Often writers come to me at the end of the writing stage of their project. They’re usually excited to take the next step, and rightfully so. They have a completed manuscript and are ready to self-publish, but most are unsure of the steps between. This is the place where a professional book designer comes in, when you need your manuscript to become a book, and that book to look its best.
Part of what makes a book a book is the look and feel of it. If you’re a writer then you probably understand the joy of picking a book up off the shelf, or the coffee table, and leafing through the pages. If you’re like me, before reading, you really explore the book, checking out the table of contents, the forward and afterward, and the “Also By The Author” section that lets you know everything else our potential new favorite author has written.
In order to bring this level of polish to your manuscript, and really compete with the other books out there, you need a professional book designer to bring it to life.
WHAT THE WORK OF A PROFESSIONAL BOOK DESIGNER LOOKS LIKE
Pictures are the best way of understanding what a professional book designer can do with your completed manuscript. Words alone would not adequately capture the professional look. For these examples, I’m showing you some Amazon eBook pages from my novel, Permanent Shadows.
If you want to see examples of print pages, please feel free to inquire.
In the image below, you can see the first page of Chapter #1. A clear delineation between the book’s many chapters is a critical element of professional book design. Look at the perfect spacing between chapter number and the first words, which are “illuminated” in a traditional sense.
In this image, you can see the “Publication Page” which shows the reader all of the book’s many pertinent details, from date of publication to the key contributors. This is among my favorite pages in any book. I also know from experience that many of my clients really respond to this page as it represents the book becoming official.
Have you ever read the first book in a series that you absolutely loved? What’s the next step? You want to click right over to buy the next one in the series. With a properly formatted “Also By The Author” page like this one, you’re not only able to show your reader the cover of the next book in your series, but add a clickable link for them to follow. Sell through is key to book series success, but without a page like this one, you can’t convert your readers into fans.
One page that brings a book to life for me is the “About The Author” page. With a wide range of readily available options, a professional book designer can showcase both the author’s smashing photo and compelling bio as well as a series of links to social media accounts, websites and mailing lists that are invaluable to building a long lasting readership.
What Else Can A Professional Book Designer Do For You?
Of course, these pictures represent just a few of the basic interior design possibilities. Fonts can be changed to give a book an entirely different feeling. A professional book designer can implement a host of additional elements. I can everything from in-line pictures and tables, to citations and a compelling forward.
Novels and novel length books are the baseline products a professional book designer creates. There are a host of other intriguing possibilities as well. Amazon and other on-line retailers have thrown the doors wide open on the possibilities. For my own book series and publishing ventures, I create and release high quality short stories, chapter excerpts, novellas and box sets.
Anything is possible!
Do you want to get started? First you need a finished manuscript. In this day and age, the only limits on what you publish comes from your imagination. There are on-line readers out there right now looking for new content, and the Amazon/self-publishing landscape is broadening the possibilities of what that could look like.
Whatever vision you have for your book, an interior book designer is an integral step toward bringing that to life. You’ve worked that hard to write your book – bring in a professional and take it the rest of the way.
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I hope this blog addressed some of your questions about a professional book designer. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below.
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