Why designers, not writers, design books

I have two books that will be published at roughly the same time. This was not really planned because it is clearly insane timing. One is the memoir of my career, Words To Live By: Reflections on the writing life from a 40-year veteran; and the other is the sixth edition of How to Write a Nonfiction Book: From Concept to Completion in 6 Months. Their covers are, in my opinion, fantastic (both designed by Peggy Nehmen). One interior is equally fantastic (also designed by Peggy); the other, while easy to read and understand, is hardly fantastic ("designed" by yours truly).

In its earliest incarnation, How to Write a Nonfiction Book, was a 36-page, 8.5-by-11-inch workbook. It was pretty sparse and meant to be written in by its owner. In the intervening years, it has become 5.5-by-8.5 inches and 136 pages. Its content has been improved and expanded, but—let's fact it—the inside pages lack the panache of a professionally designed book. Peggy graciously reviewed it when it was complete and found about 200 design flaws that "bothered her." I fixed every one, promising myself throughout the process that I will never, NEVER again attempt to design a book.

One look at the two of them side by side clearly demonstrated why designers, not writers, design books.