The Seven New Powers of Book Design - Goodbye Gutenberg

Valerie Kirschenbaum first introduced her vision of a new kind of illustrated book in Goodbye Gutenberg. It was named one of the ten most outstanding books of 2004 in the Independent Publishers Book Awards and also won the "Best in Graphic Design and Publishing" from Design, Type & Graphics Magazine. Over 2,400 publishers entered these contests, including W.W. Norton, Columbia University Press, Princeton University Press, and Sourcebooks. One of the award committees wrote, "Goodbye Gutenberg is probably one of the most stunningly visual books we've seen in some years. There's really nothing to compare. We would call it a visual masterpiece."

Goodbye Gutenberg has received rave reviews from mainstream publications such as Utne, School Library Journal, Choice, ForeWord Magazine, Converge Magazine, The Midwest Book Review, Artnews and Artvoice. "Goodbye Gutenberg will unquestionably prove to be the inauguration of future debates pertaining to "designer writing" and the next era of the publication of fiction and non-fiction works of literature," wrote Norm Goldman of Bookpleasures, which made it a December "Book of the Month" selection.

Xerox CEO Anne M. Mulcahy called Val a "pioneer and visionary." Ms. Mulcahy shared the stage with Val, where they discussed Goodbye Gutenberg with over 1,000 executives and entrepreneurs at a business conference in San Francisco.

Val is the first (and still the only) female writer in 500 years to design a font for her own books, called booklady®. She is also the first (and still the only) writer to develop her own unique shapes for the adult market. She is one of the few writers in the world who is actively exploring colors, fonts, shapes and special inks as extensions of a writer's "unique vibrational frequency"—a kind of visual fashion statement. Val is also the first person to receive a grant from the International Reading Association to research the impact of color, typography, fonts, shapes, and special inks on reading comprehension. Val coined (and trademarked) the phrases "designer writer," "designer books," and "designer novels" to describe her vision for a new kind of book.

You can read about her vision for our publishing Renaissance at the Goodbye Gutenberg website. It includes chapters such as The Birth of the Designer Writer, Writing With Body Language, Color, Reading and the Brain, Feminine Fonts, and Writers on Designer Writing. Val's illustrated edition of As A Man Thinketh, which won rave endorsements from John Assaraf and Bob Proctor, two of the teachers in the hit film, The Secret, has sold nearly 10,000 copies. Her early editions of Goodbye Gutenberg were auctioned on ebay for $250.00. Collectors and fans of this edition include Jeffrey Gitomer and the late Susan Sontag. Val's limited deluxe edition of the Gospel of Matthew, with its burgundy leather hardcover, cloth case and spine, silver embossing and silver gilting, is regarded as a technical and artistic masterpiece. It won rave endorsements from speaking legends Zig Ziglar and Charlie "Tremendous" Jones, and billionaire Paul Meyer. Many copies have sold for $500.00, and fewer than 75 copies remain.


Val has taught for 15 years in New York City public schools and is currently a lead teacher in literacy at a middle school in the South Bronx.

Complete video of the standing room only presentation delivered at the NSA Annual Convention in San Diego, July 10, 2007. For more information, please visit www.goodbyegutenberg.com

Topics covered in this video series: gutenberg, gutenberg printing press, printing press, color and the brain, neuroscience of color, fonts, books and fonts, typography, book shape, book branding, book packaging, book packagers, book designers, book marketing, differentiation, viral book marketing, book Renaissance, publishing Renaissance, illuminated manuscripts, self-publishing, jeffrey gitomer, tom peters, nick bantock, louise hay, jon stewart, milton glaser, i love new york, john assaraf, david friend, photography, illustrated books bestseller bestsellers business

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• design
• speaking
• books
• renaissance
• publishing
• innovation

[tralalalaaaaa]

This is such bullshit!

What's missing here is any respect for her readership, any faith that her readers have the intelligence to be able to understand or interpret her text without her constant visual interruptions.

[polimorphic]

Book design for retards. Why would anyone with a brain want to read a book set in brown "booklady passionate"? If the author needs such a cheap graphic resource to communicate his point then the book isn't even worth reading in the first place.

Good book typography aims to be invisible so the reader can use this little thing called "imagination". It is not bad to let your readers think.

[hvanderwegen]

I have been a graphic designer for a long time now and have read a lot of research done on legibility, readability, and so forth. Though 'serious' people hate to admit, cognitive imagery works best for both understanding and retention. Black and white books were historically imposed on readers by technical limits, not by choice. Our brains prefer colour and vivid imagery - b&w text, no matter how well typeset, severely limit our communication on most levels. I for one was blown away by her book.

[Solomohn]

Excellent! Is this a seminar? When will you be in Chicago?

[kuglepen64]

Wauw. Utter, utter bullcrap. Only in america.

[ericmaillard]

Effective Mind !

Eric

Maillard Hebdo