Richard Hendel says:

Designers are to books what architects are to buildings. Designers write specifications for making books just as architects write them for constructing buildings. Even the most seemingly mundane detail needs to be decided, and it is just these tiny particulars that make a design successful. The parts of the book that are most ignored by readers are the ones that often need the most attention from the designer . . . The author’s words are the heart of book design. To solve the design problem for a book, a designer needs to know both what an author is saying (what a book is about) and how it is being said (the actual words being used).
On Book Design by Richard Hendel, p. 33

When I read Hendel’s words, I am in total agreement and I want to add that the relationship between the designer and the author is important. Not only is the designer working with the nuts and bolts of picas and points and margins and folios (I’ll provide a glossary on this blog soon), but the designer is also interpreting the author’s words visually on the page.

So the self-publishing author and designer must have a rapport, an ability to communicate and understand each other.

How is a book designed? What do book designers think about as they turn manuscripts into printed books?

Award-winning book designer Richard Hendel says:

As omnipresent as books are, few readers are aware of the “invisible” craft of book designing. The task a book designer faces is different from that faced by other designers. The challenge, says Hendel, isn’t to create something different or pretty or clever but to discover how to best serve the author’s words.

I will be responding to concepts discussed in Hendel’s book, On Book Design, in future posts. I’ll also be introducing other resources that have influenced my approach to book design. I hope to make the craft of book design less invisible, so that authors, readers, and publishers will have a deeper understanding and appreciation of the books they come in contact with every day.

In the meantime, I invite you to read this review of Hendel’s book:

Richard Hendel Book Review

1. Send the designer some sample chapters (Word files) by email.
They don’t have to be the final edited versions. The designer is only working with layout & page design at this point. You can be working on this while the book is being edited. When your final manuscript is ready, the designer can jump in and typeset it right away b/c you’ve already nailed down the design.

2. Send the designer a few sample images, if you have illustrations or photos in your book.
These should be the highest-resolution versions that you have. It’s OK if the files are large – graphic designers usually have a broadband internet connection.

3. Send the designer an image of your book cover – preferably a PDF. Or ask your cover designer to send the latest version.
Have you ever read a book with a cover that didn’t fit visually with the interior? It’s jarring to the reader, even if they might not consciously know why. Good book design should be in service of the content – your writing – and it should make the bookstore visitor want to pick up your book and buy it. That means making sure the interior belongs with the cover.

OK! Now the fun part. The designer will take your Word files and make them look like book pages. Typically, they will approach your book’s interior design in two different ways, and send you two PDFs. Each approach will be uniquely created for your book. The choice of fonts and the placement of design elements will reflect the tone and writing style of your book. The layout will be inviting to your particular audience.

How long does it take?
Setting up the design for your book can take anywhere from 5–10 days, or longer. It varies widely, depending on how many changes need to be made. After you choose one of the initial design approaches, you and the designer will keep tweaking it until you’re happy.

Turnaround time on the design also depends on how complex your page layout is. These things add to the complexity:
• sidebars
• block quotes
• several levels of headings
• part openers as well as chapter openers
• photos and/or illustrations with captions
• charts or tables
• footnotes

In the next article, we’ll talk about setting up a production schedule for your self-published book.

A recent article in The Guardian says it well:

“The visual language of design – the ability to communicate what the book is about, who it is for – is something publishers are all too aware of, as they watch their books do battle on increasingly cluttered bookshop (and supermarket) shelves, competing for our attention and, let’s face it, our money. Images and typography play as great a part in the mind of a potential book buyer than do endorsements on the jackets, be they blurbs from fellow writers, or a sticker from Richard and Judy.”

Read the rest of the article by Susan Tomaselli here