Book Design Tips for Self Publishing Authors

As a self-publishing author, one of the key decisions you’ll need to make concerns the design of your book. The cover of your book plays a crucial role in attracting readers, and the design of the book cover and interior pages creates a professional and polished finished product that will either attract or repel your readers.

With so many design options and considerations, it can be overwhelming for authors who are new to the self-publishing process. Based on our experience, here are some of our top tips to help you create a stunning and professional-looking book:

Compelling Covers

Start with a compelling cover design. They say you can’t judge a book by it’s cover, but the cover is the first thing readers will see. What else is there to judge by? Cover design plays a crucial role in attracting attention and sparking interest in your book.

You should seriously consider hiring a professional designer to create a unique and eye-catching cover. One that reflects the content and tone of your book. Your cover needs be visually appealing but also clearly communicate what your book is about. You have a fraction of a second for potential readers to recognise the genre and style of the book and decide where to pick it up or move on.

Threading the Typographic Needle

The fonts you use for the interior of your book will impact the readability and overall aesthetic of your book. Avoid using decorative or hard-to-read fonts. Opt for a clean and easy-to-read typeface that will make your book pleasant to read. Reading should be fun; readers should not notice the font; they should only be aware of the meaning of your words, not the medium through which they’re delivered. That means you should avoid being tempted by interesting fonts that are “full of character”. One easy option is to use a serif font for the body text and a sans-serif font for headings and subheadings. It really depends on what the character of your book is, so choose carefully.

Using a professional book designer is always going to be the best option, the do-it-yourself route almost always results in an unprofessional look and feel, which undermines your readers’ faith in you as an author. Whenever we design a book, we try out a variety of typographical options before settling on the ultimate font combinations.

Interior Design and Layout

Using appropriate formatting and spacing is a crucial part of effective book design. The formatting and spacing of your book can make a huge difference to the overall look and feel of your book. Give your text room to breath, crowded words create a tension in the reader that can spoil the reading experience.

Paragraph and line spacing has a subtle but important impact. Consider using headings and subheadings to break up the text and make it easier to read, but only if it appropriate for your book. Pay attention to the margins, indents, and alignment of your text. If your book is not a novel, consider using bullet points or numbered lists to organise information.

Graphics and Images

A well-chosen graphic can alter the complete tone of a book. Talk to your book designer about the value of including images and other design elements. Depending on the content of your book, you may want to consider adding images or other design elements to enhance the overall design of your book. These can include photographs, illustrations, or incidental graphics. But only use them if it will help to illustrate your key messages, add visual interest, or simplify complex ideas.

Be sure to use high-quality images and make sure they are properly formatted and positioned within your book. Always discuss them all with your book designer, before you go to print.

Editing and Proofreading

One of the most crucial steps every successful author takes is to have a professional editor and proofreader go through your drafts in detail. Before publishing your book, it’s important to have a professional proofreader and editor review your book to ensure it’s free of errors and consistent in style and tone. You’ll be surprised how many times they will find things that you were blind to.

This will help to create a polished and professional-looking book that readers will enjoy. A professional proofreader and editor can catch typos, grammar mistakes, and other errors that can detract from the quality of your book. You already want your readers to have the best experience possible with your work, and this is a vital part of that. After all, that’s what will keep them looking out for your next one.

Create The Book You Deserve

As a self-publishing author, you sacrifice and work hard. You have spent hundred, perhaps thousands of hours crafting a book that you hope will move your readers.Perhaps even affect their lives. So you have a choice: do you accept a mediocre cover, indifferent layout and an overall effect that is just good enough; or do you give your book the best deign possible? Does your book deserve the best chance possible?

You have a chance to create a stunning and professional-looking book that will attract readers and showcase your work. The beauty of self-publishing is that you are in control of all the decisions involving your book. That is unheard-of in the usual publishing routes. With a little effort and some professional attention to detail, you can create a book that you can be proud of. A book that will help you achieve your publishing goals, and maybe even create a bestseller.

Is Your Book Designed for Success?

Design Inspiration has over 29 years’ experience in creating designs that inspire and delight. If you want to have a no-obligation conversation about how we can design your book, get in touch with Design Inspiration using the form below: