Paperback Interior Design

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Prepare, Publish, Promote Prepare Your Book Format Your Manuscript Paperback Submission Overview Paperback Interior Design

Paperback Interior Design

This page details paperback interior design elements. Many of the elements described below are optional. If you're unsure which to include, find books with content similar to yours to get an idea of what readers expect.

Video: Paperback formatting essentials webinar recording

Introduction (0:00)
What this video covers (1:14)
What readers expect (1:55)
Research and planning (3:12)
Manufacturing (3:49)
Trim size (4:51)
Margins (7:47)
Bleed (9:18)
Book components (11:44)
Front matter (12:05)
Book body (13:29)
Back matter (15:50)
Tools (16:14)
File review (20:34)
Tips for all software (21:23)
Flattening files (21:48)
Embedding fonts (22:49)

Front matter

Front matter includes all content that appears prior to chapter one or the main body text. Front matter elements usually appear in this order:

Half title
Title
Copyright
Reviews and praise
Dedication
Table of contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Introduction

Again, many elements are optional. If you're unsure which to include, find books with content similar to yours. Learn more about common front matter elements:

Half title page

Always falls on a right-facing page
Doesn't contain page numbers or page headers
Contains the book title

Title page

Always falls on a right-facing page directly after the half title page
Doesn't contain page numbers or page headers
Typically contains the book title, subtitle, and author name
Doesn't include "by" before author name, even if contained in manuscript

Always falls on the first left-facing page after the title page
Doesn't contain page numbers or page headers

Dedication page

Always falls on a right-facing page, usually immediately after the copyright page
Only contains page numbers and page headers if it extends beyond one page

Table of contents (TOC)

Always falls on a right-facing page
Doesn't contain page numbers or page headers
TOC may spread over more than one page
Includes chapters and section names as they appear in the body of the manuscript. For example, if the manuscript TOC reads, "Chapter 1: The Big Dog," but the body of the book reads, "Chapter 1: The Large Dog," the TOC in the formatted interior should read, "The Large Dog."

Body matter

Body matter includes all content between the front and back matter. Body matter typically contains all part pages and chapters. Learn more about these common body matter elements:

Chapter title page

Chapter one starts on a right-facing page
All subsequent chapters start on the next available page
Doesn't contain page headers
Page number formatting follow the selected design styles
Capitalization and casing of the title, subtitle, and chapter numbers follow the selected design styles, not how it appears in the manuscript
Starting paragraph doesn't have a first-line indent

Headers

Left-page headers always show the author name; right-page headers always show the book title.

Body text

Fully justified to create a smoother reading experience
Sequential paragraphs are always be indented with no spaces between paragraphs
Spacing between paragraphs/sections should be uniform

Page numbers

These appear as Arabic numerals (for example, 1, 2, 3).

Back matter

Back matter includes all content that appears after the last chapter or end of the body matter. Back matter sections typically include references and the author bio. The first section of back matter starts on a right-facing page. Learn more about these common back matter elements:

Bibliography and reference pages

These fall on a right-facing page.

Author bio page

This falls on a right-facing page.

Index

Always falls on a right-facing page
Only contains page numbers or page headers if it extends beyond one page, and this is to create consistent page numbering throughout the entire back matter section
Flush-and-hang style
- In printed works, all indexes are set in flush-and-hang (or hanging) indentation style
- The first line of each entry—the main heading—is set flush left, and any following lines are indented