One of the proudest additions to the DBePub imprint is Lucy Shaw’s new book, Be Not Anxious: Using a New Self-Help Tool to Follow Biblical Wisdom. Lucy and I met in a workshop in Chicago. She was there studying Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), and I was finalizing work with the client who was presenting the workshop.
Lucy’d been looking for an editor and publisher, so she told me about an idea she had for turning some of her most popular blog posts into a book.
She wanted to blend the posts she’d already written that discussed biblical and psychological concepts with new writing that would introduce the reader to using EFT. I was intrigued with the project, and I think she was a little surprised that I was able to discuss different translations of Scripture that she might use, so we made a plan for working together, and Lucy became a new client.
Lucy wanted the book quite quickly, and she brought tons of energy to the project. With my help, this challenging blend of psychology, religion, New Age self-help techniques, and Lucy’s personal stories was ready to hit the market as a softcover book within about four months from the time we met.
The execution of Lucy’s idea required a number of unique tasks. It required research from a wide range of sources, as well as a good deal of organizational revision to make all the elements work smoothly together. In addition, it was imperative to maintain constant awareness of Lucy’s audience and consistent attention to the special, warm tone Lucy used in her blog.
Lucy also planned to sell her book only in print. Lucy’s a popular speaker and she wanted to have the physical book in hand for her audiences. Putting a book into print requires a whole other level of layout skill and knowledge to produce a professional looking product. There’s frontmatter, getting the right things on recto or verso pages, alternating headers, preparing for binding, understanding bleed…. Pasting a text document into a pdf and printing just won’t cut it.
Finally, we had to be budget conscious and to come up with a killer cover that would look a lot more expensive that it was.
To that end, I chased down a beautiful self-portrait by photographer, Kenna Takahashi. Kenna generously released the photo under a Creative Commons Attribution license and then gave us permission to use it as the model, as well. The cover design we came up with really does the photo justice as it beautifully reflects the warmth and sensitivity of the book.
I’m very pleased with the result of this project, and I wish Lucy all success with it as she markets the book.
Because I also work in academia, complex projects that require research are almost second nature, and I’m rabid about getting layout details right, so if you have a complex idea that needs special attention to bring it to print, contact DBePub for a consultation.
The Back Cover of Be Not Anxious
