I’ve just launched a weekly podcast about water harvesting. And what is water harvesting? It’s actually three things: This episode introduces the first of the three main activities of water harvesting, redirecting rainwater away from where it isn’t wanted to where it is. Let’s talk about where you don’t want rainwater. First and most obvious…
The Rationale: Amidst ongoing news of water scarcity in the western United States, I see an opportunity. For nearly 20 years, I have been transforming my central Tucson home into an urban oasis. The secret to my success: Water harvesting. The Book: In my new book, City Nature, I explain the rationale for water harvesting…
While I was designing my book, I also was dreaming of Press Day. On that magical day, presses would roll, and, a few hours later, large stacks of paper would result. Those stacks of paper would then be bound into finished copies of City Nature. Turned out that first phase of book production was a…
My forthcoming book, City Nature, is a self-publishing project, and I’ve been involved in self-publishing since the mid-1980s. I know that if you want to win this game, you need a team. The team goal? Make City Nature the best book it can be. So, let’s meet my seven team members. Number one, from suburban…
The year 2022 marks my 11th year of shooting the final mile of El Tour de Tucson. And Saturday, November 19 was one of those cloudless, sunny days for which our city is famous. From my vantage point, it wasn’t clear who the 102-mile race winner would be. Shortly before 11 am, a police escort…
It took six weeks and a day, but I got it done! Hooray! And what is this “it” that I’m talking about? It’s the design of my book about nature in the city, and I finished it up to the point where the index will be added. Tools of the Book Design Trade For this…
Earlier this month, I talked about the physical dimensions of my forthcoming book. Thinking about dimensions raises larger questions about aesthetics, which I will address in this post. A mentor advised me to ask myself these questions about the books I’ve been using in my design research: What appeals to you about the design of…
In my last post, I introduced my living room design studio. While I’ve been ensconced on my couch, I’ve been creating book layout sketches. I’m not going to lie – this has been a tedious process. It also has forced me to view page layouts as part of a cohesive product. Am I ready to…
In my last couple of posts, I’ve talked about using the library for book design research and taking a field trip to my printer. What do both of these activities have in common? They’re physical! And tactile! Since I get around Tucson by bicycle, there’s nothing that gets my attention like hauling a stack of…
In my previous post, I talked about a free design research tool that’s available to all of us. You’ve probably used it many times, and not just design research. In this post, I’m all about hitting the road. That’s because it’s time for a field trip! Field Trip Report Monday morning’s bicycle ride to the…
Although my employment days are long gone, some things haven’t changed. One of them is the recipient of my Most Inspiring Coworker Award. Still goes to a lady named Liz. I met Liz at a Tucson-based fundraising organization. She was the computer system administrator, and I worked in the publicity and publications office. Liz wasn’t…
Now that the editor is finished with my book manuscript, what am I doing? Here’s a process-oriented post to explain. First agenda item is to review the editor’s feedback. She’s a real stickler for grammar, punctuation, and small, easy-to-miss items like extra spaces between words and sentences. Color me impressed – I’m more of a…
As mentioned in my previous post, I’m planning on selling my book online. So, I just completed Startup Tucson’s eCommerce Masterclass. Among other things, the instructors assigned me the task of creating buyer personas. As I see it, a buyer persona is a brief sketch of a potential book purchaser. These personas will guide what…
Since I’m planning on selling my book online, I just completed Startup Tucson’s eCommerce Masterclass. Among other things, the instructors assigned me the task of creating buyer personas. As I see it, a buyer persona is a brief sketch of a potential book purchaser. I’ve created 10, and here are the first five: Blue for…
Just got a call from the sales rep at my printer. He reports that there’s great excitement around the plant – a new press is coming! This press will enable the printer to offer a process that I may want to use in my book. Note the use of the word “may.” I’m a long…
You’ve probably heard that old expression, “The longest journey starts with a single step.” That’s an apt description of my publishing journey. But, in my case, the journey started with a single pedal stroke. After I graduated from the University of Michigan, my parents gave me $500 to spend in any way I chose. I…
Looks like my book manuscript will be at the editor’s office until early April. She told me that she’ll be taking her time and doing a thorough edit, and I’m good with that. So, now what? I’ll sum things up in one word: Bookification. If you’ve been following this blog series since I started it…
Three posts ago, I talked about the process of marrying my book’s words with the pictures. I’m pleased to report that they’re officially married and off on their honeymoon. Where are they spending it? At the editor’s office. You’ve met the editor before – last October, I introduced you to her. As mentioned previously, she…
Good news! My book’s photo selection process is almost done. Is it time to don the party hats and break out the noisemakers? Not yet. The photos that made it through those multiple rounds of selection still have to fit into a larger book layout. They also need introductory copy and captions. In short, there’s…
In my previous post, I discussed the difficulty of thinking about my words and pictures without imagining how they will appear in page layouts, and how those layouts will flow as the book progresses from beginning to end. I went on to note that, as much as I’ve tried to keep design out of my…
Now that the photo selection is done, it’s time to join my book’s pictures in holy matrimony with the words. This week, I’ve been figuring out how to work the photos that support the narrative into their proper places within the manuscript. This process sends me right back into wordsmithing mode, because most of these…