I know nothing about the book, but it seems a little unrealistic to expect a "complete reference" on all the topics listed, plus including "over 500 photos" in a 200 page book.

Mike Layton has done some amazing things in the PNW, whatever the # of photos, it's worth a look.

7 pics on the f&b cover alone. Seems realistic at that rate! They don't even count as pages!

The book would be shorter without the redundant phrases (Totally Complete) and the extra-long words (Hundredes, availlable).

brianhughes wrote:The book would be shorter without the redundant phrases (Totally Complete) and the extra-long words (Hundredes, availlable).

damn, hope he didn't fork anything over to an editor! on the cover? come on

Dow Williams wrote:

brianhughes wrote:The book would be shorter without the redundant phrases (Totally Complete) and the extra-long words (Hundredes, availlable).

damn, hope he didn't fork anything over to an editor! on the cover? come on

So I figured it looked self-published, not that there's anything wrong with that (done it myself). And so it is: http://www.booksurge.com/

But obvious typos and bad grammar on the cover often indicate a lack of rigour permeating the material inside. For a book giving advice on injuries, rehab and health, this does not inspire faith (regardless of the author's actual abilities in his field).

Mainstream publishing is a shitty industry, so independent options like these offer a glimmer of hope. But that glimmer will not be enough if the process is wasted on sub-standard material.

D

Sorry for jumping the gun on the spelling. I'll be sure to look for the book. Congratulations on completing such an ambitious project.

michaellayton wrote:Hey thanks for pointing that out, but luckily that's not the real cover - I gave Tazz the mock-up. The real cover doesn't contain the typo!

Thought that might have been the case. Good luck with it!

michaellayton wrote:Hey thanks for pointing that out, but luckily that's not the real cover - I gave Tazz the mock-up. The real cover doesn't contain the typo!

Cool. Here is some small stuff, but since it might not be too late, check the font size on the first letters of the first two words on the spine. On the cover, the first letter of each word is larger, and on the spine, only the last two words have larger first letters.

Mike

1. IMO only you maybe want to re-justify the back-cover text. It's a bit messy and "reference available on" runs too close into the image next to it. That and the paragraph above it could go left a few mm. Ditto 'secrets from the professionals' is too close on top of the lady in blue.

2. "Totally complete" - c'mon, what would your dad say?

3. The cover - it's a great shot for sure. But this is book is not really about mountains themselves but about humans training for them, no? The title is human-oriented, not geographical-feature-oriented. Why not a pic of a person climbing? Rockclimbers and boulders tend to train more than mountaineers (ignoring overlap) so maybe a big wild mountain face is not the thing to catch the eye of your core demographic?

Covers are notoriously tricky, and you never know if you got it right. In 1998 I self-published this: http://www.chesslerbooks.com/item/2935- ... copies.asp

People love the cover, a Gordon Wiltsie shot, and The North Face used the same shot widely in their ads a few months later. It was not my choice. Not even one of my options. I had a totally different cover with ice and penguins with a mountain in the background and I thought it was the best. It was on all the drafts and mockups. I was wrong, and the guy helping me with layout and design was right, as it turns out.

My next book is out mid-2010, not self-published, and for this one I'm letting the publisher decided the cover. I just gave them all my best shots and left it up to them. Maybe other SPers could toss in their .02c of judgement on you?

D