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KDP Jumpstart Topic 6 - Introduction to Book Design
WHAT THIS TOPIC COVERS
After reading this topic, you'll know:- Why book design matters
- About common book interior and cover design elements
- About tools that can help you format your book easily and effectively
- How to transform your finished manuscript into a formatted file ready to be uploaded to KDP
YOUR PROGRESS
You've completed Milestones 1 and 2. You've just started Milestone 3, which covers book formatting. Later, you'll set rights and pricing (Milestone 4).
INTRODUCTION TO BOOK DESIGN
Video: Work backwards to create a quality book
 | Why book design mattersImagine you're shopping for a book. You notice a title that looks interesting and you take it off the shelf. But then you see a grainy image on the cover. You open the book, and the font is too small and the text has formatting irregularities. Would you buy this book? Probably not.This is why book design matters. Reading is a visual experience and appearances are important for book customers—so important that they probably won't buy a book whose appearance doesn't meet their expectations. The effort you put into formatting could make or break a reader's decision to buy your book. |
 | Interior designNow imagine the inside of a well-designed book. What are all the elements that make this design appealing? See the diagram below to learn more about the pieces of a book’s interior and why they matter. |
 | Cover designNow imagine the cover of a well-designed book. Again, think about all the elements that make the design appealing. See the diagram below to learn more about the pieces of a book's cover and why they matter. The information about typography and imagery apply to eBooks and paperbacks; the information about spines, back covers, and bleed only apply paperbacks. |
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Formatting toolsConcerned that you don't have the skills or time to design your book? We have tools that can help you format your interior and cover easily and effectively:
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ACTIVITY
Find five books with content similar to yours and take notes on the interior design choices (e.g., font, decorative elements). How do these choices reflect the books’ content? When you format your book interior with the tools we recommend, you’ll choose from four themes: Modern, Classic, Cosmos, Amour. See the examples below and choose the theme that best fits your book.
Find five books with content similar to yours and take notes on the interior design choices (e.g., font, decorative elements). How do these choices reflect the books’ content? When you format your book interior with the tools we recommend, you’ll choose from four themes: Modern, Classic, Cosmos, Amour. See the examples below and choose the theme that best fits your book.
 | You just finished writing your book, and you're tempted to submit your manuscript as-is to KDP. Don’t. There's a big difference between a finished manuscript and formatted file that's ready to upload to KDP. For the best results, use the recommended tools. To learn more about why it's worth it to format your book before self-publishing, read this article. |
WHAT TO DO NEXT
- Take your notes from the activity above and make a list of design decisions for your own book. Knowing how you want your finished book to look will help you format it.
- Next you'll turn your finished manuscript into a formatted file. If you want to publish an eBook, go to Topic 7. If you want to publish a paperback, go to Topic 8.
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