(Print this blog post) and keep in your writing book to reference the how-to's, action steps, and checklists.) 

No matter where you are in your writing journey, NOW is the time to start thinking about your interior book layout and cover design.

 One of the first steps I teach in my FINISH! Coaching Course is to develop the timeline and your budget for your book. Both include decisions about your book interior and layout.

 Interior book layout and cover design happen after your final editing, but many decisions need to be made before that day comes. Is this hurdle stressing you out?

You can do this, and I would love to help! Here are 4 Coaching Tips that will empower you to FINISH! the book God has called you to write.

Tip #1 DIY or Hire a Professional?

Your first decision - and it’s a big one – is if your interior layout and cover design will be DIY or done by a professional. Cost and time are the two tipping factors that will determine your decision.

Do you have money in your budget to hire someone to do this?

Consider these costs:

Interior Book Layout

You can DIY your interior book layout for $0-250 and a ton of time or hire a book formatter for $50-1000.

1. If you choose the DIY route, you will find the formatting software costs $0-249.99. Here are some options:
   • Atticus $139.99
   • Vellum $199.99-249.99
   • InDesign $19.99/month (steep learning curve)
   • Scrivener $40 (steep learning curve)
   • Word $139 (what you see is what you get formatting)
   • Reedsy Studio, Free online-writing app (not as robust)
   • Kindle Create – Free (not as robust)

(You may also have the cost of a photo or graphic you will be using.)

2. The cost of hiring a professional for your interior book layout will vary depending on complexity, length, format, and the designer’s experience. 

“For novels and other lightly formatted books, you can expect to pay between $200 and $1,500 for interior design. At the low end you’re likely to get a “template” design. At the higher end, expect to receive several custom designs prepared expressly for your book.” Jane Friedman

Cover Design

Who you choose to design your cover is a huge decision. 

Your cover is your MOST important marketing asset, so if you’re going to invest money into your book, start with your cover.

According to a 2023 survey by Written Word Media, 50% of authors work with a professional designer, while 26% design their own book covers. Authors also enlist the help of friends, family, pre-made cover designs, or a crowd-sourcing platform when designing their covers.

The cost for your book’s cover design ranges from $0 - $2000.

• DIY book cover design: $0 - $250. Covers can be designed in:
  • Canva, $0
  • Adobe InDesign, from $22.99/month, steep learning curve
  • Placeit, free - $9.99/month
  • Bookbrush, free - $20.50/month
• Book cover design by a freelancer: $15 - $300 for straightforward, no-frills standard formatting. For more comprehensive formatting, with tables, charts, and both ebook and print, the range is around $400-$800. Where do you find freelancers?
  • Fiverr
  • Reedsy
  • 99designs
  • Ask your fellow writers – they may know someone who freelances!
• Premade book cover design: $100 - $150. Opting for a premade cover is a wise choice to save money while still getting a professional book cover. These covers are created to meet genre and market standards. Plus, you get to see the final design immediately and can request changes from the designer if needed. Typically, minimal revisions don’t require extra cost.
• Book cover design by a company: $300 - $700, or even up to $2000. Book cover design companies have an in-house team of artists, so you don’t need to spend time searching the internet to find the best specialist.

(Remember: you may also have the cost of a photo or graphic you will be using.)

“Book covers sell books, so professional design is a big advantage. Cover design can cost a pretty penny, but the authors that can swing it are investing in their book’s success.” Written Word Media

Action Steps

1. Decide who will format your interior book layout.
   • If it is DIY, what formatting software will you use?
   • If someone else does this: who is it, what is the cost, and what is their timeline?

2. Decide who will format your book cover.
   • If it is DIY, what formatting software will you use.
   • If someone else will do this: who is it, what is the cost, what is their timeline?

Tip #2 Start Learning

I remember when the language of book publishing was foreign to me. I was sending my book to a local printer and now when I look back on the conversation, I laugh and shake my head. I was so uneducated when it came to the publishing terminology that I needed to know when speaking to a professional.

Start learning about book layout and the language of publishing.

Whether you are doing this yourself, or you are hiring a professional, there is a “publishing a book” vocabulary you need to learn.

Here are the top terms you need to understand about the design and layout of your book so you can hold a logical, informed conversation with a professional.

Layout and Typography Terms to Learn:

• Bleed, Blind Folio, Bullet,Em and En Dashes,Font, Format
• Gutter, Graphics,Imprint, ISBN,Justification,Leafs, Pages, and Spreads
• Kerning,Letter-Spacing/Tracking, Line Spacing/Leading,Margins, Matte/Glossy
• Page Layout (Interior Formatting), Pagination, PDF, Pull Quote
• Running Head/Running Feet, Serif and Sans Serif, Tracking, Trim Size, Widow/Orphan

There is also Book Design Terminology to learn:

• Acknowledgments, Afterword, Appendix or Addendum,Back Cover/Full Cover
• Bibliography, Copyright Page,Dedication,Epigraph, Epilogue,Foreword,Glossary
• Index, List of Contributors, Notes
• Table of Contents, Title Page

Don’t let me find you bleeding in the gutter, writes Joel Friedlander at the bookdesigner.com.  I’ve often counseled clients to play dumb when they talk to publishing specialists, no matter how much they know. The other way to avoid the mysterious mumbo-jumbo of design talk, of course, is to actually know what people are talking about when they’re using the specialized language of books.

Tip #3 Develop Your Design Template

What is your design template? 

Your Design Template is your brand’s personality. It is a visual story-teller as YOU reach your reader through design choices that include: font choice and size, margins, paragraph and line breaks, indents, and more.

Your design choices will transform the pages of your manuscript into a book that looks fabulous and is easy to read.

Book layout is one of those things that most people never notice…unless it’s wrong.

You have an amazing message to share with the world. You have spent hours writing and editing your book and as you launch it into the world, you don’t want your readers distracted by how your book is formatted.

Mistakes in interior book design have a cumulative effect and after a while, the reader will begin to feel that something is off.

You want the reader’s focus on the words of your book, so as you develop your design template keep these points in mind:

• Determine the trim size first. Consider the length, genre, and content of your book before choosing your trim size. A long non-fiction book might feel too chunky to the reader if it’s printed in a 6x9” format. If it is a response book with lines to write a "7x10” size or larger may be best. A short romance novel might be best read in a smaller format. You want the readers eyes to be comfortable.
• Select the right font. The primary purpose of any font is to be readable, so don’t get “too cute” with your choice.Times New Roman, Garamond, Georgia, Arial, Helvetica, and Bookman are popular choices. Unusual and whimsical fonts are for art and children’s books.
• Consider font size. In the body of your text, use a typical font size of 11 or 12 pt. Don’t use a larger typeface just because you have trouble with small print. Reserve large fonts for “large print” books printed specifically for those with vision problems.The start of a new chapter is one place where you can play with the size of the font. This is a good place to use a different typeface and larger size as it gives the reader a visual “new start” and improves readability.

• Reduce distractions on your page. Margins can be distracting and frustrating for your reader especially if you have not left enough room in the gutter. Headers and footers should be simple so they don’t consistently draw the readers eyes away from the text. Too many changes from page to page will distract your reader. Be consistent in the formatting from beginning to end.

Tip #4 Extra Pointers for DIYers

Capacity

If you have the capacity (time and energy) to learn interior book layout, I encourage you to do-it-yourself.

I hired a professional layout person for my first couple of books, but I never reached my budget goals, so I decided to learn to do it myself. I chose to use InDesign and I am loving it. There is a steep learning-curve for this formatting software, but I have found that I am flourishing. It’s not for everyone (and there are many other choices that are much simpler), but if you have a techy bent to your learning style, InDesign might be the one for you too.

It makes sense to me to design my own books for multiple reasons:

• It helps me keep my book project budget.
• I get to work on my timeline and not strapped with someone else’s schedule.
• It allows me to make changes quickly, economically, and efficiently.
• It’s worth the investment because I am now able to help other writers with their interior layout.

Watch out for these DIY mistakes.

Some of the most common mistakes Indie authors make when it comes to interior book design include omitting hyphens, inconsistent formatting, incorrect margin size, imperfect justification, and allowing widow/orphan lines of text.

If you are formatting your own book, learn the best practices for each of those common mistakes.

How-To’s of KDP and ISBN’s

The first time you buy an ISBN or load your book onto KDP, it will be intimidating. It’s not hard and you can find instructions, but it will be less stressful if you find an experienced writer to walk through the process with you.

In my FINISH! Coaching Course, we walk through these steps together. And once you’ve done it together with me, you can do it on your own with your future books.  

Action Steps

Friend, before you move on, take a moment and choose 3 ideas you just read in this blog that you will begin to implement. 

It is possible to FINISH! the book God has called you to write, but maybe you are looking for advice and accountability. I would love to work with you. 

Join the next FINISH! Coaching Course Cohort Group

 Let’s finish your book together! Becky