~By Suzanne Parada
You’ve worked a long time to write your book; don’t rush to get it to print. Remember, you want buyers and readers to take your book seriously. It’s important that you take the layout and design of your book just as seriously. One of your best investments might be to hire a professional book designer. A good book designer will provide you with a professional looking cover and construct the interior book content with detail and artistic ability.
In order to get readers’ attention or to get noticed by book buyers, your book has to look professional. Self-publishing gives you the opportunity to do many jobs that used to be done by dedicated professionals, but in some cases you may not get the results you want. Be certain to avoid these stumbling blocks, so your book doesn’t “stand out from the crowd” in all the wrong ways:
• Odd-Numbered Pages on the Left | The first page you see when opening a book is page 1. All odd-numbered pages in your book should appear on right-hand pages.
• Blank Right-Hand Page | It is fine to have a blank page on the left hand side. It is not acceptable to have a blank right hand page in your book. There are times when copy or artwork need to be adjusted to avoid a blank right hand page.
• Too Many Folios | Of course books need folios (page numbers) on most pages. However, folios do not belong on the title page, the copyright page, blank pages and other pages as suggested by your designer.
• Running Headers on Blank Pages | If a page has no text it should have no header either. It is important to check for this in the proofing stage of your book interior.
• Ragged Right Text | There are some books that can be typeset in a ragged right (unjustified) style, but they are rare. It is generally a good idea to use justified copy unless your designer suggests otherwise.
Of course there are many other ways you can inadvertently alert people that you are an amateur, but these common mistakes are easy to avoid. Make sure your book stands out for the great writing, the thoughtful arguments, or the tremendous value it brings to readers—not because it looks unprofessional.
You’ve worked a long time to write your book; don’t rush to get it to print. Remember, you want buyers and readers to take your book seriously. It’s important that you take the layout and design of your book just as seriously. One of your best investments might be to hire a professional book designer. A good book designer will provide you with a professional looking cover and construct the interior book content with detail and artistic ability.
In order to get readers’ attention or to get noticed by book buyers, your book has to look professional. Self-publishing gives you the opportunity to do many jobs that used to be done by dedicated professionals, but in some cases you may not get the results you want. Be certain to avoid these stumbling blocks, so your book doesn’t “stand out from the crowd” in all the wrong ways:
• Odd-Numbered Pages on the Left | The first page you see when opening a book is page 1. All odd-numbered pages in your book should appear on right-hand pages.
• Blank Right-Hand Page | It is fine to have a blank page on the left hand side. It is not acceptable to have a blank right hand page in your book. There are times when copy or artwork need to be adjusted to avoid a blank right hand page.
• Too Many Folios | Of course books need folios (page numbers) on most pages. However, folios do not belong on the title page, the copyright page, blank pages and other pages as suggested by your designer.
• Running Headers on Blank Pages | If a page has no text it should have no header either. It is important to check for this in the proofing stage of your book interior.
• Ragged Right Text | There are some books that can be typeset in a ragged right (unjustified) style, but they are rare. It is generally a good idea to use justified copy unless your designer suggests otherwise.
Of course there are many other ways you can inadvertently alert people that you are an amateur, but these common mistakes are easy to avoid. Make sure your book stands out for the great writing, the thoughtful arguments, or the tremendous value it brings to readers—not because it looks unprofessional.