Book Design Services
Our team understands that publishing can be exciting, daunting, and even frightening sometimes, regardless of who’s doing the publishing. We are dedicated to supporting you through the challenges and opportunities that you might encounter while preparing your book for the world. Use our contact form to set up a free consultation to discuss your plans and needs. We’re here to help you produce a quality book that begs to be read.
If you’re an experienced publisher, large or small, know that we understand book design and production and would love to become a trusted part of your team.
If you’ve never published a book before, we’ll guide you through the entire book creation process. We want yours to be a wonderful journey!
Cover Design
People DO judge books by their covers.
Cover design is one of the first stages in producing your book. It is also one of the most exciting, as it’s the first time your manuscript starts to look like a real book. We’ll talk with you on the phone, have you fill out a detailed questionnaire, and research your book’s audience and genre. You’ll receive several front cover designs and we’ll work together to finesse one of them into your book’s final cover.
If you are considering using a designer that does not specialize in book design, please check out these Before & After samples to help you understand the importance of doing it right the first time. The cost in time and money of working with someone inexperienced in book design can be extremely high.
Cover design also includes design of the back cover and spine, an authentic Bookland EAN bar code, creation of a press-ready PDF file set to your printer’s specifications, and electronic images of cover — both flat and 3D mockups —in various sizes and formats for your promotional purposes. You will also receive all of the working files when the project is finished.
View our cover design makeovers to see what a different professional design can make!
Interior Design & Layout
Interior Design is more important than you think.
A book’s front cover serves as its billboard, begging for you to pick it up. If it does its job, the buyer will flip the book over to quickly peruse the back. IF he’s still interested, he’ll do a “flip” through the interior. If that interior is not inviting and readable, he’s going to put it back and buy your competition. The interior is what usually drives a customer to the checkout!
Interior design is the process of formatting each page in a book with the primary purpose of readability. What’s not so simple is putting all of its elements together into a seamless package. Using your professionally-edited manuscript, we begin creating your book’s interior design based on the finished front cover design for branding continuity. Upon your approval of these initial page designs, we’ll then proceed to lay out the entire book, eventually saving to a PDF file that’s ready for proofreading.
We work in InDesign, but if you have an older book that needs updating, we are able to work with Quark files as well.
Interior design and layout details also include formatting frontmatter, copyright page, a title page design to match front cover, and backmatter. We pay strict attention to typesetting details such as widows, orphans, line spacing, hyphenation, and kerning. Layout of index included when applicable. Up to two reasonable rounds of changes made after proofreading.
View our interior layout makeovers to see the difference design can make!
Children’s Book Design
We’ll make sure you’re at the top of your game.
Publishing children’s books can be both challenging and rewarding — kind-of like kids themselves. 😉 This genre is super-competitive, so you need to be at the top of the game to get noticed. This means awesome illustrations and a design to match. We develop a cohesive product with creative interior and cover designs that engage young readers and encourage a love of books. Designing picture books is a specialization within the field of book design and many firms choose not to offer this service. It’s one of TLC’s specialties!
Services can include: Client consultation, PDF questionnaire, storyboarding, assistance in finding the right illustrator, coordination with illustrator, schedule management, layout and design of book’s cover and interior, jacket design, creative endsheet design for hardcover books, consultation on printing options, press-ready files, and book images for promotional usage.
We can help you, no matter the state of your book:
A. Not yet illustrated; need page layout and illustration direction
If you and your illustrator are not sure where to start, have no set plan for how to break up the text on the pages, what to illustrate, or where the illustrations should go, this is your option. Also for those who are looking for an illustrator.
B. Illustrated but designer needs to manipulate and/or augment illustrations
This is the right option if the text and illustrations all have a place—the storyboard is complete, but the illustrations need enhancement, color boost, color changes, or other digital manipulation.
C. Illustrated with a page layout and trim size in mind
If you and/or the illustrator have already determined where each illustration and text block goes, this is your option. In other words, you have a complete and final storyboard and you’re already working with an illustrator.
NEED AN ILLUSTRATOR? Illustration is a separate service not offered directly by TLC Book Design. We would be happy to help you find the right talent to bring your project to life.