Three weeks ago my acquisitions editor Nikki (at Peachpit Press) asked if I could find a well-known designer to write a quote for the back cover of my book. She said it would need to be someone with a great reputation, and that we didn’t have much time.

Finding a quote hadn’t crossed my mind, and it’s not like I’m out rubbing shoulders much with the cream of the design crop. I told Nikki it was unlikely, but to leave it with me and I’d see what I could do.

A few days later I was having an email chat with Chris Nutter, communications director at Chermayeff & Geismar in New York. He was helping to arrange an interview with Tom Geismar (the interview you kindly submitted questions for). I put two and two together and ran the book quote idea past Chris.

It wasn’t long before I emailed him a PDF containing a large chunk of my book, saying that if Tom was able read it and offer a quote, that I’d need his words by the end of the week. That only gave Tom a few days, so needless to say, I wasn’t hopeful.

Friday passed, and I thought to myself that the book wasn’t something Tom would want to put his name on. That’s fair enough. I’d be equally critical of endorsing someone I knew nothing about on the back of an emailed PDF.

Then on Tuesday Chris got back to me saying, “Tom loved your work and gave what I think, as a book author myself, is a perfect blurb.”

Brilliant! But the deadline had passed.

I immediately emailed Nikki and Cory (Cory’s the production guru at Peachpit to whom I’ve supplied my InDesign files). They said if I was quick, there was still a chance we could change the cover, but it needed to be that day, so some hours later—at 10pm UK time—we signed off on a new cover including Tom’s quote.

Well stoked.

Here’s what Tom said:

“There are a lot of books out there that show collections of logos. But David Airey’s Logo Design Love is something different: it’s a guide for designers (and clients) who want to understand what this mysterious business is all about. Written in reader-friendly, concise language, with a minimum of designer jargon, Airey gives a surprisingly clear explanation of the process, using a wide assortment of real-life examples to support his points.

Anyone involved in creating visual identities, or wanting to learn how to go about it, will find this book invaluable.”

Tom Geismar
Chermayeff & Geismar

And here’s the new cover spread PDF (216kb)—updated from the one I shared with you a week ago. As well as adding the endorsement, I also removed the descriptive text about the “simple, modern-looking book” and improved the layout of the section with my photo—thanks very much for the feedback Ebi and Tara.

There are only a few names in the design profession that I’d want to add to my cover. I asked the first one that came to mind, no-one else, and couldn’t be happier with the result.

I guess that’s what they call the luck of the Irish.

The moral of the story? If you don’t ask, you don’t get.

As a side note, 1,700 of you have pre-ordered already. Thank you! I’m told the printed books will be warehoused on December 18th, so if you’ve bought a copy, you can expect to receive it a week or so after that date.

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Back in March I told you I signed a book deal with Peachpit. The copy deadline is October 23rd, which is scarily close, and the book is now available for pre-order. So no pressure, David.

How’s it going? It’s not easy, but I wasn’t expecting it to be. And while there’s still a bit to go with the content, I’m hopeful of hitting the deadline—thanks to some amazing help in the shape of Jill Marts Lodwig, Nikki McDonald, and Robin Drake.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that three years of blog authoring has taught me about writing. But when you’re scrutinized by three professional editors it’s a different ball game entirely. As Eric says, “Writing is easy. Editing is hard.”

Once the project’s wrapped up, I’ll share the steps involved here on my blog, from negotiating payment and forming a plan, to writing and designing a 200-page book.

In the meantime, the Logo Design Love book website gives a brief intro and lists some of the graphic designers who have kindly contributed.

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I’ve been asked to author the first logo design book from Peachpit Press.

We’re discussing possible topics, and the aim is to publish a book that’s different from any other in the logo design market. I thought it’d be a good idea to involve you.

It’s funny how these things come about. Nikki (my contact at Peachpit) has long admired my logo design for Miskeeto, and it turns out that Robert Hoekman, who runs Miskeeto, is also a Peachpit author and one of Nikki’s long-time colleagues.

The main reason I’m asking for your advice is on the book’s focus. Nikki suggested we call the publication, “Logo Design Love“, then add a descriptive subtitle e.g. “Logo Design Love: the sketchpad diaries”, or, “Logo Design Love: iconic logo designers”.

Great idea, I thought, and a nice way to promote my website offline.

Here are just a few of the topics we’ve considered.

Creating effective identities

An all-encompassing look at the journey of a logo, from initial design brief through to style-guide and contextual use. Nikki thought we could include a section showing how to use Adobe Illustrator for creating specific logos. I’m reluctant, however, to incorporate software screenshots, as this automatically dates the content. Besides, Peachpit already publish some excellent Illustrator handbooks (I own one).

Iconic logo designers

This idea revolves around the iconic logo designers website. When compiling that resource, I chatted with many of the featured designers. They may want to participate in a book that highlights their skills.

Conversations from the blog

Since October 2006, I’ve published more than 450 blog articles, with the main emphasis upon logo design and the business around it. You’ve helped create some compelling debates in the comment section of certain articles, and there’s no denying the mass of possible book content contained within.

Why write a book?

Personally, business is better than ever, so do I need the additional workload? As with anything, there are pros and cons.

The preparation involved will undoubtedly improve my knowledge of the industry, which is a big plus, and in a way, I’d consider it like return to education — spending long periods of time researching a personally chosen subject. I’ve also been contemplating writing a book, although on the other hand, sacrifices will obviously need made, and I won’t be able to focus as much on client projects.

Self-publishing

It’s no longer a requirement to use traditional publishers, and with the digital age comes the ability to self-publish your book. Cardiff-based designer, Mark Boulton, is doing just that in the form of an ebook, and recently shared how he’ll deliver his published works online.

Blurb and Lulu are two print-on-demand options, where I could always produce a small run of hard copies, for a memento more than anything.

Elliot Jay Stocks has recently finished writing a book, and although he used a traditional publisher to produce his writings, he’s now considering self-publishing for his next instalment.

One of the most appealing aspects of self-publishing, is that you create your own deadline, and aren’t working towards the schedule of a publisher. The last thing I want to do is cause anxieties when client projects may need precedence over looming book deadlines.

Your thoughts

Nikki and I both thought it’d be a good idea to gauge your opinion.

What content would compell you to buy a logo design book? If placed in my position, would you choose to run with an established publisher, or attempt to self-publish your book?

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Whether you publish a blog post three times per day, once every day, or even once per week, finding inspiration can prove troublesome. I’ve been able to keep a decent level of consistency up on my blog, posting on average every three days. I owe a lot to you, my readers.

When you ask questions via the blog comments, I’m always wondering if the answer deserves an individual post. More often than not I’ll answer your question within a paragraph or two, following on from your comment. Sometimes, however, it’s more appropriate to give the topic more attention, putting it out to a wider audience for different opinions.

When I read other blogs, and the post comments reach into the 20s or 30s, I’ll skim read to save time. It’s fair to say that most others would do the same (but correct me if you think I’m wrong), so next time you’re writing something in your blog comments that you think is of importance, ask yourself if it would be better to devote a fresh post to the topic.

Reader emails are another great source of blogging inspiration, and I’m very grateful for your inquisitive messages. If I haven’t yet had the opportunity to respond to a question you’ve emailed, please don’t think I’m ignoring you. In fact, I currently have a few draft posts I’m working on thanks to your contact. I’m receiving about 70 or 80 emails per day, and whilst that might be nothing compared to a certain expert copywriter or professional blogger, it means I can’t always give them the attention I’d like.

Do you have any particular questions that you’d like me to answer?

If there’s anything you’re curious about, no matter how trivial you think it might be, go ahead and ask. I’ll answer your questions in a following blog post. They could be personal or professional, or you might want my opinion on something (which reminds me, I have a couple of logos that were emailed I’ve been meaning to critique).

You’ll be helping me out by providing some ammunition for future topics, and at the very least you might get to know me a little better.

Other people talking about inspiration

• David at Pure Blogging recently published some nice sources of blogging inspiration.
• If you find motivation on the decline, Stephen at Daily Blog Tips has given some advice to reignite your passion for blogging.
• For the ultimate idea resource, check out Vivien’s 37 sources of inspiration group writing project.

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Blog comments are a fantastic source of article topics, and a recent comment on davidairey.com from Dustin Brewer reads:

I find that the best way to write a headline is before you start writing the article. This may not work for everyone, but I know I feel a lot better about the headline if I throw it out there in the beginning.

When planning a blog post, I normally begin with a headline in mind. However, that doesn’t mean I use that headline once the article is complete, and I’m curious how many of you keep the original headline you thought of.

I begin with a headline, write the article, then end up tweaking or changing the headline to match what I’ve written. This is because I can sometimes run off on a tangent, usually to add more depth and interest for you.

How do you match your headlines to your content?

Do you write first, then think of a headline? Do you have your headlines set in stone before writing the first sentence? Or do you write using a mix, similar to me? I’d love to know you think works best.

It’d also be interesting to read the thoughts of great writers such as Mike at Writing White Papers, Tom at The Copywriter Underground, Kirsten at Inkthinker, Matt at The Copywriter’s Crucible, and Dawud at dmiracle.com.

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There has been a great idea for helping eachother at Wendy Piersall’s eMoms at Home blog. It’s called the To Do List Group Research Project and the aim is to split up our ‘to do’ lists, each one of us taking something from another and compiling our research into an article.

My offering revolves around press releases, and everything you need to know about them.

Rather than add another ‘how to’ article to the long list of press release advice online, I’ll simply compile what I feel are worthy press release resources.

Press release resources

Let’s start with the basics.

The BBC holds some great info in it’s article, How do I write a press release? It covers such topics as:

• What is a press release?
• What makes a good press release?
• What do I need to include?

There’s also great advice for using the correct style and sending your press release.

What you’ve been advising

I recommend reading Nate Moller’s Why should I write a Press Release? He mention’s Ponn Sabra’s ultimate list of press release distribution services, which is certainly a worthwhile compilation when planning your press release distribution.

Writing Effective Press Releases is an article by Meryl K. Evans that deserves a mention (please look beyond the first sentence which doesn’t make much sense). Meryl states:

Get to the point in the first sentence and title. I want to know right away what the press release is about otherwise “Delete.”

Don’t exaggerate or use positive and opinionated descriptive words like great, excellent, high quality, best. We know you think a lot of your product or service, but we’re not going to believe it because we know you’re biased.

Tom Chandler takes a look at How Not To Write A Press Release, which doesn’t need any explanation. Thanks Tom.

If you’re publishing your press release online then take a look at Patsi Krakoff’s 10 Steps to Writing an Internet Press Release.

Press releases are relatively simple, but not easy to write. They take some time to craft because you must tell your story in a compelling way, and deliver the facts in the fewest words possible. In addition, like a news story, they should follow basic journalism standards. Oh, and did I mention, they need a clever hook to really work? All that in only 350-500 words.

In the HookJab article, How to write a great press release, there are three headlines compared against eachother, and a few useful pointers.

Kirsten King’s Inkthinker is a great copywriting blog, and a particular article: Tips for Marketing and Promotions, holds a few diamond links for press release info.

Hopefully that’ll be enough to set you on the right track.

I know there are some great copywriters amongst you, so if you’ve written (or know of) an article on press releases that I’ve missed, please do link to it in the comments below.

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Brian Clark, of Copyblogger, asked his readers to submit article headlines as part of a headline improvement tutorial. I submitted the following headline, and Brian kindly offered his expert advice.

How my readers helped improve my blog.

Here’s Brian’s revision and his reasoning behind the choice.

Here’s How You Improved My Blog

When both addressing and referring to the reader, it’s better to speak directly to them, even though it’s likely not every reader contributed a suggestion. Remember, it’s a conversation. You wouldn’t normally refer to someone you’re speaking to in the third person.

With so many “how” headlines out there, I like to add “Here’s” as a preface. It adds specificity to the headline promise without resorting to a numerical list approach.

I debated whether to use “this” instead of “my” when referring to the blog the content is hosted on, and ended up sticking with my due to the contrast with you. I also removed the word helped; if the blog was improved due to the suggestions of readers, helped is superfluous and the resulting headline is more powerful.

Brian goes on to help other readers with their headlines and you can read the full Headline Remix Madness post here.

Thanks Brian. Your tips are very much appreciated.

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