Garden Journal, Part 4: Size and Length Considerations

Once I had an idea what I wanted to include, I had to think about how long to make the book and how big it should be, length by width.

What did I want the Garden Journal to look like?

Length: Since I'd have to write and design each page myself, size was a consideration if I ever wanted to get it done. I was thinking on making it 64 or 80 pages. Multiples of 16 are the easiest and cheapest for commercial printers to handle, thus making production easier and cheaper for me. I also knew that readers were generally not interested in big journals; they looked like they were heavy to carry, a lot of work to fill out, and expensive. However, I wanted the books to have some heft and value, so I settled for 80 pages.

Paper Size: At first, the thought of filling 80 pages with my special content seemed daunting. However, I had one thing going for me: paper size. The size I chose was 5.5 inches wide by 8.5 inches tall, half the size of a regular 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper. The pages would a manageable size and would make a book that was easy to carry around. Plus this standard size would be easier to lay out in Adobe InDesign, my software of choice, and I'd done two of my fiction books in the same size, so it was familiar to me.
Binding: Since this journal would be a working gardener's best friend, I knew a spiral binding was essential. That way, gardeners could lay the book out flat for easy writing and recording.
Color: I briefly considered going with an inside that was solely black and white, without any color. It was cheaper than color, but it also looked cheaper. I wanted the Garden Journal & Tracker to look awesome and beautiful. Gardeners are visual people; they enjoy color. Plus, sometimes you could only really depict a flower or vegetable truly by showing it in all its glorious color. This journal had to inspire and color would help so I finally decided on four-color processing.

I sent my specifications to the printer and they gave me a quote that was reasonable, so I began work in earnest. It took many months, but, now, at the end of July, it is at the printer and I hope it is done by early September.