This week we're talking about interior design. What does that include?
Interior design is what makes your book look like a book and not a Word document. Why is this important?
Interior design is one of the few things about a book that the reader doesn't notice, unless it's not right. It's also the key thing that sets your book apart and makes it look professional, rather than amateurish.
So what does interior design need?
When thinking about interiors, we need to think about things like margins, text-wrapping, left and right-side pages, text spacing, headers, titles, pretty much everything that you put on the page!
But don't freak out!
You can do your own designing or you can find someone to do it for you. With programs like InDesign, MS Publisher, and more, you can make your book look professional. Of course, most of these programs are paid, so you need to factor this into your budget. In the long run it will save you money, especially if you plan to write and publish more books.
However, if these programs intimidate you or you simply don't have the patience or desire to learn them, you can still find an interior designer. It's much easier to find a cover designer, as the cover is a bit more one-and-done, but interior designers are out there. As with anything you spend money on, do your research.
Interior designers need to know the ins and outs of making a book. They need to be familiar with the rules of designing a book. They need to be familiar with standard trim sizes and page counts. They need to know how to format illustrations. The list goes on and on...
The problem with finding a designer is often the cost. You can do it cheaply, through websites like Createspace, but often times you end up with something that's sub-par. On the high end, you could be looking at spending upwards of $1000 for a professional. So what should you do?
That's really up to you.
Visuals are everything. Your cover is important and your interior design is important. If you don't know how to do these things yourself, then plan to budget for them. Hire a professional, with a portfolio that you can see. This is always the better option, but if it's not feasible, YouTube has many tutorials on how to do these things yourself. Don't be afraid to play around with your own designs! Who knows, you might realize you have a knack for it!
Next week we'll be talking about back covers. What should you put on your back cover?