Playing in the Garage

For the past few weeks I've been playing around in Benson's Garage. Just as much fun tinkering with the book formatting as writing the story!

• What size do I want the book to be?
• What color should the pages be?
• What to do about "widows" and "orphans"? And in fact, what does that mean? [partial sentences left alone on the last page of a chapter or separated from the rest of their paragraph - I don't remember which is which]
• How to decide whether to leave the orphans behind or match the line breaks at the end of facing pages?!
• Which is correct "quote," or "quote", ?? Sometimes a writer/proofreader/publisher just wants to look up the answer to these questions in a book instead of sorting through the infinite amount of internet reference options. Thankfully this self-publisher (me) happened to glance over at the bookshelf beside her computer desk and noticed:  WRITER'S INC. Hurray!!

  Quotation Marks, section 627: 

"Periods and commas are always placed inside quotation marks."

After finding a few punctuation and capitalization errors in what was supposedly my final copy, not to mention the decision to go with bottom lines matching on facing pages instead of giving into the way of "orphans and widows" . . . I declared that the beautiful proof book copy in my hands was indeed the SECOND-TO-LAST final proof (hopefully). I resubmitted the manuscript for file review on CreateSpace's digital proofer. Now once again I have been informed that my files have passed inspection and another proof copy is on it's way to my doorstep for "final" approval. YEAH!! 

In the meantime I downloaded the digital copy to preview. Looks good so far! 

I guess I should close up shop for a little while and go downstairs to do some laundry.