Best Book Interior Designers

What a good book design package includes

Book interior gigs are usually priced by page count, complexity and formats. Check that the package states:

• Formats: print-ready PDF, EPUB, or both.
• Trim size and margins.
• Typography: fonts, sizes and spacing.
• Chapter openings, headers and page numbers.
• Front and back matter: title page, copyright, contents, about the author.
• Images, tables and footnotes, if any.
• Revisions and platform checks.

Ask for a sample chapter layout before the whole book is formatted. It lets you approve fonts, spacing and chapter openings early, when changes are quick.

How to prepare for a book designer

1. The final manuscript, edited and proofread.
2. Trim size and printer or platform.
3. Genre and books whose interiors you like.
4. Images in high resolution, if included.
5. Front and back matter text.
6. ISBN and copyright details, if you have them.

Finish all edits before layout. Every change after formatting can move text across pages, affect the contents and require new checks. A final proofread of the formatted pages is still wise, but it should catch only small issues.

Check the ebook on several devices or apps, such as a phone, a tablet and an e-reader. Ebooks can look different depending on the device and settings, and problems like broken contents links are easy to miss.

Keep the source layout files. If you publish a second edition, fix a typo or release a hardcover later, having them saves you from paying for a complete re-layout.

Ask how the designer handles widows and orphans, the single lines left alone at the top or bottom of a page, and awkward word breaks. Careful handling of these small details is what separates professional typesetting from automatic formatting, and readers notice the difference even if they cannot name it.

What drives the price

• page count
• images, tables, footnotes and special elements
• print and ebook formats
• number of revision rounds
• custom design versus a template
• the designer's experience with your platform

Non-fiction with tables, images and sidebars usually costs more to format than a plain novel of the same length.

Red flags

• Formatting started before editing is finished.
• No sample pages before full layout.
• Files that fail printer or store checks.
• Fonts used without a license for commercial print.
• No source files offered.

Order a printed proof copy before release. Margins, font size and paper can feel very different in your hands than on screen.

For the cover, see our book cover guide. For editing first, read our book editing guide, and for launch our book marketing guide.

Quick pre-order checklist

• My manuscript is final and proofread.
• I know the trim size and platform requirements.
• I will approve a sample chapter first.
• I will get print and ebook files as needed.
• I will order a printed proof.