If you read my previous Book Cover Design 101 article, you might think that you’re seeing double – but don’t worry: typesetting can just be divided into very similar stages. So if you’ve ever wondered how does the interior book formatting process looks like, here’s a short, but comprehensive text that will guide through it – step-by-step.
And if you’re wondering whether you really need your book professionally typeset – take a look at this article.
Disclaimer: This is based on my experiences and my process – I’m a book designer and illustrator working with small presses and indie authors. The steps outlined below will probably be similar for most designers, but details will vary. And if you’re publishing traditionally, there will be a lot more people involved in the design process and everything is likely to look very different.
Step 1: Inquiry and brief
As with any design project, book formatting begins with a brief – and a message to your chosen designer, asking about their pricing, process, and availability. To save time and avoid the initial back-and-forth, here’s what you can include in your e-mail:
- Book title and your name (or pen name)
- Genre
- A synopsis/blur – or just a few sentences about your book
- Trim size – in mm or in inches
- Format – paperback, hardcover, e-book
- Word and character count – with spaces!
- Amount of illustrations/photos/other images
- Tables, graphs, text boxes, and other graphical elements – are you planning on having any? And if yes, how many? Is there a particular way you’d like them to look like?
- A manuscript sample – 1-2 chapters, or the whole manuscript if you’re comfortable with that.
- Anything else that YOU consider relevant and would like your designer to know.
Based on this information, your chosen designer should be able to send you a quote and a timeline, telling you when they can start working and how long the whole process is likely to take.
Remember that your manuscript need to be edited and proofread before you send it off for typesetting. Applying big changes to the text after it’s formatted will be time-consuming and cost you extra money, as it often requires doing the job all over again.
Step 2: Initial design versions
My standard operating procedure when it comes to book formatting is looking through the manuscript, identifying all the unique elements, and then preparing several unique chapter designs for the author to choose from. These files have usually between 30-40 pages, and show off different fonts, layouts, and ornamental elements.
Working in this way both lets me suggest specific solutions, and lets the author have a degree of creative control over how their book interior looks like. How many chapter designs you are entitled to depends on what we agreed on beforehand – I usually include 2 or 3 initial designs within the price of the project. The timeframe is, in my case, usually between 3-4 days.
Step 3: Feedback and revisions
After you receive the initial versions – it’s time for feedback. Remember to be specific and honest – let your designer know what you like and what you don’t like and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Book interiors are made up of many small elements that carry a lot of significance – sometimes, even a change in heading alignment can make the layout look entirely different.
After every detail is decided on, I will apply the styling to the rest of the text – how much time this takes is entirely dependent on the length of the book and on how complex the layout is. You can expect a much faster turn-around if we’re working on a novel, and a longer timeline if we’re working on a non-fiction book with lots of tables.
Step 3.1: Revisions, round two
After you receive the file with the full text, it’s time for another round (or several) of revisions. I strongly recommend reading through the manuscript at least 2 times, and if you have a budget for it, asking a proofreader to do another round as well.
Why? Because of how human brains work.
After you spend a lot time looking at your manuscript, your brain makes an image of it – and starts assuming that everything included in that image SHOULD be there, because it’s already seen it a hundred times. Professional proofreaders can combat this mechanism… but only up to a point. After typesetting, the text looks often very differently, and so your brain will treat it as a new thing – and suddenly, the typos that were invisible before, will become glaringly obvious.
The amount of revision rounds you’re entitled to is also something you should agree on with your designer beforehand, to avoid any misunderstandings. I usually include 3-4 rounds within the price I propose for typesetting.
Step 4: Finishing touches and preparing files for printing
Last but not least – it’s time to prepare the files for print! In contrast to cover files, generating print-ready interior versions is pretty straightforward.
The files will look differently, though, depending on whether you’re printing through a regular printing company, or using a POD platform – like Kindle Direct Publishing or IngramSpark. Book interior files for KDP or IS don’t include any printers’ marks such as trim marks.
If the file has any illustrations that need to reach the edge of the pages, then it also needs to have bleed – remember to mark that option in project settings when you’re uploading the files to the platform of your choice.
This means that each page will have usually 3 mm (0,125”) of additional space around it that the illustration also needs to cover. Thanks to that, you will avoid having unsightly white borders around the page edges.
Pricing examples
How much does book formatting cost? It depends – the price depends on how complex your project is going to be and how long your book is. The amount of factors that need to be taken into consideration when it comes to the price make it difficult to give estimates, so instead, I will refer you to this article on Reedsy, which is a platform that I often work through.
According to their stats,
“around 50% of book interior design projects on Reedsy cost between $275 and $825”.
That’s it!
I hope you found this short article useful – let me know if you think it’s lacking something, or if you have an additional question.
I’m always up for a chat – get in touch via marta@martadec.eu.