Book formatting and book design are both crucial elements in preparing a book for publication, but they focus on different aspects.
A book designer focuses on the overall appeal and visual impact of the book.
A book formatter focuses on the technical aspects of preparing the manuscript for printing or digital publication.
They are like the skilled painters who execute the interior designer's plans, ensuring the technical details are perfect.
Now, let’s get into the specifics of each.
THE BOOK DESIGNER
As mentioned, the book designer is all about making the book look good... good enough to motivate someone to buy it.
The specifics of book designing:
1. The artistic vision. The book designer ensures all elements work together, creating synergy.
2. The layout and typography. They determine the ideal fonts, sizes, line spacing, and margins to create a symmetrical and readable layout. They consider how these elements guide the reader's eye and enhance the reading experience.
Easy readability is critical in children’s books, for young readers who are just learning to read and those who are moving from chapter books to middle-grade books.
3. Visual elements. This includes placement of illustrations, photographs, and other graphics so they complement the text and convey the book’s tone and style.
When you’re self-publishing a children’s picture book or chapter book, you may be responsible for deciding the type of images used and where they should be placed. Or if you’re working with illustrators, they may offer input.
4. The cover design. The book designer usually designs the cover. This is an essential element as the cover is the first impression a book makes.
Cover design involves selecting imagery and typography and creating a layout that attracts potential readers. It’s the number one motivating factor for someone to buy the book. The cover must also reflect the book's genre and themes.
5. Overall aesthetics. The book designer considers the overall look and feel of the book, from the cover to the interior pages, ensuring it is cohesive, professional, and reflects the author's vision.
THE BOOK FORMATTER
1. Pre-press and print-ready files. The book formatter makes sure the book meets the specifications of the printer or publishing platform, such as IngramSpark and Amazon.
This process includes bleed*, margins, and trim size.
It’s crucial for the formatting to be exact. If it’s not, you will get errors when trying to upload the file to print or after it’s published.
As an example, I just reviewed a picture book PDF for the author. She used someone on Fiverr for the illustrations, formatting, and design. While the illustrations were cute and colorful, the text pages had varying margins, some going almost to the end of the left and right sides of the page.
Why does this matter? Well, if the text isn’t placed properly, it will run into the book’s seam. And just as important, it won’t be symmetrical, making it look unprofessional.
*Bleed ensures there are no visible white borders around an image meant to go to the edge, taking up the entire page.
I had this problem with one book. It took the formatter three tweaks to get it just right, so I could finally upload and publish.
2. Ebook formatting. The formatting for ebooks is different than print books. The files must be prepared in the correct format (e.g., EPUB, PDF, AZW) for it to display correctly for the various devices and platforms. It includes chapter breaks, headings, and embedding images.
3. Consistency. Formatters also ensure fonts, spacing, paragraph indents, headings, and so on are consistent throughout the book.
4. Troubleshooting. As I mentioned earlier, one of my books ran into a problem; it could very well have been a glitch in the publishing platform. But no matter what the problem is, the formatter troubleshoots technical issues. They identify and correct issues so you can upload your book's files for publication.
SUMMING IT UP
In essence, a book designer crafts the artistic vision and overall aesthetic while a book formatter handles the technical details to bring that vision to life for print or digital publication.
The main goal of both is to create a book that looks polished and professional. And all in all, this is important stuff to know, especially if you’re self-publishing.
I’m a working children’s ghostwriter, rewriter, and coach. I can help turn your story into a book you’ll be proud to be the author of, one that’s publishable and marketable.
1 thought on “Book Formatting vs. Book Design”