Now there is some real help. InDesign has been the best page layout tool for print for over a decade now. I was blessed to be in on the beta team for version one in 1999. I can remember how excited I was that there was finally a software tool I could use fluently that fit the way I think.

Now InDesign 7.5 for the Design Premium suite CS5.5 is here

I don’t know when it will be released for sale, but I want you to know that you’ll like it. In fact, I released today a new book called:

InDesign On-Demand: Low Budget Publishing Digitally

The best new news is that InDesign can now export ePUBs directly that validate. This means that you can now have your books and booklets in iBookstore through Lulu for free (as long as you charge for the book). This has made InDesign into a remarkable tool for publishing.

The On-Demand paradigm

This is truly good news for ministries and ministers. Now you can publish your sermons, bible studies, Sunday School curricula, and whatever you need for your work with very little hassle and virtually no money up front. It’s basically a very simple process. The complexity is added by the fact that the individual on-demand publishers all have different requirements for artwork. The differing formats have unique limitations. The result is that you usually have to layout your book at least four times to get it in the different formats and quite possibly 6–8 times. But through the use of styles—with some basic knowledge and techniques, you can publish your works very fast with worldwide distribution.

For example, all my books are now released in print, a downloadable PDF of the printed book, a downloadable PDF for reading online, ePUB for the iBookstore and B&N, a Kindle book, and several miscellaneous ebook formats—all built off the printed version. Once Adobe announced the new software, I was able to upload and publish all of these things in less than two hours. I will have to buy a proof at Createspace to get it up more reliably on Amazon. That will cost around $10. Depending on sales, I’ll probably buy the Pro Plan distribution package for $39 to get into B&N and many other venues.

But that’s it. If this interests you, check out the book. If you have any questions, please comment here or email me.