Some rules you can break, others you can't

Even on the left, odd on the right. Always.

That's how it is. Every trade and every profession has them ... rules and governing principles that can't (or shouldn't) be ignored.

I purchased and have nearly filled a 200-page blank notebook. It's a decent quality, hardcover book, red, with a ribbon bound into the spine so I can mark my place.

When it was nearly full I went looking for another.

The same company that made the red book offers other styles, so I selected a different one. A black one. Cloth-covered with three ribbons(!) to mark important sections.

But there's a problem.

The page numbers are on the wrong side. The pagination in the red book is correct so it never occurred to me to check the pages in the black book.

They're all wrong. The odd numbered pages are on the left and the even are on the right.

In book design, like most professions, there are rules you can bend ... or break. And some you can't.

In book design even numbered pages go on the left, odd numbered go on the right. Always.

I can't use it.

I'll cut the pages out of the book and repurpose them. Yes, it's that egregious.

It's one of the reasons I'm releasing a new workbook: How to Write and Self-Publish a Book Worth Reading.

It's a step-by-step guide to writing and creating a book you'll be proud to share. One with even numbered pages on the left, odd on the right.

A workbook that takes you through the steps of writing a book ... including best practices for writing and rewriting. A bit about the difference between editing and proofreading, why you need an ISBN, where to get one ... and a few lines about signing your book once it's published because, yes, there's something to know about that.

That's my book ... and it's a reminder why we need your book.

You have experience, stories, and insights that come from doing what you do best.

Knowledge and insights people need.

Because whatever the equivalent is in your world, you know ... it's even on the left, odd on the right.

Always.

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