Book Design Resources

The world of indie publishing has exploded in the past ten years, giving anyone with a story to tell the opportunity to share it with the world. Self-publishing has a number of advantages for authors, the main one being that you maintain full control of your book instead of handing it over to a traditional publisher. Once you finish writing and editing a book, the next step is formatting and designing the book's layout, the cover, and possibly a logo. Custom design of the layout, cover, and logo will help your book catch the attention of readers.

Designing the Cover

Your book cover has a big job: It has to reach out and grab readers. The cover needs to make a statement and be interesting, and it also has to have a neat and clean design. Your readers should be able to instantly get a feel for the genre and tone of your book when they see the book cover and logo. Paperback books require a wraparound cover that includes the front, back, and spine. The width of the spine directly correlates to the number of pages of the book and the paper weight you use for printing. Printers can make this calculation after typesetting, or you can find a spine width calculator online. Hardcover books use a similar equation for calculating width, but many hardcover designs also include a dust jacket design with flaps that wrap around the cover. A book blurb often appears on the right flap (the part that folds around the front cover of the book), and an author biography is printed on the left flap. Dimensions for a hardcover book with dust flaps includes left flap width, back cover width, spine width, front cover width, and right flap width.

The Interior Design

While the book cover pulls readers in to get them to open up your book, the interior design is the key to getting readers to actually read your book. The interior design needs to be clean and simple so as not to distract readers. Industry standards dictate conventional fonts and font size, which are designed to be simple and easy to read. A common mistake for first-time authors is choosing complex fonts and type designs that distract the reader from the book's message. Laying out the text, also known as typesetting, involves arranging the text, inserting page numbers, inserting chapter and section headings, and placing images and diagrams.

More Resources

Writing a book is a major challenge, but the work doesn't stop there. Designing the interior layout and the cover are vitally important steps to help a book succeed. It may help to peruse published books to see what other authors have done. Many tutorials are also available online, which can help with cover design and book layout. With the right approach and attention to detail, it's possible to design a professional and appealing book that is a pleasure to read.

Reviewed by: Zaheer Dodhia

CEO and Founder LogoDesign.net

Book Design Resources