There are readers, and there are novelist-readers. The two experiences are not the same. A reader surrenders to the story; a novelist-reader surrenders and watches himself surrendering, noting every mechanism that eases or impedes the fall. I cannot pick up another author’s book without half my mind standing apart, pencil in hand—not exactly to judge, […]
Reading Like a Novelist: What I Look for in Other People’s Books Read More »
A stylized, black-and-white vector image of the Minoan horns of consecration is the logo of ETHORN Publishing, the imprint under which I publish my historical fiction. It is also used in a more elaborate form as the topmost illustration of the colophon pages of my novels. The symbol has been part of my literary vision
What the Minoan Horns of Consecration Mean to Me Read More »
William Morris believed the book as physical object was itself a work of art, that typography, layout, and illustration were not secondary to the text but coequal with it. I agree with him. Unconditionally. This is not a fashionable position. The publishing industry has spent decades treating book design as a downstream function. It is
On Being Your Own Designer, Typesetter, and Publisher Read More »
