Hi. I'm a professional copyeditor looking to expand into book typesetting. I have some prior experience with Quark. Any suggestions?
Hi. I'm a professional copyeditor looking to expand into book typesetting (primarily print/pdf). I have some prior experience with Quark.
Any suggestions on avenues to explore for either paid or unpaid practical experience? (I don't need help with using the technology).
Thanks!
Replies2
- @Geoffrey BuntingThanks Geoffrey!I've read a fair bit about typography, and I have a (physical type) letterpress setup, so I do underdstand the technical principles.I'm learning Affinity Publisher just because it's 90% of InDesign for 10% of the cost. But I understand that many clients will require InDesign. I'm used to tagging text for publishers, so hopefully that takes care of the formatting part.I'm currently reading around book/type design (The non-designer's design book, and similar), so hopefully that will set me on the right path. But feels like I need some real projects or mentorship to move beyond dilettante status.Appreciate your input.Chris.
- You are going to want to become as expert as possible in typography. Copywriting is nothing like typesetting, they are completely different skills, and it’s going to take a lot of work to get into a position in which you’re capable.Personally, I use InDesign – which is similar to Quark – but a lot of the initial work is formatting in Word (hopefully, some clients give you some weird filetypes). One half of the job is being a formatter the other half a book designer.There are some cheap avenues but it depends how serious you are about it. Self-publishing is replete with amateur book designers and typesetters taking advantage of how cheap clients are. It takes no training to do that. But to be vaguely professional and serve clients you’ve got to be at the top of your game with typography.
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