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Perfect Pages: Self Publishing with Microsoft Word, or How to Design Your Own Book for Desktop Publishing and Print on Demand (Word 97-2003 for Windows, Word 2004 for Mac) | 
 enlarge | Author: Aaron Shepard
Publisher: Shepard Publications
Category: Book
Buy New: $12.50
New (14) Used (6) from $12.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  28 reviews
Sales Rank: 73639
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 158
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 6 x 0.5
ISBN: 0938497332
Dewey Decimal Number: 686
EAN: 9780938497332
ASIN: 0938497332
Publication Date: January 24, 2006
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
Often rejected out of hand as a typesetting tool, Microsoft Word has greater typographic capabilities than even most long-time users realize. With a little tweaking, Word can produce type that few readers could distinguish from the best of Quark or InDesign. In this book, Aaron Shepard gives a tour of the depths of the program, describing the settings, commands, and manual adjustments you need to create type that no book reviewer will scoff at. Skeptical? This book's own typesetting is the proof!
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| Customer Reviews: Read 23 more reviews...
 A beginning writer's Word format handy reference October 7, 2008
This slim volume helps a beginning writer to use Word's capabilities to the max. His suggestion to use columns to lay out ones book cover saved me many hours of keyboard abuse. The book is a very quick read, furnishing the writer spot solution for his most common format problems, thereby making the book a handy reference.
Great information! August 24, 2008
I used "Perfect Pages" to format my book, "The Magi of Futurity" for print-on-demand publishing. The instructions were clearly defined and easy to follow. This how-to guide is a great addition to anyone's library who wants to use Word to design and format a self-published book.
Hated the cover, but LOVED the content! August 24, 2008
The cover looked home-made and hokey, so I really only purchased this book because of the enthusiatic reviews.
I have to admit that this is a pleasant case of not being able to judge a book by its cover. The content is well organized and filled with great tips for layout and design. Definitely worth a read by self-published authors.
J.D. Mosley-Matchett, Ph.D.
Author of A month of Marketing Technology tips
 Helpful, With Reservations August 14, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
After using one of the most prominent POD/vanity press companies (and deciding I could do better myself), I started to learn about self-publishing.
Eventually, I found Aaron's books and, more important, his recommended model for POD. The good news? They really advanced my understanding about this field--very quickly.
More good news? Using Aaron's idea (Word + POD + Amazon), this book helped me when I was at an impasse with Word (2003) and completely stumped and frustrated. (If you've ever been in this situation, you'll know this is no small recommendation.)
If I recommended 3 books for POD authors, two of them would be Shepard's.
So, why only 3 stars?
First, because Word 2007 is so VASTLY different from the previous versions that this book deals with, that the title should clearly show this ISN'T for Word 2007 (his website has information, but not enough).
Second, using Aaron's book, I was able to create a POD book that really looks "professional" to the typical book buyer. From cover design to layout, it took a long, long time to adjust all the things you need to use Word well, but...the result is very good (even librarians have complimented it).
So, this could easily have been a 4- or even 5- star review. The problem is that Aaron is advocating and representing POD and yet he doesn't practice what he preaches with his OWN books. "Perfect Pages" really DOESN'T look "perfect"--i.e. "professional". The cover isn't right, and some of the layout choices say, "amateur" and "self-published".
He obviously has the knowledge and skills to do better. This book should be an EXAMPLE of "best practices" given the goal and the readership. Sadly, it isn't.
So...3 stars for his own presentation--plus some well-deserved praise--will have to do. Hopefully, "Perfect Pages For Word 2007" will be better.
If you're going to self-publish you need to read Shepard June 2, 2008
Perfect Pages and Aiming at Amazon are must reads for anyone considering self-publishing and/or POD. With the right software (and of course writing skills) you will be able to publish a book and get it listed on Amazon after reading these two books.
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