Ask the Fontiff
In the comments of an earlier post, sallytuppence asked: My books have some typographical stuff going on. The first book has brief journal entries interspersed with the narrative. Plus there's another letter writer. I'd love for the book designer to set these entries and letters in different fonts to indicate that they're handwritten and from different writers. How likely?
-->Very likely. You should probably ask your editor if this will be possible. If she gives the go-ahead, you need to make your wishes clear to the designers. The traditional way of doing this is to format your ms thusly: Blah dee blah text text text text text yes more text text text still more text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text.
[CHARACTER A HANDWRITING]
Stuff that should be in Character A's handwriting. More stuff that should be in Character A's handwriting. Yet more stuff that should be in Character A's handwriting. Stuff that should be in Character A's handwriting. My, Character A does go on! Stuff that should be in Character A's handwriting.
[END CHARACTER A HANDWRITING]
Blah dee blah text text text text text yes more text text text still more text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text.
That's if you want to be really controlling (which is exactly what I would be, because...I am). I don't know what you are or are not allowed to put in the ms nowadays, since your publisher now uses an electronic trafficing/copyediting/etc. arrangement for manuscripts. At the very least, you should put a very polite memo on the front of the file for the copyeditor, wherein you note that you have thus-and-so many different characters writing notes, and you would love for them to be in different handwriting fonts. Then the CE or ME will tag them separately.
In the second book, I've got two different journal entry writers (two different fonts?), plus one letter writer with very sloppy handwriting (which he notes in the letter itself)--again, will fonts be able to reproduce this kind of writing, you think? What sorts of options are there? Finally, sloppy letter writer makes a mistake in the letter, producing an inkblot--do-able?
-->Do-able, but again, you need to note it carefully. Also, though I probably don't need to tell you this, address a polite note to the designer about your preferences. When you see first pass pages of your first book, get the name of the designer, say "thank you" in the acks page, and send them some yummy treats. (The publishing industry runs on cookies and fudge.) They will remember you as "that courteous writer who sent us cookies and thanked us!" when the time comes for the next book.
Also, please note that one of the designers in the division where your books sold to is a reader of my blog. ;-)
-->Very likely. You should probably ask your editor if this will be possible. If she gives the go-ahead, you need to make your wishes clear to the designers. The traditional way of doing this is to format your ms thusly: Blah dee blah text text text text text yes more text text text still more text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text.
[CHARACTER A HANDWRITING]
Stuff that should be in Character A's handwriting. More stuff that should be in Character A's handwriting. Yet more stuff that should be in Character A's handwriting. Stuff that should be in Character A's handwriting. My, Character A does go on! Stuff that should be in Character A's handwriting.
[END CHARACTER A HANDWRITING]
Blah dee blah text text text text text yes more text text text still more text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text.
That's if you want to be really controlling (which is exactly what I would be, because...I am). I don't know what you are or are not allowed to put in the ms nowadays, since your publisher now uses an electronic trafficing/copyediting/etc. arrangement for manuscripts. At the very least, you should put a very polite memo on the front of the file for the copyeditor, wherein you note that you have thus-and-so many different characters writing notes, and you would love for them to be in different handwriting fonts. Then the CE or ME will tag them separately.
In the second book, I've got two different journal entry writers (two different fonts?), plus one letter writer with very sloppy handwriting (which he notes in the letter itself)--again, will fonts be able to reproduce this kind of writing, you think? What sorts of options are there? Finally, sloppy letter writer makes a mistake in the letter, producing an inkblot--do-able?
-->Do-able, but again, you need to note it carefully. Also, though I probably don't need to tell you this, address a polite note to the designer about your preferences. When you see first pass pages of your first book, get the name of the designer, say "thank you" in the acks page, and send them some yummy treats. (The publishing industry runs on cookies and fudge.) They will remember you as "that courteous writer who sent us cookies and thanked us!" when the time comes for the next book.
Also, please note that one of the designers in the division where your books sold to is a reader of my blog. ;-)