Book Design 101 for Authors
A book’s design - both the cover and interior - can make or break a book. So design decisions are important.
About the Program
Book design is a pivotal step of the publishing process. A book's cover is going to determine whether your book gets picked up in a bookstore, or clicked on Amazon. A book's interior design, with varied font styles — what is called typesetting — makes a world of difference to the reading experience.
Books come in varied shapes and sizes, in multiple colours, in hardback or paperback. You may have photographs or illustrations inside a book. Poetry design is an altogether different kind of art form.
It's not all up to the author, of course: there are professional designers who team up with typesetters to design a book. However, whether you're self-publishing or working with a publisher, you should know at least the basics of the design process. Not just out of curiosity, but because the design decisions the publishing team will take will influence the book and your career. You want to be a part of these decisions.
Program Content
What are you going to learn?
- How book design happens at publishers
- How books are structured - front, body, back matter
- Typography basics for typesetting the interior of a book
- Margins, running heads, sections
- Laying out illustrations and photographs inside a book
- Making the overall product design come to life
- How e-books are designed and their difference from printed books
- How quality of paper used for printing affects the design
- How to leverage the design for marketing purposes