Creating Chapbooks

[jesster]

Any tips or templates on how to create a chapbook?  Our slam team is creating some for each member to be sold on their "featured poet" night and, having never done one, I am looking for ideas and guidance.

Thanks.

-Jesster

[Casandra]

There are a lot of different ways to make a chapbook (sizes, colors, printing styles, etc.) but for cheap-cheap copy-house style, I recommend laying it out by hand and making a hand-held mock-up so you can see how the pages and the order of the poems before you start copying.

1. Arrange your type-style (font, size, spacing on the page, etc).
2. Decide how big you want the book (roughly how many pages, pages should be divisible by 4- right left front, and right left back... also what finished size the book should be: 4x6? 5x7? 8.5 x 11?)
3. Print out your text.
4. Photocopy all of your text ONCE so you can lay it out in an actual mock-up, before you start making your copies.  You may find that you need to physically cut and paste pages so they look they way you envision.
5.  Design a cover!
6.  Make your copies!

Email me if you have a problem!
Good luck!
Peace
Casandra
Delray Beach

[Tony]

Excellent advice.

The hardest part about chaps is correct pagination, which always drives me crazy.

If you want to go a little more high tech for low money (because you can spend a lot of desktop publishing programs to do this), you could pick up or "locate" a copy of something slmple like Microsoft Publisher (for Windows) -- someone may have this in Office already as it comes bundled in some versions -- or download the freeware program "Cocoabooklet" for Mac.  Each will take a simple Word file and turn it into a formatted booklet which you can then simply print and copy.

I've used both -- curently use Cocoabooklet, which takes a little getting used to but works well.  We needed a chapbook for our tour and I laid one out, printed it, and copied it in a few hours on Saturday and Sunday.

Hope this helps.

T

[Steve]

Tony is right. A lot of folks use Microsoft Publisher, but if you EVER want to do anything with the document again, DO NOT USE this program. It is SOOO anti-social to other programs.

If you are rich or a friend is rich, learn to use InDesign. If you aren't rich, find a patron who is or who knows InDesign. You have so many more options with this profressional design and layout program.

[bobdapoet]

You know what?

At the risk of really setting off a firestorm here...


Powerpoint.


Seriously.


I use tons of stuff (Indesign, Pagemaker, Pages, Word, Keynote, etc.)...

   Now, mind you, when I use it, it is to make something RIGHT NOW that needded to be made an hour ago... but Powerpoint is simple, straight ahead and easy to put stuff on your pages and see how it comes out.

   No, you don't get some of the cooler effects, text wraps, layers, etc. that you can get in the other programs, but if you don't want to spend time learning the program, then keep it simple.

   Powerpoint (for me, maybe because I have used it for a bazillion years) is very visual, very intuitive, I can be neanderthal man and use it "Bob put picture here, Bob put words here, Bob press print here".

    Also, you could have someone else help you, if you are interested, I can refer someone that does alot of the poet's chapbooks here in Mesa (and our DVD's, Cd's and other multimedia).

Take all that for what it's worth, my first four chapbooks were hand written...

[Casandra]

NO ONE JUMP ON BOB!

He's illustrating a wonderful point, which is essentially this: there is no REAL correct way to make a chapbook, and the BEST way to make one is always the most comfortable method... especially if its your first!

 :lol:
Peace
Casandra

[edaniel]

I use Corel Draw, it's a lot cheaper than the Adobe software, and has native support for book printing.  That way, you don't want to rip your face off when setting up the pages to print and find out you printed the pages all wrong.

[Delrica]

I have used:

Corel WordPerfect
Microsoft Office

But to keep from ripping off my face, I usually end up taking some old blank paper and making a sample to follow place on as well.

If you can physically see where your book ends up, then it helps when you're learning to lay it out a little bit better.

Templates aren't for everyone, software isn't either..

[johnpowers]

We're working on a tool for gotpoetry that allows you to create a .PDF file from your poetry on the website.

 You upload your poems and then choose which ones you want in the book, you enter the ISBN info, title page, credits/thank you page, etc and it spits out a file you can use at LuLu.com or Staples or any other printer.  

It does the layout, page numbering, table of contents, etc.. automatically.

Hopefully in another month it will be done.

[Delrica]

We're working on a tool for gotpoetry that allows you to create a .PDF file from your poetry on the website.

 You upload your poems and then choose which ones you want in the book, you enter the ISBN info, title page, credits/thank you page, etc and it spits out a file you can use at LuLu.com or Staples or any other printer.  

It does the layout, page numbering, table of contents, etc.. automatically.

Hopefully in another month it will be done.

I love you. I just thought I'd share.

[bobdapoet]

Have you checked out his EggCam yet?

People, this is the best thing since the VCR recording of REAL FIRE!

check it out on his LJ...

http://johnpowers.livejournal.com/200408.html

We're working on a tool for gotpoetry that allows you to create a .PDF file from your poetry on the website.

 You upload your poems and then choose which ones you want in the book, you enter the ISBN info, title page, credits/thank you page, etc and it spits out a file you can use at LuLu.com or Staples or any other printer.  

It does the layout, page numbering, table of contents, etc.. automatically.

Hopefully in another month it will be done.

[jesster]

Thanks for the ideas guys!  Big help!!

Does anyone have a picture of what a chapbook looks like when it's done?

-Jesster

[johnpowers]

Thanks for the ideas guys!  Big help!!

Does anyone have a picture of what a chapbook looks like when it's done?

-Jesster

http://www.msrogers.com/English2/chapbook/tsld004.htm
http://www.pier55.com/Bizzare-Unusual/Print-a-Chapbook.shtml
http://www.todays-woman.net/article805.html

The above 3 should help.   Basically if you fold a piece of printer paper down the middle, you have the dimensions.  The cover page is folded the same but made of a thicker card stock.

[MattMason]

My absolute favorite cheap program is Corel WordPerfect.

Simply lay out your page sideways (landscape), divide into two columns, then put everything in it.

Before you do the final print, make sure your 2-per-page pages (numbered and not, cover and content) are divisible by 4.

Then seek the command "Print as Booklet" and it will paginate correctly as it comes out, something Word does an amazing job of not doing.  (That Print As Booklet" command is, oddly, easier to find on older versions of WordPerfect but you can find it on new versions with minimal seeking).

Matt

[Steve]

John had offered praise for Lulu in this thread and I spotted this article today that indicates they are shifting their focus just a little. Check this out:

http://news.com.com/2100-1038_3-6177530.html?