9.13.2010

Exhibit 27.3

On Editing a Novel #20

CHOOSING A FONT FOR YOUR NOVEL. This is the single most important thing you will do as a writer. It and it alone will determine your publishing success. Think back to the last time you were in a bookstore. How did you choose which book to buy? You flipped to the back and read the colophon didn't you? Of course you did. According to research, the origin of a book's font is the first thing book consumers check when undertaking a potential literature purchase. Take a look at this quote:

With a sudden upwelling of reverence, Robert Langdon fell to his knees.

Terrible, terrible writing, right? Wrong. Terrible, terrible font. Now let's see it as it appeared in print:

With a sudden upwelling of reverence, Robert Langdon fell to his knees.

And that book became The Da Vinci Code.

So what font should you choose? It depends, depends solely on your genre. Follow these guidelines and you should be fine.

Times New Roman-->Non-Fiction

Lucida Blackletter-->Elf Fantasy

Trebuchet-->Internet Thriller

Papyrus-->Egyptian

Lucida Calligraphy-->Jane Austen Rewrite

Courier-->Beatnik

Georgia-->Jonathan Safran Foer

Webdings-->Mystery

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