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Eyes Open, Eyes Closed

Eyes Open, Eyes Closed: An Odyssey to Power & Peace Practicing Karate & Meditation
Rustburg, Virginia

©2024, Peace Promotions Press
EyesOpenEyesClosed.org

Written by Susie Joiner

image: Eyes Open, Eyes Closed Cover
Eyes Open, Eyes Closed Cover

I feel continually blessed that my clients show their appreciation for my work by recommending my services to their friends and colleagues. A previous client and dear friend, Marta May — whose three memoirs I produced from 2013-2019 — introduced me to Susie Joiner to assist in the production of her memoir.

This book was a labor of love for Susie and it shows on every page. Her manuscript was written over many decades of her life and was a very emotional process for her to share her story publicly. First, I read through it copyediting carefully. Working closely together we improved the material and properly formatted and prepared it for layout. [ … Read More ]

I designed this 6 x 9 inch softcover book using classic fonts. The Part Opener pages included symbolic icon graphics and Chapter Opener pages featured quotes from famous authors. The symbolic icons were researched and purchased as high resolution stock photos and Susie provided the pertinent quotes. Once the book was laid out, including the extensive footnotes, we decided that photos would be appropriate for inclusion at the end of the first three Parts. Susie scanned the vintage photos at high resolution and I retouched them as needed to improve print quality.

Susie had very specific ideas about the look of the front cover and she provided the two gorgeous photographs which I adjusted to appear floating on the black background. The back cover included the Japanese kanji character for "peace", within the reader testimonials box, as well as a QR code to display her web site, EyesOpenEyesClosed.org. The finished book was printed with a matte-finish cover and is a beautiful volume in hand. I assisted Susie with obtaining the ISBN number and Library of Congress copyright and advised her on her printing options as she preferred to self-publish and sell copies directly.

This was a wonderful project to be involved with as all net proceeds from the sale of the book and other "peaceful" products like bumper stickers will be sold on her beautiful web site and given to the Peace Literacy Institute. For more information, visit: PeaceLiteracy.org
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image: Eyes Open, Eyes Closed Title Page
Eyes Open, Eyes Closed
Title Page
image: Eyes Open, Eyes Closed Table of Contents
Eyes Open, Eyes Closed
Table of Contents
image: Eyes Open, Eyes Closed Preface
Eyes Open, Eyes Closed
Preface
image: Eyes Open, Eyes Closed Part One Opener
Eyes Open, Eyes Closed
Part One Opener
image: Eyes Open, Eyes Closed Chapter One Opener
Eyes Open, Eyes Closed
Chapter One Opener
image: Eyes Open, Eyes Closed Family Photos
Eyes Open, Eyes Closed
Family Photos
image: Eyes Open, Eyes Closed Part Two Opener
Eyes Open, Eyes Closed
Part Two Opener
image: Eyes Open, Eyes Closed Karate Photos
Eyes Open, Eyes Closed
Karate Photos
image: Eyes Open, Eyes Closed Chapter Opener
Eyes Open, Eyes Closed
Chapter Opener
image: Eyes Open, Eyes Closed The Circle of Change
Eyes Open, Eyes Closed
The Circle of Change
image: Eyes Open, Eyes Closed Dome Building Photos
Eyes Open, Eyes Closed
Dome Building Photos
image: Eyes Open, Eyes Closed Dome and Family Photos
Eyes Open, Eyes Closed
Dome and Family Photos

Client Testimonial

September 12, 2024

"Phyllis was always prompt and responsive, following up to answer texts, emails, or voicemails in a timely manner — a rare quality in today’s world. And, for this new author, she was helpful in offering explanations for new technology and the process for getting a book into print. In short, she was a capable and caring midwife for birthing my literary “baby”!"

Susie Joiner — Author and Publisher
EyesOpenEyesClosed.org