Today we have a guest post from a man who is a reader of my work who has become a friend. A while back he told me he was going to write a review. I had no idea he would put so much effort into the attempt. I asked if I could share this and he said to do it.

Pastor Dean Williams has been a pastor for over 30 years serving in “a multitude of denominational and geographical settings”. His website is: FoundationsBuilder.com

His current consuming focus is a new translation of the Bible. As he wrote me, “The Siapherkone Bible will start coming out in parts over the next two to three years (Siapherkone is loosely translated from the Hebrew as ‘the enduring record’)”. I found it helpful to read his article on A Theory for Bible Reading and Study. Dean has little online yet. The portions of his translation I have read have been very good. I’m eagerly awaiting the Siapherkone Bible. Here is what he wrote about my book.

The subtitle for this book might be “A Philosophy for Writers In Service to Readers.” Although the primary purpose of this manual on the use of the InDesign program from Adobe is to instruct the reader in the use of its features, the overall effect is to instruct writers generally about improving communication. The material is couched in a set of principles encouraging a writer to serve his fans with a pleasant look that is easy to read. This book is primarily for writers who produce non-fiction books, but will work for fiction, who want control not only of the content, but also the look, feel, and profits of the publishing process.

Writing in InDesign is divided into two sections. The first part is concerned with using the program as a writer: how to go about writing content directly into a formatted book. Personally, I still prefer to use a text editor or word processor first, then loading the text into InDesign, but I am keeping an open mind about making the leap to putting the words directly into InDesign. I have found that Adobe has made it fairly easy to make this transfer, but the process is not covered in this book.

This first part of the book is filled with writing tips, encouragement, time management advice, defining an audience, and an approach to the reader. He integrates this with the processes needed to accomplish and enhance both the pleasure and the utility of the reader. There are numerous illustrations of the program, the fonts, and the print options available to a writer.

Mr. Bergsland also includes methodologies he has developed over his forty years in the business of making books and teaching others to be efficient with new technology. He shares the kind of work habits and set ups that will make for more efficient production. And although the author is a Macophile, I have installed CS6 on a windows platform and the material is easily applicable on a PC.

The second half of the book consists of five appendices that are of a more technical nature. The subjects covered are placed in separate standalone sections so that a writer may focus on the area needed at the time, or skip those areas already familiar to the writer. He covers effective typography theory and application to the modern era. His knowledge of the history of the art is apparent. Other appendices cover graphics, how to approach designing a cover for a book, working with suppliers, and how to make a conversion to electronic media without sacrificing control of the work.

At the end the user of this book is inspired with a sense that with time, hard work, and a willingness to learn, he or she can find success in service to readers. Many thanks to David Bergsland for providing a book that gives hope to writers and small publishers. We can serve our niche audiences without big names and big budgets.

This book is important in the changing environment that surrounds most writers. I was at a Writer’s Conference not long ago. On one of the panels of publishers, nearly every one of the representatives recommended that writers, particularly new writers, market test their ideas and styles through electronic publishing. This is an odd development in the publishing world. David Bergsland tells you how to get it done.