Clarity and readability are key parts of writing a good book. Planning to pick up the pen? This guide will help you make a strong and readable book layout.
Although the saying goes that “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, the book design and layout are as important as the direction of the story. After all, it’s the exterior of the book that will make a potential reader pick it up.
Therefore, ensuring that the book design is of top quality is also vital. “Design” does not only refer to the cover design but the book layout as well.
Creating a good layout is essential for keeping the reader captivated throughout the story.
Read this guide on how to create a readable book layout.
Contents
Essential Components of a Book Layout
Several different aspects come into play when making a good book layout. Keep in mind that there are many types of books (photography, comics, catalogs, etc.) where the book layout differs depending on the style that best suits the subject of the book.
That being said, some basic elements are part of every book as they play a part in making it readable.
Alignment
This is the most basic part of a book’s design and needs to be considered with care, even though it may sound easy at first. Without proper measures, the lines and words can all look jumbled up, which is unappealing to the reader’s eye. Hence, the spacing and grids must all be adjusted accordingly.
Margins
Up next, margins are another unconditional part of a book’s layout, whether it is a love story or a catalog for men’s clothing.
For regular-sized books, the standard for the top and bottom margins are both about 0.5 inches and the inner margins are about 0.75 to 0.9 inches. This makes it easy for the reader to enjoy the book smoothly without misreading or getting lost. The words are also much clearer and readable with consistent margins.
Trim Size
The trim size is more of a technical element that only applies to physically printed books, so if you plan on publishing your book digitally, this will not be a concern.
There are specific trim size guidelines for different printed books with the standard being 5.5”x8.5” and 6”x9”.
You should base this decision on the number of words in your book as you want to aim for just the right amount of thickness. Apart from this, the only thing that matters is whether the book is going to be paperback or hardcover.
Book Cover
Now that we have talked a bit about the internal elements, it’s time to talk about the book cover, which is what creates the book’s first impression on your reader.
These covers can either be designed by you or any other third-party designer depending on your choice.
Whether you do it yourself or hire someone else, the most important part is making sure that the book cover is appealing and fits the book’s genre. This is because you don’t want the cover to be misleading or unattractive since customers will pass it by if their first impression is that the book is uninteresting. Hence, the cover also plays a part in the selling potential of your book.
An In-depth Look Into Book Designs And Details
Until now, we have been talking about the large-scale elements of making a readable book layout. Now, it’s time to focus on specific details in the interior design of the book.
Clarity and readability are the top factors that are required so that readers can have a smooth experience without any distractions.
Typography
First, you’ll have to figure out what font you want to use for the book. This choice depends on the genre of the book and the authors’ aesthetics.
Next, you have to decide which parts are going to be bold, italic, or of different font sizes. This helps in highlighting important parts and putting special emphasis on some sections of the book.
The header and footer of each page require formatting (usually of the same type) where the header consists of the chapter number or title.
On the other hand, the footer contains the page number. You should place the heading as well as the footer at the center of the line or align it with the outer margins to ensure a quality book layout.
Strong Scene Breaks
These help in creating a more dramatic experience than just continuous writing after a crucial part in the story plays out.
You can use dots, dashes, or just simple white space that indicates that a scene break has taken place.
Furthermore, make sure to keep the white space within the appropriate measurements so that it doesn’t look distracting.
Art and Imagery
Adding images to books has been part of the world of books for centuries and helps keep the reader’s interest. These play a different role in different types of books.
For example, comics have images that play a direct role in storytelling. In contrast, some authors prefer using a single image in certain important parts of their books to deliver a powerful message to the readers. It is often used as an alternative for powerful typography as well.
Conclusion
To create a powerful and readable book layout, one must take into account all the minute details that go into making them. If you do not want to handle all of these details yourself, a professional designer will be happy to help.
To conclude, the book layout plays a significant role in delivering the ultimate reading experience to the public, and so it should not be treated lightly.
We hope that his article has helped you improve your book designs, and we wish you success in the vast world of poetry and literature!
