Updated on July 18, 2024
Creating a book layout can feel overwhelming, especially when doing it alone. With numerous design choices and printing options to consider, the process can seem daunting before your book reaches its audience. Trust Best Book Writers to guide you through this journey.
Complete & Easy Guide to the Perfect Book Layout
For some, formatting a book layout is an exciting part of the process. It's the moment when your meticulously crafted manuscript starts to resemble a real, tangible book.
However, others may find the details frustrating. After all, how important is the layout compared to the text itself?
The answer is: very important. A well-designed book makes your work both appealing and accessible, keeping readers focused on the content rather than being distracted by awkward layouts and visual mistakes. It ensures a pleasant reading experience.
A professional layout also signals to your reader that you take writing and publishing seriously. In a competitive market with few barriers to entry, this implicit promise sets genuine writers apart from the rest.
As a self-publishing author, you might need some help with your book layout. Don’t worry. This guide covers best practices and essential elements, ensuring you’re on the right track to publish a book that truly represents your writing and hard work.
Key Components of an Excellent Book Layout
Before you begin, decide on the types of book formatting you will use. Will it be an ebook-only text, or do you want to offer paperback or hardcover versions as well? Offering multiple formats requires extra effort, but some readers prefer the tactile experience of a physical book.
Your choice will impact the book's interior and elements like the cover and price. Regardless of your book's type, genre, or content, it should include the following essentials.
Attractive Book Cover Design
The reader's experience begins well before they open the book. A professionally designed cover should look appealing, feel right, and meet genre expectations. If it breaks conventions, it should do so thoughtfully and intentionally.
Your cover design needs to work for book marketing thumbnails as well as for both ebook and print formats (if you plan to print). Avoid complex graphics that don't compress well.
Without design expertise, it's best not to attempt the cover yourself. Even generic premade covers are less likely to alienate readers than an amateurish design. Small details like font and spacing can be off-putting to your audience, even if they can't quite articulate why.
The best cover is both professional and personalized. Best Book Writers offers a range of book cover design services starting at $499, accommodating various visions and budgets.
Expertly Crafted Front and Back Matter
You'll also need critical front and back matter for your text. While some elements are optional, they are highly recommended for writers, especially in certain genres. Elements such as a dedication page and acknowledgments may technically be optional, but all writers should give them serious consideration. Recognizing those who have supported you along the way is not just a good practice but also a matter of courtesy.
Front Matter
Every book should include at least a copyright page, which can be combined with the title page.
While not legally required for books published after 1989, many ebook distributors require a copyright notice. This notice asserts the author’s ownership with a simple statement including:
- • The word "copyright," abbreviation "copr.," or symbol ©
- • The author’s name
- • The year of first publication
Example: © 2022 John Author
The copyright page may also include additional publication details and can be positioned at the back of the book if preferred.
Other front matter options include:
- • Book title page
- • Copyright page*
- • Table of contents
- • Preface, foreword, or introduction
- • Testimonials or reviews*
- • Dedication
- • Acknowledgments*
*These elements can also appear in the back matter
An advantage of ebooks is the ability to include a clickable table of contents, facilitating easy navigation through chapters.
Back Matter
Back matter, also known as end matter, varies widely based on the genre of the text and the author's intentions. For example, a nonfiction book about the French Revolution will include different back matter compared to a fantasy novel or a mystery.
Common elements of back matter include:
- • Afterword
- • Appendices*
- • Bibliography
- • About the author*
- • Other works by the author*
- • Endnotes
- • Index**
*These elements can also be part of the front matter.
**Indexes are usually not relevant for most ebook formats due to varying page numbers.
Appendices are typically placed at the end of a book, though some authors may include items like maps or glossaries at the beginning to assist readers.
Back matter also provides an opportunity for subtle self-promotion. You can guide readers to your other books or share information about upcoming projects. In ebooks, you can even include links to websites or other resources, but ensure compliance with distributor guidelines to avoid inadvertently promoting competitors, which could lead to your book being rejected.
Uniform and Clear Formatting Inside Your Book
Ensuring your book editing process includes thorough proofreading is essential. Readers expect error-free text, and Best Book Writers offers various editing services, from comprehensive developmental editing to precise copy editing.
Equally important is maintaining impeccable interior formatting. This guide will outline key practices for achieving a polished final product below, focusing on creating consistently clear and readable text.
Avoiding common formatting errors that disrupt the reader's experience is critical. Some habits, like using two spaces after a period instead of one, stem from outdated practices. Today's technology resolves spacing issues automatically, eliminating the need for extra spaces.
Other errors arise from not adhering to current conventions. Your audience expects uniformity in:
- • Typography
- • Running headers and footers in print editions
- • Alignment
- • Line, paragraph, scene, and chapter breaks
- • Image and caption formatting
Attention to detail is crucial. Just as with a poorly designed cover, readers may not identify specific flaws, but they will notice and respond to them.
Perfect Reading Experience Across Various Formats
No matter how your readers decide to experience your work, you want to ensure they have a smooth reading experience. It's important to understand what might appear awkward or fail to translate well between ebooks and printed versions.
Ebook Layouts
There are two main types of ebook layouts: flowable and fixed layouts.
Flowable layouts are very versatile, compatible with any size or brand of e-reader. Readers can adjust font size and style according to their preferences.
Fixed layouts, however, do not allow for such adjustments. They maintain document elements like pagination, tables, and inserts, making them ideal for genres such as cookbooks and textbooks where layout preservation is crucial.
Ebook Formats
Ebooks are published in various file formats such as HTML and DOC, but three main formats dominate the industry: EPUB, KPF/MOBI, and PDF.
EPUB is widely used outside of Amazon due to its versatility and accessibility, becoming the industry standard for most ebooks. KPF files are Amazon’s proprietary format, offering more flexibility compared to the older MOBI files, which are gradually being phased out.
EPUB, KPF, and MOBI formats typically utilize flowable layouts, allowing content to adjust dynamically. In contrast, PDF files maintain a fixed layout, requiring minimal adaptation between print and digital formats.
Best Book Writers provides ebook conversion services, specializing in creating EPUB files compatible with most devices and platforms. We offer both flowable and fixed-layout options to meet diverse publishing needs.
Print Formats
Best Book Writers also provides custom print interior services, ensuring a seamless transition between digital and physical book formats, tailored to your specific layout preferences.
Printed books require precise formatting details, including margins, running headers, and footers. Page numbers, chapter titles, and other necessary information typically appear at the top or bottom of each page in print editions.
We accommodate a variety of print formats, known as "trim sizes" in the industry. Trim size refers to the physical dimensions of the book. Since the 1920s, books have been printed in standard sizes such as:
- • Hardcover books ranging from 6” x 9” to 8.5” x 11”
- • Trade paperbacks usually sized at 6” x 9” or slightly smaller
- • Mass-market paperbacks commonly sized at 4.25” x 6.87”
Additionally, professional print editions require a well-designed book spine. Any text on the spine must fit perfectly within the designated space. It’s generally advisable to refrain from adding text unless the book contains at least 50 pages to ensure legibility and visual appeal.
Key Principles of Book Layout
Everyone's publishing journey is unique, and we want you to be satisfied with your book no matter what. We also aim to help you save money wherever possible.
Self-publishing authors can use a few strategies to streamline the editing process and avoid costly issues before handing their manuscript over to professionals.
Break It Up
In publishing, the space around your words is just as important as the words itself. Pay careful and consistent attention to paragraph, section, and chapter breaks.
For paragraphs, you can choose between indented or block style. Indented paragraphs work well for fiction and narrative-driven works, while block paragraphs, which add a blank line between paragraphs, are better suited for technical nonfiction.
Whichever style you choose, rely on margin rulers or formatting tools instead of manually adding spaces or hard returns.
To separate multiple scenes or sections within a chapter, use an extra line with a centered hash mark. When ending a chapter, insert a page break to start the next one on a new page.
Line It Up
Ensure your text looks balanced, with lines of consistent length and uniform margins. Each page should align perfectly with the next.
Avoid using automatic justification in word processors, as it can stretch text awkwardly and disrupt consistency.
Margin sizes differ between print and ebook formats. For ebooks, use equal margins all around, typically around 0.5 inches. For printed copies, the inner margins should be wider, about 0.75 inches, to prevent the text from disappearing into the binding.
Clean It Up
Avoid having widows and orphans—those single lines at the beginning or end of a paragraph that end up on a different page.
Maintain consistent color and typography throughout your book. Select a font that's easy to read in various sizes and styles. Ensure your chosen font is suitable for your format, as some fonts look better in either digital or print, while others are effective in both.
Dress It Up
Best Book Writers' custom interiors can accommodate complex elements like images and stylized headings or scene breaks.
You can also include original, custom illustrations to give your book a unique style. While illustrations are more common in children's books, don't underestimate the sophisticated touch that minimal spot illustrations can bring to adult literature.
Print It Up
Thoroughly review your ebooks multiple times before approving them. For print books, utilize on-demand printing and carefully inspect the physical copy. Be vigilant for misaligned grids and other printing errors.
Even top-tier printing services occasionally make mistakes, but they should not charge you for correcting these errors.
You deserve the book you were promised. Plus, one of the benefits of on-demand printing is that you don’t have to maintain an inventory before sales. If errors occur, you won't be burdened with a large stock of misprints.
The Ideal Layout for Your Book
Here it is comprehensive book layout assistance for every self-publishing author. However, no guide can match the level of control and customization you'll experience with Best Book Writers.
We collaborate closely with authors to bring their envisioned books to life. Our services encompass the entire journey from development and editing to marketing. We offer a range of book interior formatting options, from simple ebook conversions to luxurious art books for your coffee table.
Feel free to reach out with any inquiries or for a complimentary consultation to explore your creative possibilities.