This post is an excerpt from our Self Publishing Guide for Indian Market. If you have not, you may want to read the following post in this series before starting on this one
- What is publishing?
- What is self-publishing?
- Self Publishing and Print on Demand (are not the same)
- Self Publishing your Book – Step 1: Finalize the Content
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The book design is in two parts – the interior of the book and the cover.
Book interior. The layout, fonts, size, etc of the book needs to be designed according to the target audience. For instance, a children’s book will have more illustrations with larger, well spaced out fonts and an overall endearing look. On the other hand, a thriller will have a denser text with an easy-to-read font. Technical books are likely to have more diagrams and tables.
Book cover. Unfortunately, most people do judge a book by its cover. So, design an eye-popping cover for your prized work.
Suggestions for an attractive, effective book cover:
- Do include the author’s photograph somewhere. This gives the author behind the book a personality and helps readers connect better.
- Use the back cover to show positive reviews of the book and a gripping synopsis of its content.
- The design of the front cover, title and subtitle should arouse the reader’s curiosity.
- The book title and the author’s name should be printed on the spine for better visibility on a bookshelf. (This may not be possible for thinner books.)