Archives: Projects

Clue by Clue Mysteries

Clue by Clues are mystery games that practice critical thinking. Students are given a mystery, perhaps to figure out who committed a murder or how the police know a suspect is lying. Then they are given a clue. They discuss the clue, its relevance and meaning, and propose theories. Then they get a second clue and everything changes as they must rethink theories and ideas. This keeps going until they have all the information they need to solve the mystery. These games get students thinking and talking!

Available in PDF, PPT, or Google Slides.

Skills: Writing, Editing, Book Design, Cover Design.

Learn more about Clue by Clues

The Stoic Teacher

I published this book by a Canadian teacher, Ryan Racine, under my imprint Alphabet Publishing. I did hire a separate cover designer, but did the interior myself. It was a tricky project because there were a lot of tables and each chapter had an introductory quote but I’m very pleased with how it turned out.

I also formatted the book as an ebook. I uploaded the print or ebook files to IngramSpark, Amazon/KDP, Draft2Digital, and other platforms and have been marketing and promoting the book!

Learn more about The Stoic Teacher.

Publisher: Alphabet Publishing

Skills: Developmental Editing, Content Editing, Copy Editing, Book Interior Design, Book Formatting, Distribution

Pro-Lingua Learning

The client, Pro-Linguga Learning, acquired titles from another publishing company and needed to change the information on some of the covers and inside the books. They also needed the files to be adjusted to fit their new printer.

In addition, one series of books needed to be compiled from a set of individual InDesign files into a complete interior file. In the process, we discovered a number of formatting errors and typos that needed to be resolved in some of the titles. There was also missing artwork or artwork that was too low resolution.  I resolved these issues or brainstormed compromise solutions as needed while keeping in close contact with the client.

Client: Pro-Lingua Learning

Skills: Book Interior Design, Cover Design, Formatting InDesign Files, Proof-Reading, Working with Images

Jojo’s Tiny Ear

I was honored to be trusted to publish this touching picture book by the mother of a son with microtia. It was wonderful to take her initial idea and turn it into a full-fledged traditional book. Originally her work was a poem accompanied by some paintings she had done of her son. In order to turn it into a full book, in conjunction with another editor, we brainstormed a plot device and imposed some organization on her idea. We guided her through the process of fleshing out her ideas and creating illustrations that went better with the words. The end result was longer and more of a complete story of inclusion and love for her son.

I was very pleased to publish this book and also develop a PDF ebook version for various platforms.

Publisher: Alphabet Publishing

Skills: copy-editing, content editing, book design, ebook formatting, publishing

 

Conversational Writing

I published this book by a Nicholas Gordon, under my imprint Alphabet Publishing. I worked on every aspect of the editorial and design process including content and developmental editing, copy-editing, and proofreading. I also designed the cover and the interior, taking into account author preferences and research into similar books on the market.

I uploaded the print or ebook files to IngramSpark, Amazon/KDP, Draft2Digital, and other platforms and have been marketing and promoting the book.

Learn more about Conversational Writing.

Publisher: Alphabet Publishing

Skills: Developmental Editing, Content Editing, Copy Editing, Cover Design, Book Interior Design, Book Formatting, Distribution

History’s Mysteries

One of the longest books I’ve worked on, and one of the most difficult to edit. This textbook is aimed at English-language learners and uses historical mysteries and conspiracy theories to give students content to talk and write about. There were five authors and a broad range of topics, from aliens to the JFK assassination to how the dinosaurs died.

Each unit needed to be edited for relevance to ESL learners and clarity, as well as the quality of the accompanying activities and also needed to be fact-checked. Decisions needed to be made about how to present controversial opinions and what subjects were taboo for the classroom or needed to be handled with sensitivity. The educational benefits of the chapter were used as the final guidelines. At the same time, there needed to be cohesion of the book as a whole. I edited for consistency in activity types, questions, and also tone and approach.

Multiple rounds of editing were required with all the authors’ input. I also found appropriate images where needed and used various archives to find historical images and visual aids to support the student.

The interior design was also not easy. The book needed to look and feel like a textbook. The readings needed to be clear for students whose first language is not English and teachers needed to be able to navigate the activities easily. On the other hand, I wanted to keep the feel of mystery implied in the title. The book uses a gimmick of students being secret time agents travelling in time to find out what really happened or even setting wrongs right! So I used a typewriter text and framed the authors as Senior Agents. For the introductory letter, I created a little logo of an imaginary Historical Secret Agency.

The cover also reflects this theme of a secret agent. I took inspiration from DK Publishing or National Geographic kids books. Without getting too busy, the cover is meant to reflect the desk of a secret agent, with a folder full of evidence and photos of various mysteries!

A really fun one to work on!

Publisher: Alphabet Publishing

Skills: Cover Art Design

Wild TEFL

I was contacted by an English-language teacher who wanted to publish a book about teaching English using the great outdoors. He wanted a content edit to make sure his language was clear, the tone was accessible, and that the purpose and message of the book was clear. He also wanted to ensure that the activities were described clearly and presented consistently.

It was a very enjoyable read, an innovative approach to language activities, and I was really pleased that I was able to help him get his meaning across clearly and tell his wonderful anecdotes, while also sharing some really great lesson ideas!

Client: A self-publishing author

Skills: Developmental Editing, Content Editing

Foundational English Vocabulary

This project was a book with lists of 100 words each, broken down into different categories. Each list was followed by a variety of activities to help students recall the words, learn their definitions, and use them in context. It was a wonderful little project that I’m sure teachers will make great use of.

The author wanted me to copy-edit for typos, errors,  style, and consistency. One challenge was that since the author was from Cameroon and worked in Shanghai, the language had to reflect international English, not necessarily British or American language. It was a nice project to work on and I learned a lot of vocabulary as well as great ways to practice words!

Client: A self-publishing author

Skills: Content Editing, Copy-Editing

Short Plays Cover and Interior Designs

Starting in 2017, I started publishing drama-related learning resources by Alice Savage through my indie publishing company. At first, I formatted the plays to look like scripts from a play publishing house. After extensive research on what plays look like, I created the first row of designs. Simple, clean, and very play-like. I also created a harmonious pallet with room for expanding the series.

However, I realized that many teachers using our plays were not coming from the theater world necessarily. They were not familiar with play script design à la Samuel French, for example. So I redesigned the covers to be brighter and more intriguing, using a color photo in isolation in the center. Branding was done by including a band on the left side of the front cover in various colors.

For the interiors, I kept the script formatting as it was clear to read. This required learning proper playscript formatting but also ensuring the design looked readable to a student whose first language is not English. I also wanted to keep the books short so the price would be low-teachers will likely purchase class sets. And I wanted them to be small enough to fit in the students’ hands. So I chose a highly readable font, even at smaller sizes and included as much white space as possible. The extra space also allows students to mark the script.

Publisher: Alphabet Publishing

Skills: Cover Design, Book Interior Design, Ebook Formatting, Publishing

COVER DESIGNS

 

INTERIOR DESIGN