The simple, small booklet
BY CHUCK GREEN Write a book this afternoon. Sound preposterous? To the contrary—you can create an information-packed, 16-page booklet using a single sheet of paper in little more time than it takes to type the text.
Use it to market your product or service, to tell the story of your organization or to offer tips and how-to information to prospects and clients. Print five or ten copies directly from your laser printer or take your master artwork to a commercial printer and have it reproduced by the thousands. No matter how you cut, fold and staple it, this book is proof-positive that big things do come in small packages.
Step 1: Divide an 8.5 by 11 inch sheet of paper into eight equal parts (each panel is 2.75 by 4.25 inches). Center a text frame on each panel .25 inch from all edges (each text frame is 2.25 by 3.75 inches).
Step 2: Number the pages one through sixteen, add your text and print the two sides back-to-back on the same sheet of paper.
Step 3: Trim the sheet into quarters, place the pages in order, fold and staple. Voila—instant publishing!
Create a compelling cover No matter what the size, a book needs an intriguing title, a benefits-oriented subtitle and an interesting illustration to grab the reader’s attention. Use your the space wisely (below, right). The title here, “How to build a twelve-way portfolio,” promises a substantial benefit. The subtitle, “Tips for investing from Dale Example, CFP,” explains the content, introduces the author and lists her credentials in just seven words. And the illustration is not mere decoration—it visualizes the idea of growing your money.
Include all the important details The back cover, page 16, (above, left) is a good place for the table of wami.gif (936 bytes)contents, the name of your organization, your street, e-mail, and Web addresses, phone number, copyright notice and so on. You might also consider moving these details to the pages 2 or 15 and, instead, wrapping the cover illustration from front to back.
Take advantage of the center spread Because pages 8 and 9 are the center spread (below), your illustration and text can cross the space between the pages. Consider reserving this spread for a large chart, graph, or photograph.
Use a few or as many frames as you need I could have included all my information in a single text frame, but I decided to create a frame for each element—one for the header, one for the text, one for the illustration and one for the page number. If your software program allows you to flow text from frame to frame, you can create one continuous text block by starting your text on page two then clipping and continuing it on page three, then four and so on.
Do you have enough to fill a book? Without the illustrations and subheads, this booklet would hold roughly 1200 to 1500 words of 12 point text. With the addition of large text subheads and illustrations, you could fill the book with fewer than 500 words. By adjusting the size of your type and illustrations—virtually anyone has enough information to fill it full.
