how to bring all that magic to a book that will be printed and reprinted, marketed and sold? I willingly place my ideas & lots of ‘can we do this??’ in Angela’s talented hands. Soon I will be sending her a selection of journal entries from the past nine years, and she will work to translate them into book-worthy pages while maintaining that journal-esque quality. A few things I’m working on with Angela asap:
- Choosing approximately 15 entries from nine years of journals that showcase the joy of journaling
- Scanning these entries to go digital so that they can be artistically edited online to look like physical journal pages in a printed book
- Figuring out what the book cover could look like
Annnnnnd just because I’m writing this book on journaling doesn’t mean that journaling has stopped for me personally. I have just started journal #10 - woot woot! - and I am most proud of this colourful entry (which you’ll recognize from the last newsletter!).
Wishing everyone a wonderful rest of your week!
- Jessica
