tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188490281217241971.post8701526097594071692..comments2023-10-14T10:56:43.661-07:00Comments on Roger Eschbacher Books and Other Writing: Good Grief, I'm a Font NerdRoger Eschbacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588775352918614245noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188490281217241971.post-29135691107303741052011-06-16T23:29:56.780-07:002011-06-16T23:29:56.780-07:00Thanks, Keith! I think you're right about the ...Thanks, Keith! I think you're right about the indent and will look into that. <br /><br />I liked Century Schoolbook, too, but dismissed it for exactly the same reason you did -- it added too many pages. As we've discussed, it's a real balancing act to keep the book's price as affordable as possible and still make some "profit." Unnecessarily high page count makes that a difficult proposition, at best.<br /><br />I saw mention of "orphans and widows" somewhere along the way and decided not to look into it (yet) for fear of having my head explode!Roger Eschbacherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03588775352918614245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188490281217241971.post-83151801473908885202011-06-16T04:39:15.973-07:002011-06-16T04:39:15.973-07:00Great post, and halfway along Nerd Street where I ...Great post, and halfway along Nerd Street where I often like to wander!<br /><br />John's right about checking the word spacing, but I've found that a font can look different from one size to another, and the most notable change is when it gets down to a really small size. The example on your page is smaller than 12pt and as a result the lettering does seem "wider" than it normally would be. I checked in Word and 12pt is a nice size with compact spacing, so it looks good as far as I can see.<br /><br />I like Garamond, but the reason I didn't choose it was because of the italics, which seem overly compressed. For this very reason I researched and obtained a font called Century Schoolbook, which is gorgeous and has really nice italics... but in the end I found that it took up too much space and added too many pages. This seems lame, but I went with Times New Roman in the end because it seemed to work for my smallish print. But if I had room to play with a bigger font, I would use Century Schoolbook. (If you happen to want a copy of the font, I'll gladly send it to you.)<br /><br />I honestly can't see the point in spending ANY money on fonts when there are plenty available for "free" -- as Harry Potter's Garamond proves!<br /><br />Oh, and going by your example -- as far as I understand it, the indent size is perhaps a little too big? Perhaps half that size would work?<br /><br />After all this, and if you haven't already, start reading up about orphans and widows. Now THAT's some head-spinning reading! :-)Keith Robinsonhttp://www.unearthlytales.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188490281217241971.post-12092857754078122472011-06-09T16:46:48.932-07:002011-06-09T16:46:48.932-07:00Thanks for the tip, Japke. That's a great site...Thanks for the tip, Japke. That's a great site! <br /><br />I'm looking forward to sending you a copy of Leonard! As I check things like picking a font off the "to do" list, that day gets just a little bit closer!Roger Eschbacherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03588775352918614245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188490281217241971.post-90483094353198275292011-06-09T01:39:31.358-07:002011-06-09T01:39:31.358-07:00Yes, font selection can be a real challenge. One o...Yes, font selection can be a real challenge. One of the sites with loads of information on fonts and foundries is http://new.myfonts.com/ They also have a monthly (or so) newsletter where they explore new and popular fonts, or where they interview designers of fonts. Also they offer fonts for free and also a lot that can be purchased. Really looking forward to read the book :)Japkenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188490281217241971.post-80228871545764127752011-06-08T18:45:26.282-07:002011-06-08T18:45:26.282-07:00Thanks, Christine. Yeah, I think I'm finding a...Thanks, Christine. Yeah, I think I'm finding all this font and formatting stuff a little <i>too</i> interesting! It is vital to the overall appearance of the book, though, so I think I'll obsess a little while longer. ;c)Roger Eschbacherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03588775352918614245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188490281217241971.post-52108513549142466142011-06-08T17:35:11.919-07:002011-06-08T17:35:11.919-07:00This was such an interesting and informative post,...This was such an interesting and informative post, I had no idea how involved the whole font process is! You learn something new every day.fiChristine Murrayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08168406879681616375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188490281217241971.post-24753601865961584182011-06-08T16:47:04.263-07:002011-06-08T16:47:04.263-07:00Thanks for the excellent advice, John. Love the id...Thanks for the excellent advice, John. Love the idea of special initial caps! I will look into leading and kerning, too. I'm sure there are resources on the web that will help.Roger Eschbacherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03588775352918614245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188490281217241971.post-28679249183744202602011-06-08T16:24:14.464-07:002011-06-08T16:24:14.464-07:00Garamond is great, but please check the word spaci...Garamond is great, but please check the word spacing. It seems overly wide. I started my career as a graphic designer, so I love fonts and type. Also ask (if you can find someone to ask) about the leading and kerning of the letters that is happening as a result of the justified pages.<br />And please consider at least some special initial caps for your chapter headings or first lines...something like the letters from an illuminated manuscript.<br />You know I am a huge Leonard fan, and want it to look the very best.John Adamsnoreply@blogger.com