Like/dislike opinions on formatting issues in self-published homeschool curriculum?

[8filltheheart]

I am hoping in the next 3-4 weeks that I will have finished writing my writing curriculum geared toward 3rd and 4th graders.   From my perspective, I am beginning to think writing it might actually have been the easiest part!   I have started reading all sorts of blogs and articles on self-publishing, and they are about to make my head explode!   It doesn't help that I am completely and totally technically inept.  Teach writing--hey, that I can do!   Decipher formatting/polishing epub mumbo-jumbo, not so much.

 

Since homeschooling is a "niche market," I figured that the best source of information  (hopefully conveyed in homeschooling mom-ese vs. tech-ese) would be from the actual "niche."

 

Anyone care to share their POV?   Are there page formats you absolutely love/hate?  Line spacing, type-set, margins, etc that drive you crazy?   Do you care about cover art?  Are downloadable pdfs based on 8.5 x 11 pages OK? What about TMs that do not need to be printed, is there a size preference for screen viewing?

 

ETA: and please feel free to address anything I didn't mention!!  All info will be greatly appreciated!  :)

[kiwik]

With a pdf I prefer to be able to veiw the entire page on a 6 inch screen without having to shrink it so small I can't read it. I guess I prefer A5 rather than A4 but A4 is good for printing.

[Alte Veste Academy]

Are there page formats you absolutely love/hate? Line spacing, type-set, margins, etc that drive you crazy? Do you care about cover art? Are downloadable pdfs based on 8.5 x 11 pages OK? What about TMs that do not need to be printed, is there a size preference for screen viewing?

I like a clean layout. My big (and maybe ridiculous) pet peeve is a two page lesson that is printed back-to-back instead of as a two-page spread, but that might not be as relevant for a download. Yes to 8.5x11 PDF. Cover art is not important to me, but a clean, professional appearance is. My biggest turn off about spacing is sections that are not well delineated. I want clearly outlined, easy to discern at a glance separation between units, lessons, steps, etc.

 

I don't know about the TM screen size thing, but I think most PDF files can be adjusted for whatever device is used for viewing.

 

My DS8 might be an early adopter. :D

[kiwik]

I have miquon on pdf and it really doesn't work unless you print it that is the only one I have had major problems with.

[idnib]

Other threads on the chat boards will warn you not to use the "Comic Sans" font. It seems to be a deal killer for lots of folks.

 

I'm really excited to see your curriculum. And the next few weeks is great timing.

 

 

[kiwik]

Yeah can we have a sample big enough to tell what it is like? Pretty please? I haven't found quite what I need for ds7.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

All I ask is that pages aren't overcrowded.  I'm so excited to see this when it comes out! 

[Ellie]

I am hoping in the next 3-4 weeks that I will have finished writing my writing curriculum geared toward 3rd and 4th graders.   From my perspective, I am beginning to think writing it might actually have been the easiest part!   I have started reading all sorts of blogs and articles on self-publishing, and they are about to make my head explode!   It doesn't help that I am completely and totally technically inept.  Teach writing--hey, that I can do!   Decipher formatting/polishing epub mumbo-jumbo, not so much.

 

Since homeschooling is a "niche market," I figured that the best source of information  (hopefully conveyed in homeschooling mom-ese vs. tech-ese) would be from the actual "niche."

 

Anyone care to share their POV?   Are there page formats you absolutely love/hate?  Line spacing, type-set, margins, etc that drive you crazy?   Do you care about cover art?  Are downloadable pdfs based on 8.5 x 11 pages OK? What about TMs that do not need to be printed, is there a size preference for screen viewing?

 

ETA: and please feel free to address anything I didn't mention!!  All info will be greatly appreciated!  :)

 

Text that is underlined totally ruins something for me. ;-)

 

Space between paragraphs *and* indented paragraphs...ditto.

 

Sans-serif fonts (Ariel, Helvetica) for the whole thing...ditto.

 

Those sans-serif fonts "italicized"...oh please don't.

 

Improperly formatted hanging indents....::heavy sigh::

 

Double spaces after punctuation...::heavy sigh::

 

I have often imagined myself contacting those authors and offering to  fix those things for them so that their work will look more professional...

[Hunter]

Recycling ISBN#s drives me crazy. If you write a new edition, give it a new ISBN#.

 

And if you have not alpha and beta tested it, don't publish it, yet. TEST it first! Then publish something that is worth publishing.

 

The ease and speed of publishing is causing me some big headaches. Sometimes the confusion on these boards when discussing certain curricula is that we are all using different editions and don't even know it.

 

It's so easy now to get away with constantly editing and revising a curriculum, that authors are taking advantage of that, but it hurts the consumer, and in the longterm ultimately hurts the author.

 

When I print, I love it when a week fits on a 2 page spread. When I read from an eReader, I want it to fit in a smaller screen. Some authors now take the time to create a printable and an eReader version. 

[purpleowl]

Within a pdf, I like good links - eg table of contents is clickable so I can go straight to the page.  I also like it if the numbers on the pages match the numbers I have to put in if I want to print those pages.

[8filltheheart]

Thanks for all the feedback.  (I might regret posting this w/o coffee and proofreading!   My ds, dil, and grandkids are here.   I have to hurry b/c it is Father's Day!  Excuse my rushed post!)

 

The student pages will be simple, lots of white space, clearly delineated.  (Sorry, loesje22000, it will be black and white.)  

 

Based on your feedback,though,  I'm wondering about the TM.   The TM has a lot of text.  (Anyone surprised if I say I wrote it such that it definitely requires a teacher?  ;)  LOL!!)   It is not an approach that will appeal to everyone.  (definitely not an objective)  It is written like a conversation with me teaching not only the student, but hopefully the teacher as well, via explicit instructions on how to master specific skills.   As a student progress through the material, the mom should have no questions as to how to evaluate skills that should have been mastered b/c developing those skills has been taught in detail and therefore mom should be able to identify them in the student's work.

 

With that said, the TM has a lot of text.   Introductory lessons are long.   I tried viewing a long lesson as a single page on my iPad and there is no way.  The text would have to be really small.   Some days have less text b/c the concepts are being developed vs. being introduced.   So I don't think there is anyway to have a complete lesson on a 6 in screen. 

 

As a matter of fact, some of the days have 4 pages of text.   I have opened them on my laptop in 2 page spreads, but not four.  (of course, I am OLD compared to you all, so maybe your non-40+ eyes can read smaller text!)   

 

With that being the case, would there be a formatting preference?

 

Oh, and I will definitely not use Comic Sans. :)   Is there an objection to Times New Roman 12 font?

 

[8filltheheart]

Within a pdf, I like good links - eg table of contents is clickable so I can go straight to the page.

 

Oh, that is a good idea.   Way beyond my abilities, but definitely a great suggestion.   I'll have to find someone to work on that one!

[Ellie]

 

 

Oh, and I will definitely not use Comic Sans. :)   Is there an objection to Times New Roman 12 font?

 

 

 

Yes, there's an objection. :-)

 

Palatino, Bembo, and Goudy Old Style are all much, much better than Times New Roman. 

[8filltheheart]

Yeah can we have a sample big enough to tell what it is like? Pretty please? I haven't found quite what I need for ds7.

 

I am working on setting up a website.   I will post examples on the website when it is up and running.  (Like I said, I am totally non-techie.   This is really the hard part for me.  It might be what really slows down the entire process.)  

 

Text that is underlined totally ruins something for me. ;-)

 

Those sans-serif fonts "italicized"...oh please don't.

 

 

Double spaces after punctuation...::heavy sigh::

 

 

 

I do underline the odd line for emphasis so stands out amidst the rest of the text.  (only a handful in pages and pages of text :) )

 

I do italicize possible answers to differentiate between teaching text and possible responses.   Not sure how to go about it to make it easier to see.  Open to suggestions on that one!!!  :lol:

 

I do double space after punctuation.  If that is a deal breaker, it is going to have to be a deal breaker. Way to much text to go back through and edit that.  I personally prefer double space b/c it is easier on my eyes.

[8filltheheart]

Yes, there's an objection. :-)

 

Palatino, Bembo, and Goudy Old Style are all much, much better than Times New Roman. 

 

Thanks!   I will work with those and see how they look.

[OneStepAtATime]

 

 

I do double space after punctuation.  If that is a deal breaker, it is going to have to be a deal breaker. Way to much text to go back through and edit that.  I personally prefer double space b/c it is easier on my eyes.

I agree, the double spacing may not look "professional" but for someone with failing eyesight it is a HUGE help to be able to see and read.  HUGE.

 

And I think what you are doing is awesome!  I hope it comes out the way you envision.  :)

[ErinE]

 

Thanks for all the feedback. (I might regret posting this w/o coffee and proofreading! My ds, dil, and grandkids are here. I have to hurry b/c it is Father's Day! Excuse my rushed post!)

 

The student pages will be simple, lots of white space, clearly delineated. (Sorry, loesje22000, it will be black and white.)

 

Based on your feedback,though, I'm wondering about the TM. The TM has a lot of text. (Anyone surprised if I say I wrote it such that it definitely requires a teacher? ;) LOL!!) It is not an approach that will appeal to everyone. (definitely not an objective) It is written like a conversation with me teaching not only the student, but hopefully the teacher as well, via explicit instructions on how to master specific skills. As a student progress through the material, the mom should have no questions as to how to evaluate skills that should have been mastered b/c developing those skills has been taught in detail and therefore mom should be able to identify them in the student's work.

 

With that said, the TM has a lot of text. Introductory lessons are long. I tried viewing a long lesson as a single page on my iPad and there is no way. The text would have to be really small. Some days have less text b/c the concepts are being developed vs. being introduced. So I don't think there is anyway to have a complete lesson on a 6 in screen.

 

As a matter of fact, some of the days have 4 pages of text. I have opened them on my laptop in 2 page spreads, but not four. (of course, I am OLD compared to you all, so maybe your non-40+ eyes can read smaller text!)

 

With that being the case, would there be a formatting preference?

 

Oh, and I will definitely not use Comic Sans. :) Is there an objection to Times New Roman 12 font?

 

Professional cover art is good, but it doesn't need to be elaborate. Personally, I like a minimalist cover with perhaps a small drawing/stock photo, but the cover art doesn't sway me to purchase. Too often, a crazy cover makes me less likely to purchase.

 

I've put together large financial memorandums and there's usually a subtitle every 1-5 paragraphs of information. It helps to have each major section clearly labeled so I can go directly to the relevant part as opposed to skimming four pages of information.

 

Perhaps break up each lesson in the TM with subtitles? Things like: Purpose, Lesson, Notes, Feedback. These are off the top of my head subtitles, but I like it when the subtitles follow the same format: all nouns, all verbs, or X of Y.

 

Finally, I really enjoy SWB's essay in her WWE Instructor's Guide summarizing the purpose, learning, and teaching of writing as well as a brief overview for a child's writing progress through the years. If you could provide something similar, it would be valuable. I've found that I've learned more about teaching from essays and posts about writing than from the lessons in writing curriculum.

[Soror]

I'm not a techie expert but I do like clickable lessons for the pdf. I prefer to have something printed as I'm more likely to use something printed as opposed to a pdf. Especially if the teacher's manual is longer I like the option to have it all printed and sit down to pre-read. I'm so happy to hear this 8 and your publishing it ahead of dd1 so she can hopefully try it out next year. 

 

-oh and another note just in case you don't have it yet nice placement test to make sure the student is ready and what to expect along with a list of skills worked on throughout the program and goals for the completion of the program.

[alisoncooks]

No suggestions, but keeping my  :bigear:  for any updates!

 

[Ellie]

I am working on setting up a website.   I will post examples on the website when it is up and running.  (Like I said, I am totally non-techie.   This is really the hard part for me.  It might be what really slows down the entire process.)  

 

 

I do underline the odd line for emphasis so stands out amidst the rest of the text.  (only a handful in pages and pages of text :) )

 

I do italicize possible answers to differentiate between teaching text and possible responses.   Not sure how to go about it to make it easier to see.  Open to suggestions on that one!!!  :lol:

 

I do double space after punctuation.  If that is a deal breaker, it is going to have to be a deal breaker. Way to much text to go back through and edit that.  I personally prefer double space b/c it is easier on my eyes.

 

Instead of underlining, make the text bold, or use a different font. For example, you body text font might be Palatino, and the text you want to be more prominent could be Futura bold. I promise you it will look better, and it will stand out from the rest of the text. You might have to make the point size slightly smaller.

 

Just make the text italics. It is what it is. :-)

 

You can do a find-and-replace search for double spaces. Do you read magazines and newspapers? Books? They are all single-spaced after punctuation. Really.

[OneStepAtATime]

Instead of underlining, make the text bold, or use a different font. For example, you body text font might be Palatino, and the text you want to be more prominent could be Futura bold. I promise you it will look better, and it will stand out from the rest of the text. You might have to make the point size slightly smaller.

 

Just make the text italics. It is what it is. :-)

 

You can do a find-and-replace search for double spaces. Do you read magazines and newspapers? Books? They are all single-spaced after punctuation. Really.

I really like that first suggestion!  Underlining just doesn't look as good as bolding. 

 

Ellie I realize that the last item is a pet peave of yours and I totally sympathize.  I certainly don't want 8's material to look unprofessional, either.  But FWIW not putting in the double spaces really does make it more difficult to read for many of us with poor eyesight.

[MBM]

Years ago I used to be a graphic designer and specialized in an area that was called informational graphics which included texts.

 

I can't summarize easily what you should do in a few sentences because good design is not a simple process. My advice is to take the time to study the basics of good layout design for texts. It is much easier to read material that has been properly laid out and designed.

 

To get you started, these websites might be helpful:

 

http://www.thebookdesigner.com

http://fontfeed.com/archives/top-ten-typefaces-used-by-book-design-winners/

 

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Another person with poor eyesight who prefers fonts with serifs, double spaces after sentences (but definitely not a deal-breaker!) and I happen to like spaces between paragraphs as well as subtitles when appropriate.  Bold is better than underlined, and anything is better than evil italics, but I understand sometimes italics make the most sense. 

 

And if you need testers...  I have a soon-to-be second grader who is working ahead of grade level... 

[nansk]

1. Please don't format it so that the margins on left and right pages are different widths. The Writer's Jungle PDF is formatted like that and I cannot size it properly on my old Kindle. In the TWJ PDF, the right margin on the left page and the left margin on the right page are wider (leaving a wide column in the center). I would like all margins the same width, so that I can increase the page size to a bigger, easier-to-read font size.

 

2. Please don't put tiny notes in the margins like TWJ does. It distracts my ADDled brain. :-P

 

I think you can view a sample of TWJ to see what I mean. Let me know if you can't. I will try to explain better.

[silver]

To make PDFs viewable on a tablet, it helps to use a smaller paper than 8.5x11; 6x9 and 5.5x8.5 have both worked well for me with reading (with the later size having the benefit of being able to be printed "booklet" style on home printers).

 

I like PDFs with bookmarks for the chapters/lessons. My tablet sometimes remembers where I was in a PDF, but not usually. So I like bookmarks to be able to quickly jump to the lesson I need.

 

That being said, I do prefer printed teacher books. That way I can write notes in the margins and stick bookmarks to easily find useful information for reference. For printed books, I'm not a fan of 8.5x11 sized books. I teach snuggled with my kids on the couch, and 8.5x11 is not snuggly at all. It's not a deal breaker and I have many books that are that size. I just fine I'm happier with books that fit my hands better.

[MBM]

Another idea, 8, is to hire a graphic design student. They usually work for peanuts and are happy to get projects they can put in their portfolios.

 

If you go this route, your project will become a collaboration. You will need to give them some leeway and they will need to sell you their ideas. A certain amount of give-and-take is involved in the process.

 

If you do this, ask to see the individual's current work. Also ask for the names and versions of all of the programs they would use (they might use several) and if you would get all of the end-product computer files. Keep in mind that later you might not be able to edit easily what they did without knowing the programs yourself and how they work together. You could possibly keep up an ongoing relationship with them but designers can get bogged down in jobs that require many hours of work.

[Farrar]

See I don't have an objection to san serif fonts in general.  Helvetica is a great font.  There's a reason it has a cult of following.  And a sans serif font can make it easier to read when you're looking at a two page spread or viewing the whole page on a tablet.  i don't have any objection to Times New Roman or some of the others, but make sure you're not using something too light to be read.  I'm not a fan of Gaudy Old Style as a main text font.  But a lot of this is just getting down to taste.  You're not going to please many people if you use Comic Sans or anything that's hard to read, but beyond that, I say go with what you think looks good and is readable.

[SilverMoon]

One issue I haven't seen mentioned is margins adjusted for 3-hole punching or binding double-sided pages. If the odd pages have a larger right margin, even pages should have a larger left margin.

 

Fonts, spaces, and such don't rank on my deal breaker list. My biggest beef with writing curricula in general is the back and forth between teacher and student text so I can figure out exactly what's happening. When that happens I end up dropping teacher texts and just working through the student text with my DC even if we miss parts. If the TM drives the course I want it to let me know what's going on in the student text.

[Mergath]

Other threads on the chat boards will warn you not to use the "Comic Sans" font. It seems to be a deal killer for lots of folks.

 

I'm really excited to see your curriculum. And the next few weeks is great timing.

 

This, and I would also say not to use any elaborate fonts, either.  Nothing screams "amateur" like a book or website that has eight different fonts on one page.  When it comes to fonts, less is more.

 

Another thing I'd throw in is, if you're going to have a lot of links, citations, etc., don't put them in the body of the text.  It gets really annoying when you can't flip through an ebook properly because you're accidentally touching a link on every other page.

 

And like another pp mentioned, I also don't like having lots of little notes, quotes, etc. in the sidebar.  It's distracting and messes up the flow of the main text when your reader is constantly stopping to read something off to the side.  TWJ drives me nuts that way.

[nansk]

One issue I haven't seen mentioned is margins adjusted for 3-hole punching or binding double-sided pages. If the odd pages have a larger right margin, even pages should have a larger left margin.

Wow! That is exactly what I requested should not be done. :) It makes it difficult for me to view the complete text on one horizontal page on my Kindle.

[SilverMoon]

Wow! That is exactly what I requested should not be done. :) It makes it difficult for me to view the complete text on one horizontal page on my Kindle.

LOL - Could we compromise on printer friendly margins for student pages and viewer friendly pages for the read only TM? ;)

[Ellie]

One issue I haven't seen mentioned is margins adjusted for 3-hole punching or binding double-sided pages. If the odd pages have a larger right margin, even pages should have a larger left margin.

 

 

 

What you're actually wanting is larger *inside* margins. Which software you're using makes a difference in what that set-up is called. And ITA.

 

[Ellie]

I really like that first suggestion!  Underlining just doesn't look as good as bolding. 

 

Ellie I realize that the last item is a pet peave of yours and I totally sympathize.  I certainly don't want 8's material to look unprofessional, either.  But FWIW not putting in the double spaces really does make it more difficult to read for many of us with poor eyesight.

 

It isn't a "pet peeve," but that's ok. :-)

[Tress]

I'm fine with everything! Doesn't even matter if I have to read it upside down :D, but could you please hurry and write something for the 5-7th grade crowd too? :lol:

 

If needed I can send chocolate, Dutch sweets (drop), my dd10 to help clean your kitchen, you name it :).

[Dmmetler]

Probably not an issue for writing so much, but if anyone is doing a curriculum where the occasional color diagram or graph is vital to understanding, please consider doing the black and white book and then having a separate section in the .pdf of "Color illustrations"-for those of us who have cheap BW laser printing, but have to print color on a much more expensive printer (or who could put THAT PDF on an iPad for the child to view).

 

There are few things that will turn me off a curriculum faster than hundreds of worktext pages that my DD really needs printed to work on, which have just enough color that I'm stuck either printing the whole thing on the expensive, slow inkjet printer, or printing each page manually.

 

 

[OneStepAtATime]

It isn't a "pet peeve," but that's ok. :-)

Sorry Ellie, if I mispoke!  :)  I just know that you have pointed this particular issue out on more than one occasion so it seemed very important to you that people are taking into consideration the profession format change and implementing it.

[Ellie]

Sorry Ellie, if I mispoke!   :)  I just know that you have pointed this particular issue out on more than one occasion so it seemed very important to you that people are taking into consideration the profession format change and implementing it.

 

I think it's an important feature of professional-quality page layout and design. Documents which have double-spaces after end punctuation are also likely to have underlines and other less-than-professional things which tend to make the documents less readable overall. But double-spacing after end punctuation is not a "pet peeve." I have those (using "language arts" and "boxed curriculum are pet peeves) but for some reason in my head this is not the same thing, lol.

[Matryoshka]

I really like that first suggestion!  Underlining just doesn't look as good as bolding. 

 

Ellie I realize that the last item is a pet peave of yours and I totally sympathize.  I certainly don't want 8's material to look unprofessional, either.  But FWIW not putting in the double spaces really does make it more difficult to read for many of us with poor eyesight.

 

:iagree:  Wholeheartedly on both those points!  (Even though my kids are sadly too old to benefit from 8's awesome-sounding curriculum, I still manage to have lots of opinions on formatting/layout from my days doing such things for a living in my pre-homeschooling days!)  I'll actually admit that I liked double-spacing after periods even when my eyes were young, but now they are well over 40, so I'll go with that excuse if it's better. ;)

 

Plenty of white space to rest the eye including margins, good line spacing (not too tight, but not as much as double-spaced), and ample spacing between sections. A good serif text font (Palatino and Goudy are both good suggestions).  Sans-serif fonts are good for titles, headings and things you want to stand out (instead of underlining).

 

[Kuovonne]

I am thrilled that you are getting this out.

 

Here are a few ideas. They are not specific to self-published homeschool materials.

These ideas are based on my years as a technical writer and a user of .pdf files.

 

Publishing:

- Make it a pdf file. Don't worry about ePub or other file formats at this stage.

- Sell it on Currclick or Lulu

- Do not use DRM for pdf files. (If you don't know what this is, don't worry about it.)

- If you sell a printed version and it is thick, make it spiral bound.

- Clearly identify if you need both the teacher and student text, or if you can get by with either.

- Clearly identify if you need anything else to go along with your materials (e.g. copies of specific books).

- Have beta testers.

- Have introductory pricing.

 

General Appearance:

- Use plenty of white space

- Have only a few levels of headings, and make each one very distinct.

- Use ragged right, not justified text.

- If single spacing is too close, and double spacing is too far apart, try 1 1/4 or 1 1/5 line spacing

- Make it easy to differentiate between informative text and tasks to perform.

- Format tasks to perform as numbered lists, or bullets if they don't need to be done in order.

- If something is to be repeated every lesson, state it every lesson.

- Use the same font size for body text throughout.

- Do not tweak formatting to make things fit on a single page. Go ahead and flow to the next page.

- Do not use a two-page spread. They do not show up well on tablets.

- Use a single column of text.

- Put any graphics on their own line. Do not flow text aroud them.

- Never use small caps.

 

Chapters / Lessons

- Start each chapter / lesson on a new page, even if leaving lots of blank space at the end of the previous one

- Use an "end of chapter / lesson" symbol

- Make the start of each chapter visually distinct with an extra large chapter number that is easily visible when looking at a thumbnail of the page. (For reading on tablets.)

 

 

Front Matter

- Make the cover visually appealing, and easy to identify as a thumbnail. (For reading on tablets.)

- Include a copyright date *and* version info so people can easily tell what version they have.

- Make it clear which version of teacher manual goes with which version of student text.

- Start page numbering from page 1 (this helps when going to a page in the .pdf file) Traditional books have front matter numbered in small roman numerals, but this is a pain when trying to go to a specific page on a tablet.

- Include a linkable table of contents.

- If you group lessons/chapters into sections, consider having a smaller toc that lists just the sections.

- If you need more than a pencil and paper, have a list of materials.

- Have a brief section explaining your methodology and why it is superior to other methods, without bashing other ways.

- Clearly identify which pages (if any) can be reproduced. Typically, I expect to have the right

to reproduce any consumable pages for my family or class.

 

Headers / Footers

- Put the page number on every page but the cover.

- Put page numbers in the center so they look decent whether printed single or double sided.

- Put the name and number of the section / chapter (or lesson) in the header

 

Misc:

- Embed the student text in the teacher text so the teacher doesn't have to flip back and forth.

PDF files:

- Have all links (page numbers, links to websites, etc.) clickable.

- If your customer basis is mostly in the US, make the pages 8.5 x 11

- If in doubt, go with the larger font size.

- If in doubt, go with more white space.

 

Lastly:

If formatting it seems overwhelming to you, seriously consider farming out that task.

I happily volunteer my services in order to get an advance look at it.

[Alte Veste Academy]

I am thrilled that you are getting this out.

 

Here are a few ideas. They are not specific to self-published homeschool materials.

These ideas are based on my years as a technical writer and a user of .pdf files.

 

Publishing:

- Make it a pdf file. Don't worry about ePub or other file formats at this stage.

- Sell it on Currclick or Lulu

- Do not use DRM for pdf files. (If you don't know what this is, don't worry about it.)

- If you sell a printed version and it is thick, make it spiral bound.

- Clearly identify if you need both the teacher and student text, or if you can get by with either.

- Clearly identify if you need anything else to go along with your materials (e.g. copies of specific books).

- Have beta testers.

- Have introductory pricing.

 

General Appearance:

- Use plenty of white space

- Have only a few levels of headings, and make each one very distinct.

- Use ragged right, not justified text.

- If single spacing is too close, and double spacing is too far apart, try 1 1/4 or 1 1/5 line spacing

- Make it easy to differentiate between informative text and tasks to perform.

- Format tasks to perform as numbered lists, or bullets if they don't need to be done in order.

- If something is to be repeated every lesson, state it every lesson.

- Use the same font size for body text throughout.

- Do not tweak formatting to make things fit on a single page. Go ahead and flow to the next page.

- Do not use a two-page spread. They do not show up well on tablets.

- Use a single column of text.

- Put any graphics on their own line. Do not flow text aroud them.

- Never use small caps.

 

Chapters / Lessons

- Start each chapter / lesson on a new page, even if leaving lots of blank space at the end of the previous one

- Use an "end of chapter / lesson" symbol

- Make the start of each chapter visually distinct with an extra large chapter number that is easily visible when looking at a thumbnail of the page. (For reading on tablets.)

 

 

Front Matter

- Make the cover visually appealing, and easy to identify as a thumbnail. (For reading on tablets.)

- Include a copyright date *and* version info so people can easily tell what version they have.

- Make it clear which version of teacher manual goes with which version of student text.

- Start page numbering from page 1 (this helps when going to a page in the .pdf file) Traditional books have front matter numbered in small roman numerals, but this is a pain when trying to go to a specific page on a tablet.

- Include a linkable table of contents.

- If you group lessons/chapters into sections, consider having a smaller toc that lists just the sections.

- If you need more than a pencil and paper, have a list of materials.

- Have a brief section explaining your methodology and why it is superior to other methods, without bashing other ways.

- Clearly identify which pages (if any) can be reproduced. Typically, I expect to have the right

to reproduce any consumable pages for my family or class.

 

Headers / Footers

- Put the page number on every page but the cover.

- Put page numbers in the center so they look decent whether printed single or double sided.

- Put the name and number of the section / chapter (or lesson) in the header

 

Misc:

- Embed the student text in the teacher text so the teacher doesn't have to flip back and forth.

PDF files:

- Have all links (page numbers, links to websites, etc.) clickable.

- If your customer basis is mostly in the US, make the pages 8.5 x 11

- If in doubt, go with the larger font size.

- If in doubt, go with more white space.

 

Lastly:

If formatting it seems overwhelming to you, seriously consider farming out that task.

I happily volunteer my services in order to get an advance look at it.

 

Wow! You are really good at this! Love your list, especially "Make it easy to differentiate between informative text and tasks to perform." Yes, yes, yes! :)

[8filltheheart]

Kuovonne,

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to type all of that out.   I don't know what some of the things are (like DRM).   Do you think Currclick or Lulu is better than setting up a site on something like Shopify?   I was thinking about going that route with a paypal checkout so that I could have dedicated FAQ/Q&A pages.

[Pen]

My child is above the grade level you are working on, so this is for your knowledge, but would not actually be something I would be trying to get, unless you have a level done at some point when it fits him.

 

 

We live in an area where there is only slow dial-up internet service available.

 

Thus, the fewer the bytes, the better.

 

Pictures (unless simple black and white drawings) and color make downloading virtually impossible.

 

They also make ink costs go up.  They can also make time and effort to do the printing increase, and at a certain point, it makes it seem better to get something that comes as a book on paper.

 

I know that I am probably in a minority at this point, but I also know that in a neighborhood like this, about half the kids are home schoolers...a higher percentage, I think, than in most city neighborhoods where there is fast internet available. 

 

 

 

 

A clean page, and plenty of white space make reading text easier, both for me and also for my child, who has dyslexia issues, which probably apply to a number of children these days.  I prefer a traditional font with serifs such as Palatino or Times New Roman.  Actually, I cannot really tell the difference between T and TNR. It is also possible to adjust settings so that one gets a bit more space between letters and lines (not actual double spacing, but enough to make it easier to read). 

 

 

 

 

eta--I tried to show how the TNR could be spaced slightly greater and make it easier to read, but it does not hold the format when I copy it from my program to here. Oh well.

[FO4UR]

Just chiming in to  :party:  

 

 

 

I would love a spiral bound TM and pdf printable student books.  I don't care about cover art...but staying away from the overly-overdone public domain art work would be nice.  (Hey, it's the lady sitting in a chair, reading to her children who are all dressed in prim Victorian style.  Must be a HS curric! :lol: )

 

 

I like TM's on the Kindle, but when I use them in that format the background needs to be clean white.  Background design underneath text makes it hard to read on the Kindle for some reason.  That said, I'm personally moving towards hard copies for TM's.  (My kindle gets lost too easily. :glare: )

 

 

Oh, and if you need a Beta Tester, I have a 3rd grader AND a 4th grader this fall.  :001_tt1:   j/k...sort of...please make a big splash when this is available for purchase b/c I'd love to be your first customer.

[MerryAtHope]

Joel Friedlander's sight, The Book Designer, was an invaluable help to me when formatting my book. I haven't used any of his for sale items (he has pre-made formats which may or may not fit your needs), but the articles helped me avoid a lot of newbie mistakes. By far one of the most informative sites, and one I kept coming back to. Best wishes on your project!

[Mimm]

I haven't read this whole thing so forgive me if I'm repeating, but PLEASE do NOT use comic sans. There are so many pretty fonts out there that won't look ugly and amateurish.

[Kuovonne]

Kuovonne,

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to type all of that out.   I don't know what some of the things are (like DRM).   Do you think Currclick or Lulu is better than setting up a site on something like Shopify?   I was thinking about going that route with a paypal checkout so that I could have dedicated FAQ/Q&A pages.

 

Don't worry about DRM (Digital Rights Management). It is a complicated annoying way of preventing people from sharing eBooks with other people. Unfortunately it also makes it a pain for the actual purchaser to use the eBook. I only brought it up because I recently bought an expensive .pdf file and it has DRM so I can't use it the way I want to. Just price your book appropriately and trust that people will be honest.

 

I think you should go with Currclick, Lulu, or both, because they are both well known to homeschoolers who buy .pdf files. Both provide turn-key solutions, including order processing, online payments, file delivery, etc. Lulu can also provide both print and electronic copies of your files. They will both take a (potentially large) cut of your profits, but require no up-front fees and are much simpler than trying to create your own storefront.

 

If you want a FAQ or Q&A, you can just put that info in the free sample / preview.

 

[Lakeside]

Congratulations!  :hurray: How exciting! I've been wishing you would write something for as long as I've been reading your posts on here!  

 

If you have a print version please don't make the cover that weird new texture that so many things are being made in.  I don't know what it is, but I do not like touching it. 

 

[Rivka]

I am sure that this project cannot possibly move forward without ME as a beta tester. :tongue_smilie:

[SilverMoon]

What you're actually wanting is larger *inside* margins. Which software you're using makes a difference in what that set-up is called. And ITA.

 

Ah ha. :) Well, the geometry worksheets and quizzes I printed today had inside margins. (See how I resisted the urge to italicize inside margins??) As I 3-hole punched and sorted all those papers behind dividers to prep for fall, the tidy margins and holes far away from any text made me smile.

[linguistmama]

I am sure that this project cannot possibly move forward without ME as a beta tester. :tongue_smilie:

 

ME TOO!!!!!!   From 8's posts I have a feeling this program would be the only writing program I would use instead of pulling different programs together.  My 9yo would love to beta test :)

 

I don't care about an elaborate cover page, just something that clearly states what it is so there is no guessing for me when I pull up my list of pdfs in ibooks.  I also prefer a clickable TOC.  Lulu is fairly well known among homeschoolers and would be familiar to many buyers.