Book Formatting Made Easy

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm talking about book formatting. You know, that niggling little thing we all have to do before we can put our books up for sale to the masses. First, you have to format it for print! Then, you have to format it for digital. If you're on more than one platform, you have to format your digital version more than once. Sounds fun, huh?

No?

Well, allow me to introduce you to something that will save you a ton of formatting time. While you won't get the level of interior design you can achieve with a professional designer at your side (bleed, images that relate to your story, etc...), you can still have a professional looking book with less work on your end. If you're on a budget (as all Indies I know are), this is the answer to your fervent prayers.

I suggest using the service I'm about to tell you all about in The Indie Author's Guide to: Building a Great Book. That publication goes into where you can sell your book, how to format for each platform, and gives a ton of references you can use to make your book the best publication it can be.

BUT!

Come on, you knew that was coming. *grin*

If you've read TIAG, you'll know my referral was for the print version of your book only. Now, you can get templates for both the print and digital versions of your book.

It's genius (and I've said as much to the brains behind the project).

I know you're chomping at the bit to find out where you can get these templates. Well, here's your link:

Book Design Templates

Their templates include:

• 2 Way (these are the ones that work for digital and print) for Fiction, Memoirs, and Narrative Non-Fiction
• Fiction, Memoirs, and Narrative Non-Fiction (print only)
• Non-Fiction, Reference, and Technical (print only)
• Children's Books (yes, really! print only)
• Specialty - Book Proposals and even a template for a mini version of your book!

Who are the masterminds behind this awesome breakthrough? Joel Friedlander and Tracy Atkins from The Book Designer blog. If you've never heard of that blog, I invite you to jump on over and poke around. You'll find a lot of great stuff over there about self-publishing and book design.

What are you waiting for? Get going!

I'm in no way compensated for any links I provide on my blog (except those that go to my own books, and that's only if you buy one!). So you can always be sure the recommendations you get here are 100% for you.

What do you think of this awesome breakthrough? Will you use it?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Hiring a Book or Cover Designer

Happy Friday! It's time for the weekend! I can hear you cheering. Today, I'm going to give you some tips on what to look for when hiring a designer for your manuscript and cover. I'll give you a list of questions you should ask, what you can expect from your designer, and what you should prepare in advance. So grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

First and foremost, you should prepare a creative brief. Your brief should include:

• Your name and pen name
• Your address and billing information
• The book's title
• Genre
• Blurb
• Any review matter you'd like included
• Cover copy (the text that appears on the back or inside flap)
• Your vision for your book
• Other books in your genre (for reference)
• Headshots, logos, or any other imagery that must be included (like awards the book has won)

Now that you have your brief, you should approach a designer. Before handing over your brief, you need to ask some questions to make sure you're hiring someone that knows their stuff. Ask things like:

• Have you ever formatted for XYZ company's specs before?
• Do you have a design degree? (While this isn't necessary, it doesn't hurt to know going in.)
• What software do you use for design?
• Can I see some of the other work you've done?
• Explain bleed to me. Bleed is the area of the image that hangs over the edge and is cut away during production.
• What is kerning? Kerning is adjusting the space between letters.
• What is tracking? Tracking is adjusting the space between a whole line of letters.
• What's the standard safety margin for live elements? Standard safety is .25" from the edge for books. Some production houses call for .125". Either answer is correct. However, CreateSpace wants .25".

If your designer nails all these questions, you've got someone that most likely knows their stuff.

What you can expect from your designer:
A good designer will give you three very different choices to start with. They'll ask you to narrow it down to one and give you up to two revisions on that one design. Once you decide on a cover, the interior should compliment fonts used and look and feel of the book. Again, I'll use The Bird as an example:

Note the font on the cover of the book and the design elements around the border.

Now note the font on the chapter heading and number and the design elements around the edges of the page.











Watch out for the designers that mix two script fonts, two serif fonts, or two sans serif fonts in their design. This is a basic Typography no-no because it always comes off looking like a mistake.

Your designer should provide you with all files:

• Thumbnails
• Cover sized and formatted for digital uploads
• Cover sized and formatted for display on a website
• Entire cover for production house, formatted properly and in proper color space (CMYK ONLY)
• Cover in black & white
• List of fonts used

They won't give you the original files they built. Don't ask. This is like you writing a story and someone else wanting to tinker with it and release it with your name on it without you approving the changes.

Your contract should include:

• Statements saying the artwork is yours once the work is done and that you're free to use it in any way you see fit at no extra compensation for the designer or any third party.
• Deadlines and penalties for not meeting them.
• A guarantee clause stating all work is original and designed by them.
• A clause stating all artwork contained in the design is free from copyright by third-party entities.
• Number of revisions allowed at no extra charge.
• Payment arrangements in detail.
• Your name, their name, and all addresses associated with you both.
• Number of files you'll receive and sizes/specs.

This is protection for both you and your designer. They should never ever balk at signing a contract.

I hope this helps many indie authors get the quality and professionalism they deserve in a designer. Over on Joel Friedlander's blog today, there's an interesting post about judging a book by it's cover. I beg you to go give it a read.

Any questions? Leave a comment and I'll get back with you ASAP.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway while you're here!
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Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo