How to Design The Perfect Book Layout
When book-hunting, irrespective of what the idiom says, we humans do judge books by their covers.
Humans are naturally visual creatures, and no matter what the old metaphorical phrase says, we love to judge books by their covers. How else would we know which book is an interesting read and which isn’t? Therefore, just publishing the book isn’t enough. The cover and the layout of your book are just as important as the book itself.
Designing the perfect book layout or cover contributes to the beauty of the final product. The cover of your book will let your readers know what to expect. It has to be eye-catching for the readers to pick it out from among many other books. The short description, also known as the back cover blurb, should be written in such a way that it piques their interest which eventually leads them to purchase your book.
Now, you’ve finished writing your book, how can you create that perfect book layout design? Below are some elements and ideas you can use to make your book a masterpiece.
- Decide on a Size
The size depends on the type of book you want to be published. Is it a cookbook, children’s book, picture book, novel, or magazine? You can customize the size as per the pages of your book. However, you need to keep in mind not to randomly select a size. If you select a small size, there will be fewer words per page. Therefore, a 400-page book will become very heavy and thick if designed small. Whereas, if you design it very big, it may become floppy and look more like a magazine.
- Choose a Format
Is your book going to be in print, eBook, or both? Printed books and eBooks use different color spaces, which is why it is vital to decide on one or both before moving ahead.
After selecting a size for your book, the next step would be to choose a format for the cover. Do you want a hardcover or paperback cover?
- Hardcover books are thick and stiff. They usually have another covering over the hardbacks called dust wrapper, book-jacket, or dust cover and like the name, these hardback books stay durable and usable for a long time.
- Paperback books, as the name signifies, are a thin, card-like material or very thick paper. This type of cover is prone to wear and tear wrinkles, and folding of the book over time.
- Select the Binding Style
There are many bookbinding styles, but the most common methods used are:
- Perfect Binding
This type of binding is the most commonly used by bookmakers. Groups of pages are bound with strong adhesive to form the final product of the book, and then the adhesive is applied to the spine to attach the cover. Generally, paperback covers are used in this case.
- Saddle-Stitch Binding
Also known as saddle stitch staplers, these are stapled on the spine of a printed book. This type of binding is perfect for brochures, pamphlets, menus, and catalogues.
- Spiral & Wire-O Binding
Spiral binding has several names such as coil binding, spiral coil, and plastic coil, among many others. The printed papers are grouped and bound by plastic wires. The upside to this type of binding is that you can rotate the pages of the book 360 degrees.
Another type of binding is the Wire-O, which has the same function as that of spiral binds; the only difference is that metal wires are used instead of plastic.
These types of bindings are commonly used on notebooks, journals, handbooks, reports, and lots more.
- Case Binding
This type of binding is used for hardcover backs. Groups of printed pages are either sewn together or joined using an adhesive to form a block. The first and the last page are then attached with the hardcover (which is made from wrapping paper, cloth, or leather) and covered around the case board
These bindings are commonly used in children’s books, coffee table books, diaries, and even some notebooks.
- Establish your Book’s Genre
You’ve written and based your book on fantasy fiction or a romantic tragedy, but your cover shows something that doesn’t even relate to the topic you’ve written.
Despite your efforts in writing J.K. Rowling style, your book doesn’t sell. This can easily be remedied. Research other books and look at their genres. Then select some books that seem similar to the category you have written. Establish that so your readers will know what to look for and expect.
- Custom Design Images
A picture is worth a thousand words. In the case of book covers, more than a thousand pictures are integrated into one including the blurbs, title, author’s name, quotations, and more.
You design the cover yourself or hire professional graphic designers to digitally print your cover to impact your readers.
- Select Fonts & Apply Styles
This is the step where you fix the dimensions and size of the page, images in the books (if any), font sizes and colors for the title, headings, and subheadings to make it more appealing to your readers. There’s also the paper thickness you can also consider during the book designing process.
Before applying styles to your book, make sure your page is set up according to the page numbers. Then you can focus on styling your page with a colorful font, aligning your titles, using line spaces, and styling headings and body accordingly to make it look more breathable and readable. Otherwise, it may end up looking scrawny and congested.
All your major hurdles are done. It’s time to print a draft before the final product. Depending on the size of your book and which cover you prefer (hardback or paperback), use the appropriate printers for each. Most book printers will print high-quality covers, but it is recommended you visit book printing shops to make sure you get the best.
On a Final Note
Book layout designing can be a daunting task, but it’ll all be worth it once your book becomes the next bestseller.
For that masterpiece design, keep in mind a few elements: a perfect image that captures the soul of the book, typography, and styles that catch the reader’s attention, and short blurbs that invoke the reader’s curiosity.
