Book design and layout

Is a book designer necessary?

A strong book interior is balanced and aesthetically pleasing when all aspects combine to form an effortless read. When done right, it mostly goes unnoticed! Authors who underestimate the importance of this step may be disappointed when their readers find their book physically difficult to read, or it does not get published.

Authors planning to self-publish or publish e-books also need to pay attention to book design. A poorly formatted file will compromise the digital reading experience or result in a hefty printing bill if not done right the first time.

So, yes, if you are serious about your credibility as an author, a book designer is necessary.

The EditAlign layout process

• Receiving the manuscript: When we receive your manuscript, we save a backup copy on a secure drive in case something goes wrong with the working document. We respect our authors’ work and privacy; therefore, we maintain strict confidentiality and will sign a non-disclosure agreement if the client wishes.

• Choose the software: Our preferred software for book layout is Microsoft Word. It provides convenient tools and functions and an all-around easy way to format bulk texts simultaneously. We don’t track changes during the design and layout process, as it can become messy and hard to follow.

• Plan the layout: This step considers all factors influencing the final product, such as word count, trim size, margins, gutters, the Rights Page, fonts and font size, and headings.

• Prepare a sample for approval that closely represents the final product’s look. This is crucial to ensure we meet the author’s expectations early on without spending unnecessary time working through the entire manuscript.

• Feedback and amendments: We allow multiple rounds of feedback and changes on the sample document within reason.

• Complete the layout: The manuscript becomes a book!

• The author receives a PDF file: The final product is saved to a print-ready PDF for publishing. Once the project is finalised, the author will receive the final version in Word format.