Last week in part 1 of “How to Format a Book” I covered trim size, margins, and fonts and their sizes. This week, we’ll look at page headings, chapter beginning elements, and page count.
Whether you’re doing the layout or you’ve hired a designer, the elements discussed last week are essentials you must determine before you begin. If you don’t, then you’ll be spending time making adjustments.
Now let’s look at the importance of page headings, chapter headings, and page count.
Page Headings (aka folio)
The headings I’m talking about here are the ones that run across the top of the page.
The left page often lists the author’s name, and the right side lists the book title. Sometimes you’ll see the book title (left) and chapter title (right) without any mention of the author.
The page number can be listed at the top or bottom of your page, in the center or at the edge of the page.
Design-wise, these elements are often treated in a way that sets them apart from the body text. Examples include a different font, all caps, italics, etc. Thumb through several books on your book shelf and observe how the folio is treated.
Chapter headings
1. Right hand or left?
In decades past, chapters always started on the right hand page of the book. (And in case you never noticed, right hand pages are always odd numbers and the left is even.)
In today’s world you’ll find books with chapters that start on the left hand page. Undoubtedly, this decision can save you money because it means you don’t have any blank pages. No blank pages can equate to smaller page counts, thus the potential for lower print costs.
Making the decision up front on where to place your chapter beginning will save you time in revision later.
2. Top or part way down?
If you paged through a few books to examine the folio, I’m sure you also noticed that the text starts farther down the page, often about a third of the way.
You can buck these two traditional features, but you risk giving your book an unprofessional look.
3. Plain or fancy design?
Your chapter number and chapter title, if you choose to use one, look best if treated differently than your body text. At CrossRiver, we carry over the book cover font to the chapter heading elements.
If you use the same font as your body text, then put your chapter heading in bold or italics or in all caps/small caps or a combination thereof. In addition, make the font size larger.
Page Count
Why have I put page count at the end?
Because all of the above items (including those from part 1) impact the page count. And no matter who prints your book, the page count impacts your cost. The more paper and ink required, the higher the cost.
Until you layout your manuscript, you can only guess at how many pages it will be (figure an average of 350 words per page). The higher the page count, the more consideration you want to give to the inside margin of your pages.
Below is a picture of a book that didn’t allow for enough inside margin. It’s very difficult to comfortably read this book. I have to constantly flatten the curve of the book.
The picture above emphasizes the importance of getting a hard copy proof of your book from Amazon.
Do a little research
Pull a few books off your crowded bookshelf and grab a ruler. Measure the trim size.
- What sizes do you like? I’ve had people tell me they like the feel of a 6 x 9 book in their hand better than a 5 x 8.
- Are you someone who connects the value of a book with the book’s thickness? (I tend to do this and can feel cheated if I’ve paid $10 or more for a book that’s only 50 pages long.)
- Also keep in mind that KDP charges the same price to print books that are 100 pages or under. That means you pay the same price to have your book printed if it’s 50 pages or 100.
Now that you’ve measured trim size, open up those same books and measure the margins and note the page count.
- What size margins do you prefer?
- What trim size are books with page counts over 200? Under 200? Under 100?
Use your findings to help you determine what you’d like for your book.
If you’ve created a journal or other book intended to be written in, you might want to choose 6 x 9 or larger. Yes, this will decrease your page count, but your intent is outside the norms of simply reading a book.
Now you know how to format a book! Plus you can communicate those specifications to any designer you might hire.
Do you have a question about how to format a book? Drop it in the comments below and I’ll be sure to answer you.
Next month, I’ll discuss ebook formatting.
Related articles:
“How to Format a Book Part 1”