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I’ve got a great Q&A for you today on how to get started and actually select the right type of book for your book project.
How do I decide which type of book to use?
There are a great variety of books out there…sometimes it can be hard to decide which book will be right for your specific need. Whether you have never made a book before and don’t know where to start….or always end up selecting the same book….here are a couple of great points to consider for your next book.
To Play – or – To Display
First Question: Is your book going to be for play or display?
If you’re planning on your kids handling your book in a way that only kids can master, you know, rough with the pages, bending the corners, sippy cup in hand…you might want to consider a soft cover book. These are great alternatives to document your year and keep your kids entertained.
If you’re planning on creating a book more for display, you should design a book that is more professional looking with higher quality paper.
One Event – or – All Year
Next Up: Are you covering one event or your entire year?
With only one event, such as a birthday, vacation, or christmas morning, it is easy to design a smaller, succinct book. This is also perfect if you want to include a lot of photos from your smart phone or point and shoot camera. You can easily bleed the photos on the page without having to worry about pixelated images.
For an entire year, chances are you will have a thicker book. Selecting a hard cover to support those pages is a good idea. Depending on the number of pages and your budget, it may make sense to use standard paper or upgrade to professional paper.
On the Coffee Table – or – On the Bookshelf
Finally: Where are you going to keep your book, on the coffee table or the bookshelf?
A book on the coffee table wants to be a little bit larger, with professional paper and an intentional design. You should design a cover to really stand out and make visitors want to pick up this book and look through it.
If you are planning on a book resting on your bookshelf, take notice of similar types books on your shelf and match that with your photo book size. I tend to have a lot of standard landscape size books (at least in height) on my bookshelf, so it typically makes more sense for me to design standard landscape books.
And to top it off, I’ve got a great reference guide for you to pin and share. 😉
If you’ve got a question about your book, share in your comments below or send me an email!
