Have you finished writing your book but are now wondering how to do the book layout?
With self- and indie-publishing many more people are entering the world of book publishing. And many writers may find writing their book the easiest part of getting their book to the virtual bookshelf.
Today, I’d like to take a look at book layout. It’s not complicated, but can seem that way if you don’t know the process involved. Three parts compose the physical design of your book: the book cover, the book interior, the digital conversion.
Pre-production Book Layout
Before you can begin your layout, you need to decide what size your book will be. This is called the trim size.
Standard sizes for adult books are 5.5 x 8.5, 5 x 8, 6 x 9. Children’s books vary widely. Study your market first so you know what is standard for the type of book you’re writing.
Once you’ve decided this, you will create your interior and cover files to those specifications. Any designer you hire will also need to know this specification.
When you upload to KDP, they’re going to ask several more questions about your book design. Read “How to Understand Print Book Specifications” to get a full understanding of all the details so you can answer those questions with confidence as you prep your book on KDP.
Book Cover
A quality book cover is essential. Readers can spot an amateur cover, and that speaks volumes to whether they buy. After all, if the cover looks amateurish, what will the story be like?
This is one aspect of your book I encourage writers to hire out. Designers can be found in many places.
- Ask your writer friends who they’ve used and are happy with. (At CrossRiver Media, we’ve used Carrie Dennis Design.)
- Find book covers you like and see who created them, then contact that designer.
- Reedsy.com
- Fiverr.com
- Google search
If you’re going into the process cold, do due diligence to ensure you’re getting a reputable designer.
With the digital version of your book, you will only need the front cover. A print book requires a front cover, back cover, and spine.
Each version (print and digital) represents a separate file you’ll use in uploading your book cover to Amazon.
Interior Book Layout
The interior of your book represents a separate file from the cover. Unlike the book cover, this is one part of your book you can manage depending on your technology comfort level and available time.
However, YouTube is replete with how-to videos on book layout using MS Word. Other programs, such as Vellum (for MAC users only) and InDesign (the program I use) are available for a price. Reedsy.com offers a book layout option as well. I can’t speak to whether it costs to use it.
If you plan to write a lot of books, learning how to do the interior layout for yourself will save you dollars. But as with any aspect of book layout, it’s a trade-off. Know yourself, your strengths, and what you can handle.
Digital Conversion
Digital conversion to epub or mobi is a third aspect of your book layout.
KDP accepts both MS Word files and epub files and will then convert that file to their proprietary .mobi format for their kindle readers.
Design programs such as Vellum and InDesign will export your file to epub, but not mobi. If you use Scrivener, you can export to epub, pdf, and mobi. Draft2Digital also offers digital conversion and more.
Do some research, ask your writer friends what they use or who they hired. By all means, don’t hire the first person you find. Shop around!
For greater detail on digital book layout, read my post “Formatting an Ebook.”
Like all things you do for the first time, this may seem daunting. But the more you learn and practice, the easier it will get. Or just fork over the $$$ and hire someone.
Have a question about book layout? Leave a comment and I’ll be sure to answer.