CONVINCE THE READER WITH A WELL-DESIGNED BOOK

The interior design of your book is important as much as the design of the book’s exterior. The front/back/side cover, the inserts, sentence structure, trims, margins, fonts, spacing needs your attention. We go over what is important for your books interior design to give the reader a good reading experience.

When the reader notices a book in the bookstore and opens it to explore the content, a first impression on the book’s layout is vital in buying decision. A well-designed interior structure/content puts authors one step ahead as an integral part of marketing.

The self-publisher can either design their book themselves or have a graphic designer do it. Regardless of who do takes care of design, it is important for you as an author to know basics about boos interior design.

As a writer, you probably have an rough idea on how you want your finished book to look like – if you decide to hand over this job to a graphic designer, you must convey your expectations to get there.

WHAT DOES A PROFESSIONAL PHRASE MEAN?

A professional phrase creates a uniform and high-quality look for the book. It gives the reader a readable text as well as a good reading experience. The uniform appearance of the insert and the high-quality phrase is based on a comfortable and easy to read font, suitable font size, and correct spacing. 

The purpose of the sentence is to create both a consistent and high-quality look on the book. It gives the reader an idea of ​​the quality of the book and facilitates the purchase decision. A good sentence means that the reader does not have to think about the sentence; the good readability means that you focus on the content rather than the sentence.

Furthermore, a professional phrase contains appropriate font and heading style, correct text size, and proper line spacing and margins. The same goes for image placement; it is good to keep the distance to the text uniform throughout the book. The chapter breakdown and the text surface positioning also belong to the sentence: a uniform paragraph breakdown and style make the story flow clearly.

HOW IS THE SENTENCE PLANNED?

The starting point for the design is the text, the book’s title, and target group, i.e., who the book is intended for.

There are no set rules that every author should follow when writing. There are many options to choose from, and using your own ideas and own creativity is ok. Using your own design style can even be an advantage as long as you have a design style. However, most sentence types have typical features and elements that facilitate the reading experience, and that should be taken into account in advance.

You can start planning the sentence by thinking about what the cover of the book communicates to the reader, and you can think about how the content should look. For example, a reader who reads a novel expects a specific text size and style, no uppercase letters and images – while a reader who becomes interested in a specialist book will likely be convinced by the factual information in the book as well as a professional look. The style of the sentence is thus strongly influenced by the genre and the target group, i.e., who the content of the book is aimed at.

A practical tip is to review other books from the same genre when you set your sentences. Visit a bookstore for this or look through your own bookshelf. Review, research, compare with other books and think about what elements you can use in your book’s setting. Also, consider which book you think is clear and easy to read and then use the same style for your book.

SENTENCE TYPE AND FONT

The genre of the book determines the style and the final look. When planning the sentence, inspiration, and ideas based on the manuscript are needed – in connection with this, it can be useful to compare with other books in the same subject or genre. When deciding on the type of sentence to use, there are usually many alternatives – however, the genre of the book is crucial.

BODY TEXT

The most common fonts used for fiction are serifs – this is because of their readability. The heels (the hyphens that end the letter stack that is a letter or character) seem to direct the eye from letter to letter and word to word.

Fiction books are usually read for a long time, and therefore, both font and layout should be as clear and easy to read as possible. Novels often use fonts such as Minion, Garamond, or Athelas. When it comes to the size of the font, small (10-11 points), too narrow line spacing should be avoided.

In poetry books, the pages are divided according to the position of the poems. It is recommended to choose the same font for the entire sentence, but depending on the style of poetry, the sentence may also be artistic or playful.

Reading non-fiction books differs from reading fiction books in that the reader often searches for specific passages in the text based on the information they are looking for. Important information in the text can be characterized by, e.g., bold or italic style.

Therefore, antiquate fonts are common in professional literature as well. Unlike fiction books, both antiquate fonts such as Myriad Pro, or Proxima Nova and serif fonts can be used. The size of the font is usually 8 to 11 points. The style of the sentence should fit the contents of the book, and the style is therefore factual.

Books for children and older people often use a larger font size and especially for books aimed at young children, the content consists mainly of images. The font is playful, such as Swinging Petidoni.

Margins and other empty spaces around the text also part of the book’s style. For example, in poetry books, space gives room for the reader’s interpretation, while empty spaces in professional books have a different meaning. 

The inner and outer margins should be wide enough, especially in novels, so that the reader can hold the book “normally” without covering the text with their fingers. If you use narrow margins, the text gives a messy impression and makes it look crowded. When you decide on the margin width, you can compare with other books that you read comfortably.

HEADINGS AND CHAPTERS

The heading structure consistently divides the content of the text into sections and creates an organized feeling. The heading hierarchies reproduce the content and make the text interesting and easy to see through. 

In a few books, the text goes from cover to cover without any sort of division. Both fiction and non-fiction books contain chapters whose task is to divide the text into clear sections and help the reader understand the content.

In fiction books, for example, a new chapter can be started when the narrator, place, or time is changed, or the author begins a new chapter to create tension in the story. A new chapter is always started on a new page, and the text can be started directly as a body text.

Another alternative is to start the text in the new chapter with a so-called capitalization, where the first letter, first sentence, or first words of the new chapter have a larger font size or even capital letters.

Non-fiction books usually contain both headings and sub-headings that make the text organized and make it easier for the reader to find the desired information. If the book includes subtitles, you should avoid using too many different fonts – this often means that the whole text gives a messy impression.

In fiction books, the headings may contain decorative elements such as symbols or other ornamental features. The headings must be uniform and precise: they should be placed at the beginning of each paragraph, with or without numbering. Headings do not have to be named but can also consist of a number, or the heading can be omitted entirely.

In fiction books, the purpose of the paragraph division is primarily to divide the text into consecutive sections to ensure readability. Headings in non-fiction books, on the other hand, help the reader find the right information. It is therefore recommended to add headings, especially in non-fiction books.

AN IMAGE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

Images create interest, support the text, and give the text an added value and/or information.

The images give the text of the book more life, and they serve as a visual complement. If it is not a picture book, the images are intended to support the message in the text or emphasize the importance of a particular text.

In non-fiction books or manuals, images are often used to illustrate and clarify the text’s content and give different examples in the form of photographs and figures. In children’s books, images are an essential part of the story that reflects the children’s book content. The pictures are usually drawn or painted in children’s books. In historical works such as biographies or history books, images enrich the content of the text and allow the reader to gain insight of the past.

If the images intended for the book are of poor quality, it is better to omit them altogether. Blurry images give the book an unprofessional impression, and, as previously mentioned, the purpose of the pictures is to support the story – poor quality pictures affect the opposite. Old black and white images may not look clear even with the best software. As a professional writer, you want to show that you are an expert in the field, and good quality pictures emphasize this.

The placement of the images is also prominent in connection with the setting. In children’s books, the images are usually large and clear, and they often cover a whole page. In professional books, large images are rarely used; instead, images are used as smaller sizes that support the text. Alternatively, you can insert a kind of picture gallery in the middle of the book in non-fiction books. Regardless of where you place the images, there should always be a clear caption for them.

TITLE PAGES AND TABLE OF CONTENTS

The book’s initial pages, i.e., the title pages, should always follow the same pattern in professionally created books. You can choose any book in your bookshelf, and you will notice that the body text never starts on the first page of the book. The title pages are unnumbered and contain the author’s name and the title, as well as an imprint page with impressum providing copyright, ISBN, and print and publishing information. The page numbering starts from the page where the body text starts.

If the book is to have a table of contents, it is usually created immediately after the print site page. The table of contents lists all the book’s main chapters, sometimes also sub-chapters – these help the reader navigate the book.

For this reason, a table of contents is important, especially in professional books. In novels, a table of contents is unnecessary, but it obviously helps the reader find the right chapter, right at the beginning of the book. The actual body text starts on the first odd page – to the right – after the table of contents.

HOW IS THE SENTENCE MADE?

The writing of the manuscript can be done with a professional phrase software or – if you are looking for a free version – in a regular word-processing program (e.g., word). Grammarly is highly recommended here, even its free version helps a lot.

The design software used by most graphic designers is Adobe InDesign – a program suitable for placing images and text professionally. Before each sentence, the text and font settings that you will use throughout the sentence are defined – this gives the book’s layout a consistent look. It is possible to make certain presets in word as well, but the most significant work must still be done manually in word processing software. 

CHECKLIST FOR BOOK INTERIOR DESIGN

  • Choose a suitable font, the right text size, and the correct word and line spacing for your book theme. Find inspiration by browsing other books of the same genre
  • Choose the font and text size for the headers and set the subheadings’ size to be slightly smaller than the main headers
  • Set the margins on both sides of the body text (Note that the text should be marginally adjusted, like having straight right and left edges)
  • Add title pages to your book: author name, book title, impression, and any dedication
  • Check the quality of your pictures and adjust if necessary. Plan where in the text the images should be placed and ensure that the images get a consistent layout
  • Finally, update the table of contents and verify that the page numbering is correct

Kind regards, Melissa Mayer

SELF-PUBLISHING IS BOOMING

Self-publishing is one of the most important areas booming in recent years in the book industry. It gives the author the freedom to decide freely about content, design, price, and to publish his work efficiently and quickly to reach the readers.

It has been conducted a comprehensive European self-publishing survey in collaboration with the University of Applied Management in Erding, Germany. The aim was to understand how you, as a writer, develop your marketing strategies, what differences you see in different literary genres, how you reach out to your readership, and the extent to which you build your network with bloggers and other writers.

More than 3,200 authors from eight different countries participated: Sweden, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Denmark, France, and Spain. Previous surveys were conducted in 2013, 2014, and 2016.

The study found that the authors’ most significant writing motives are to entertain the readers, convey personal experiences, and strengthen personal development. The most popular genres among the self-publishers turned out to be professional books, novels, and short stories. Children’s books, science fiction, and fantasy are genres that are growing in popularity. Publishers do not attach much importance to getting high income from their work.

PUBLISHING FORMAT

The self-publishers usually publish their books as a printed book and an e-book, to reach more readers and increase awareness. Compared to the survey conducted in 2016, more authors are now publishing their books in both formats.

Results from 2016 survey were as follows:

  • 52% printed book and e-book
  • 45% printed book
  • only 3% only e-book

When compared with the other European countries, you can see that the German-speaking authors are the ones who place the highest importance on publishing their titles both as a printed book and an e-book. In Spain, every tenth author publishes his book only as an e-book.

COMMUNITY

Before their first book publishing, many self-publishers had built their own community within a specific theme. Authors invest more time and money on marketing when there is already an active community. 

The French authors are the most active in Europe in building a community, but only 39% responded that this affects their book publishing success. On the other hand, in Finland, 87% benefit from their community to raise awareness and increase sales.

Building a community of your own is usually done through Facebook, your website, and blog. Other platforms used are Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Fanfiction, of which LinkedIn and Twitter are used most frequently. In France, Spain, and Sweden, Instagram is popular. The writing platform Wattpad is mostly used by Spanish writers.

NETWORKING

How actively does a writer interact with other writers? Beginners in self-publishing engage more actively with other authors as they have a greater need to exchange knowledge and experiences, tips, and ideas.

Writers who are networking are the ones who are active in building a community, would like to entertain others with their books and invest in personal development. They target a younger readers group, invest more time in social media, and spend more time and money on marketing, often collaborating with bloggers, and are usually female and younger writers.

Authors responded that the most important topics they discuss are: writing (75%), self-publishing (67%), marketing (58%), and participation in trade shows & events (37%).

SELF PUBLISHED TITLES GET MORE PROFESSIONAL

A professional and well-designed book is essential for the its success. A professionally designed cover, adapted to the book’s genre, arouses the interest of potential readers and conveys a positive impression. It is one of the book’s self-marketing tools.

A large number of self-publishers are aware of this, and the survey shows that 36% of the participants use expert services, in 2016 it was only 29%. The most common services for which they employ professional help are cover design (79%), proofreading (65%), and language review (52%).

MARKETING

Another critical factor for the book’s success is its marketing. Here, 33% of the participants replied that they created their website and send out review copies. 30% think it is important to attend trade shows and events, while 26% of the authors have their blog.

Investing in network advertising on different platforms is 24% important. The social media most commonly used by the self-publishers is Facebook and Instagram. 60% of participants replied that they invest less than one hour a week while 21% invest up to 3 hours a week promoting the book on different channels. Authors who spend more time marketing the book receive a higher income from book sales. So obviously marketing pays off!

Try to establish yourself and your book as a brand to get readers attention and win new ones. Also, try to understand how your readers perceive personal your brand as an author and your titles. Investing on a unified brand as a writer – both online and offline – creates recognition among readers. It is essential to have a uniform image across the boards; all the design, imagery, color, and style of your website, blog, social media channels, and marketing of the book.

Writers who spend more time on marketing make more money on book sales. So invest you time at least if you are on budget on marketing if you want to boost your books visibility.

Sandy Kohen

PROMOTE YOUR BOOK ONLINE

To create your author name as your brand and increase your book sales, you must work actively with a marketing plan. You must reach out to your readers and create a community online, but how do you do it?

When you have written a book, you are very overwhelmed by it. A project that has taken a long time to push through is finally done! But now it is time for phase 2 – marketing the book. It is reaching the right target group with their life’s work.

There is a wealth of ways to market your book, so which method is right for you and your writing? Sometimes it can even be that the alternatives are so many that you do not know where to start. So let’s review the most effective ways to promote your book and what you should focus on right from beginning.

The following seven elements are essential to each author’s marketing plan – these are the necessary steps on which you base all your marketing. They are also steps that you can get started with before your book is published and completed.

IDENTIFY YOUR IDEAL READER

This is almost the most important thing of all – finding your ideal reader/target audience! Everything comes back to your readers! Once you know who you are trying to reach, you need to find out how to reach them and where they are online. To find your ideal target group, you need to think about who you think would like to read your book.

If it is a children’s book, you are directed to find parents of a certain age, grandparents, preschool teachers, preschools, etc. After all, it makes no sense to target those who, for example, are interested in medical information in that situation right? If young people are targeted, then a newsletter will not work on this target group, you will have to focus on the social media platforms that the target group is on.

SET REALISTIC GOALS

Whether you want to sell as many books for a certain amount of time or be in a best seller list – make sure you set a goal. If you do not have a clear destination in mind, you can never map your path to get there. It’s ok if your goals changes along the way. You have to start somewhere. We all need to have a goal to pursue to push ourselves forward with our plans.

If you don’t know your goals yet, I think you should basically start somewhere, such as I will sell 10 books in 3 months. Then also answer: How should I get there? What do I need to do to reach that goal? We all have to start somewhere! Sound basic but has to be done.

SET UP A MARKETING BUDGET

Of course, there are costs associated with marketing. Time is also a cost. Think about how much time you can devote each week to promote your book. Even think about how much money you can spend each month on advertising on Facebook / Instagram etc.

Don’t forget to take into account cost of creating your website and the help you would need. Plus, budget your domain name (what your website should be called) hosting and the platform on which you will build your website.

CREATING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA – HOW DO YOU CHOOSE THE RIGHT PLATFORM?

The short answer is choosing platforms where your readers are. But, you think, how do I know where they are? Well, do some research. For example, you will find many statistics on internet that come out every year. They tell you which target group is where and give you other functional and useful information about all the platforms.

Facebook

Unfortunately, to succeed on Facebook, you have to pay for traffic, preferably in the beginning, until you get a bunch of followers.

You can get started and create a page, post every day, and share the fun with your followers, to create engagement. If your commitment is not enough (that you don’t make as many posts), you won’t get any organic reach. So, publish posts that your followers see as exciting and want to engage. Make posts where you, as a follower, would love to comment; then, you are good to go.

Facebook is the best tool available for targeting ads to precisely the right audience you have. When you advertise on Facebook, you can also link it with Instagram so that you simultaneously advertise on that platform.

Instagram

The other platform you can use is Instagram. You can share pictures that you associate with you as an author, your book, and your plans in the future. If you love sharing visuals and share everyday life to create engagement, this is the perfect platform for you! However, you can’t get links on Instagram posts. The only place you can add a link is in the profile of your account.

What’s great is that you can add up to 30 hashtags relevant to your post, which will spread the word about your post under these hashtags.

Pinterest

This is a platform to use for website links and to sell products, as it acts as a search engine. This means that you create a pin, optimize it for search results, and get traffic to your website or book page every day. But like all social platforms, Pinterest also requires you to be an active user on the platform. Which means you have to be online every day.

You can schedule your pins with a scheduler such as Buffer. Then you can plan your posts and make sure they are published even if you have no time to engage with platform every day.

YouTube

Video is seen as the best way to connect with people online, as it creates a more personal touch. People see you and get to know your personality through video. If you can create good value around your book and yourself, which are worth watching, I would encourage you to check out this platform.

Other platforms: Snapchat, LinkedIn, TikTok, etc.

There are so many more social media platforms out there, and more is popping up. But you don’t have to be active on all of them. Start with one at a time and then gradually develop your presence over time.

If you have written a book aimed at companies, LinkedIn may be the best platform for you. If you are targeting a younger market, you can get a Snapchat account. If you are writing picture books for schools and parents, it may be better to focus on Facebook. Do what’s best for you and your book.

Content tips for social media:

  • Why you have chosen self-publishing.
  • The post tells everyone that you have signed the book agreement
  • Where are you in the process?
  • Post the cover of the book and who you worked with (maybe it is a well-known artist, graphic artist, or photographer), get ideas
  • Funny GIFs, memes, or quotes that is relevant to your book or your personality
  • Events around the book
  • Posts about where to find the book how to get in touch with you
  • Short videos about your book and you

Remember that you want to be where your readers are!

BUILD A WEBSITE

Everything you do online should lead to your website. This is why you should build a website that is optimal for your target audience. You can start working on the website even before the book is published, to to use it to post where you want to market your book, blog, tell where to buy your book and get the word about who you are and what your book is about.

We strongly recommend that you have a fully functioning, published website at least six months before your book comes out!

If you do not have a book coming out yet and, it is at least a good idea to buy your domain name to be sure no one is buying it before you. (Most author sites choose a URL / domain that is the author’s name, but for some of you, that option may not be available.)

Add A Blog to Your Website

Ideally, as a complement, to your website is a blog. Your readers can find out more about you and your books and get a feel for what kind of book you are writing and encourage excitement before the book release.

It also gives you content to share on social media so you can get traffic to your website.

Start sending out newsletters

Collect email addresses from your website and social media so that you can send out newsletters. It’s perfect for promoting your book, where to buy it, what it is about, telling you who you are, etc.

Thanks for reading 🙂 Sandy Kohen

HOW DO YOU DEFINE YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE?

By clearly knowing your target audience, you reach your readers more efficiently and save your resources in terms of time and money.

Success and book sales usually do not come by themselves but require activity and planning. The most important thing, though, is getting the right person to find, read, and love your book. Then have them talk about your book with others to spread interest.

It may sound cumbersome and tedious to talk about your target group when talking about something as beautiful as an excellent book, but if you want to do it right then, it is imperative.

Not sure which target group is right for you?

WE HAVE COMPILED 3 IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU ALONG THE WAY.

What does a target audience mean, and why is it so important?

Your target audience is a defined group of people that you want to reach through your marketing. The target group may have one or more common demographic characteristics, the same psychographic characteristics, similar lifestyle or life situation, etc.

Some factors that matter are: gender, age, family type, income, occupation, personality, reader’s perception of equal values ​​, etc. Analyze who can Be interested in the content and topic of your book.

What interests do they have? What do they do when they are not reading?

It becomes more effective if you target the right target group and require fewer resources in terms of both time and money. You reach more potential readers with less effort.

Based on your target audience, you choose channels, communication, and style in your ad campaign.

Now that you know who your target audience is, what channels should you use for your communication?

Where does your target group hang out? Are they active in social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, blogs, web pages, or maybe more in printed journals, events, events, organizations, courses, libraries, clubs, and associations?

Do they use to buy books online or rather directly in the bookstore? Do they perhaps have direct contact with various associations and institutions? It is crucial to analyze how to reach them.

If you have published a book on special diets and vegan food, your potential readers may be interested in animal rights, healthy lifestyles, yoga, the environment, and nature conservation. Remember, though: If you use too many different channels, you will reach many, but you may also miss your potential readers.

How should you communicate with your potential readers to arouse their interest?

You should find out where they get their information so that you know how to plan your communications, ads, and possible campaigns. How do you think your target group appealed, and who do they trust? Do you want to be a funny and naughty children’s book writer or a serious and professional book writer?

Customize your communication, your way of writing, and expressing to arouse interest and build conviction and confidence. If you target young people, they may find it more fun and exciting if you connect the communication with them by using “their” language, choice of words, tone of voice, or a “younger” communication style with more modern terms.

Selling personal brand is essential, but it is vital not just to focus on oneself. The risk is that the reader may find it uninteresting, “advertising,” and without credibility. Try to be as clear, simple, and concrete in your content as possible. It makes it easy for the recipient to access the information.

Planning your communication also allows you to decide which image you want to give to your target audience. It is vital to building your author’s name as a brand.

Content marketing is about creating and reaching out with as relevant and valuable content as possible. Content that benefits a specific group of people. If you succeed in this, it will simultaneously strengthen your brand and build a relationship with the readers. Well spent work in other words!

Melissa Mayer

READERS AS A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION IN THE BOOK DESIGN

Especially in connection with self-publishing, it has become increasingly popular to involve readers in creating the book. Whether it’s about the content or the book’s title: When you work with your readers, you get the best possible way to publish a book that appeals to your target audience.

In a survey on self-publishing – which was carried out at the beginning of 2016 – as many as 36% of participants indicated that they involve their readers in the publishing process. Most (83%) created some of the content together with their readers, a quarter got help with the cover design and for a quarter of the authors the book title was decided by the readers.

DEVELOPMENT OF CONTENT

The author writes the manuscript, but it can be helpful and essential to hear what the genre’s readers think and prefer when it comes to details or changes. For example, you can ask them about the names of characters, places where events are played out, and options to choose from when it comes to how a chapter should end. Possibilities are endless.

For you as a self-publisher, the advantage is that you get a special relationship with your readers, have direct contact with them, get to know what they expect and discuss and receive direct feedback on your book. Building such a relationship can take time, but it is certainly worth it: When you have certain level of relationship, you have probably also got a loyal readership that wait for your next book and can give you positive reviews.

Start by thinking about where you can reach the readers you want to involve. For example, you can use social platforms, online portals and groups related to your genre/niche, contact book bloggers who write about your genre and find Facebook groups that your target group are members.

THE CHOICE OF COVER DESIGN

We cannot emphasize this often enough: The cover is the first thing the reader sees of your book and is therefore extremely important for the purchase decision. A cover must be well-planned, link to the content, stand out of the crowd and have a little extra for the reader to get stuck for it. Think about what you want to say with the cover: The book’s theme, genre, any feeling or maybe something else?

The cover is a wonderful tool to work with when you want to engage your readers. It shows how many would even click on it in the online bookstore.  The material may be as good as it can be, but if the package around is unattractive, no one will ever give it a try.

One way to get readers’ opinions on the cover is to choose a short excerpt from your manuscript or the book description as a basis for open cover design suggestions. It can either apply to the entire cover or smaller parts of it at a time: the image, the style, the colors, fonts, the placement, etc. Once the color and image have been determined, the creation can continue with the first completed steps as a base.

Another way – which is a little easier for readers and gives them a starting point – is to produce a few different variations for voting. It may not mean that you are bound to the cover that gets the most votes, but it can help you in the choice and maybe you also get useful feedback.

THE BOOK’S TITLE

Book title is as important as cover design, description and part of overall package. When the book has a title, it becomes “for real” – a real, understandable piece of work you’ve created! Here, however, also lies the difficulty. It simply has to feel right and be a name that you will enjoy forever. But a little help can never hurt and the choice of the title can be a good chance to involve readers in the process.

Easiest way is to share title options together including some excerpts with your readers on social media and collect enough feedback to make an informed decision.

Sandy Kohen