{"id":2463,"date":"2013-01-02T05:45:43","date_gmt":"2013-01-02T13:45:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/publishingblog\/?p=2463"},"modified":"2013-01-02T05:45:43","modified_gmt":"2013-01-02T13:45:43","slug":"graphics-or-no-graphics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/publishingblog\/?p=2463","title":{"rendered":"Graphics or No Graphics?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Talk Up Your Book<\/em> has been featured as a \u201cRecommended Book of the Month\u201d at the Writers-Editors website. Check it out: http:\/\/www.writers-editors.com\/Writers\/Contests\/contests.htm<\/a> <\/p>\n

You\u2019ll also find a plethora of contests for writers here. Maybe you can arrange to become an award-winning author in 2013<\/p>\n

Graphics and Illustrations<\/strong>
\nThis morning, a client asked whether or not she should use graphics or illustrations in her upcoming book. Here\u2019s basically what I told her:<\/p>\n

When considering whether it would be better to have graphics or just text, think about the books you read on this topic or similar in topic. Do you prefer seeing graphics? Do you wish there were graphics to illustrate various points? Are graphics sort of superfluous in this type of book? How do you feel about them when you are studying a book similar to yours? <\/p>\n

Sometimes charts, graphs and\/or illustrations greatly enhance a how-to book. Photographs might be just the thing you need in order to add clarity and interest to your story. On the other hand, they might tend to give your book a cluttered look. They may not be required or useful if the material you are presenting is simple and easily understood.<\/p>\n

When you write about real people and situations, certainly readers want to see what the principals look like. They want to see before and after photos of the refurbished town and a photo of the antique jewelry you mention in your story. Memoirs generally call for photos. Books featuring complex issues might need graphs and charts to add clarity. You might want to help create a certain mood or emotion using drawings or photographs with your collection of poetry, for example.<\/p>\n

When considering whether or not to use graphics or illustrations, think about the word count of your book project and the size the book will be. You may not want to produce a huge book that would intimidate readers. Maybe graphics or illustrations would help to create a substantial book from what may have been destined to pamphlet size otherwise. What is a good size and page number for a book on your subject\u2014in your genre? Consider this when trying to decide whether or not to use graphics.<\/p>\n

And then there is the cost of producing the book. The more pages in the book, the more it costs you or your publisher to produce. And if you go with color inside\u2014color photos or graphics, for example\u2014the cost will go up.<\/p>\n

I suggest (nag) regularly that you keep your readers in mind throughout the writing and publication of your book. Here is another decision you should make at least partially with on your readers\u2019 behalf. <\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to hear from those of you who found this post timely and helpful. As we proceed through our book projects, we discover many things we need to consider throughout the writing and production process. I hope that the blogs I post each day help you to make the best decisions with regard to your book project.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Talk Up Your Book has been featured as a \u201cRecommended Book of the Month\u201d at the Writers-Editors website. Check it out: http:\/\/www.writers-editors.com\/Writers\/Contests\/contests.htm You\u2019ll also find a plethora of contests for writers here. Maybe you can arrange to become an award-winning author in 2013 Graphics and Illustrations This morning, a client asked whether or not she […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[24,3],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t