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I have been in publishing for almost 30 years, having held positions such as Publisher, Group
Publisher, VP/Group Publisher, VP/Strategic Planning, and Senior VP/Research Publishing.
Back then, I had staff to edit, design, and produce publications. But that all changed 10 years
ago, when two friends and I started publishing international medical publications. In a small
company, you and your partners do it all. Early on, we used Windows-based computers, but
6 - 7 years ago we made the move to Apple iMacs because of what we felt were superior
graphics, reliability, and excellent tech support. Of course, one big question was, "What
Desktop Publishing (DTP) software should we use?".
We first reviewed the well-known DTP software but felt they would be too complicated and
costly to use. They were not intuitive enough, and as I was not a designer by trade, this was
all new to me. So, we looked for alternatives and found that Apple's iWork Pages might do
the trick. In researching this software, I learned of the author, Alexander Anichkin, who had
been publishing successful full-color magazines and guides in Normandy using iWork Pages.
When I saw what he was doing, I knew he was someone I had to contact. While he was in
Europe and I was in the U.S., the Internet made all things possible, so I e-mailed him. I asked
him all kinds of questions and he was very forthcoming. To say he was a big help to us would
be an understatement. I credit Alexander with helping me make that leap to iWork Pages in
a commercial environment in an extremely short time. Alexander gave me tips and how-to's,
and when I had a question, he answered it. He not only saved me time, but in the end, money
as well. In all fields there are experts, and in using iWork Pages, that expert is Alexander
Anichkin. He knows every little secret, how to push the software to do things that other
software costing thousands or more can do. And now, Alexander is sharing that expertise—all
those little tricks—with readers of his new book.
I had the distinct pleasure of reviewing this book chapter-by-chapter as it was being written.
I found that even though I have been using Pages professionally for a number of years, I was
still learning something from this book. I would review a chapter, and often would write this
comment to the book editor: "I just learned something I didn't know."
I like the way Alexander creates recipes in his teaching. His technique allows the reader to
easily understand, learn, and remember. It is easy to refer back in his step-by-step approach.
I found I was going back to the book again and again by using it as a reference and putting
what I learned into play. |
