Cover and interior design
Covers and interiors that belong on the shelf.
Book cover design and interior typesetting for print and screen: a cover that works on a shelf and as a thumbnail, and an interior set so the book is comfortable to read from the first page to the last.
Questions first? Email hello@publishyourbook.com
Is it for you
Is this the right place to start?
Design is what a reader judges before they read a word, so it is worth getting right.
- 01
You want a cover that looks like a book in its genre, not a template.
- 02
Your interior is a Word document that needs to become a book.
- 03
You need print-ready files for paperback or hardcover, and an eBook.
- 04
You are relaunching a book with a new cover.
Included
What you get.
Cover and interior can be booked together or separately.
- 01
Cover and full spread
Front, spine and back designed as one piece, sized to your printer’s specification.
- 02
Interior typesetting
Fonts, margins, chapter openers, headers and page numbers chosen for the genre, so it reads like a published book.
- 03
Print-ready files
Files prepared to print specification for paperback and hardcover.
- 04
eBook conversion
A clean, reflowable eBook that reads well across devices.
- 05
Made for the thumbnail
The cover is checked at the size a reader first sees it on a retail page, not only at full size.
- 06
Layouts for special books
Workbooks, cookbooks, poetry and illustrated books each need their own interior. We set them to fit.
How it is done
From the first concept to the final file.
You approve the cover before the interior is set, and the interior before any file is finalised.
- 1
Brief and genre research
We read the book and look at what sits on its category shelf, so the cover signals the right genre at a glance.
- 2
Cover concepts
You see distinct directions rather than three versions of one idea. Choose one, or tell us what to combine.
- 3
Refine the cover
Type, imagery and colour are refined in rounds until you approve the front. Then we build the spine and back.
- 4
Typeset the interior
Trim size, fonts and layout are set for your genre and formats. You review proof pages before the whole book is set.
- 5
Prepare the final files
Print-ready PDFs for paperback and hardcover, and an eBook file, all checked before you sign off.
Start to finish
Where it begins, and where it ends.
Step in
How it starts
Send the manuscript, or a summary if it is still in progress, and tell us where the book will be sold. You do not need to know your trim size or format yet.
You bring
- The manuscript, or a synopsis
- The formats you want: paperback, hardcover, eBook
- Covers you admire, and covers you do not
- Any existing artwork, logo or author photo
We send back
- A design brief for you to confirm
- Concept directions for the cover
- A schedule and quote in writing
Step out
How it ends
You approve the final cover and interior before anything is submitted. Then you receive every finished file, in every format.
You receive
- Print-ready cover and interior files
- Your eBook file
- Web-size cover images for your website and retailer pages
- Ownership of every finished file
Proof
Covers and interiors we have finished.
A selection of the books we designed. Filter them by genre on the work page.
The Salt Road
Fiction · Hardcover, eBook
Long Way from Kerrville
Memoir · Paperback
The Quiet Ledger
Business · Hardcover
Mabel and the Nine Moons
Children’s · Full colour
Ashes of the Ninth Court
Fantasy · Paperback, eBook
Still Waters, Still Here
Faith · Paperback
Forty Weeks of Small Repairs
Nonfiction · Paperback
What the River Kept
Fiction · Hardcover
Case study · Children’s
Mabel and the Nine Moons
- Starting point
- A finished rhyming text with no illustrations and no page plan.
- Challenge
- Fitting 900 words to a 32-page format and developing a character that carries a series.
- Result
- A full-colour hardcover with a character sheet the author owns outright.
32
Pages
12
Colour spreads
100%
Author-owned art
“Mabel looks exactly like the drawing in my head, only better.”
FAQ
Questions about design.
Can I book the cover without the interior?
Yes. Either can be booked on its own.
Do I get to choose the cover?
Yes. You approve every stage, and nothing goes to print without your sign-off.
Which formats do you prepare?
Paperback, hardcover and eBook, each to its own specification.
Can you redesign a book that is already published?
Yes. A relaunch with a new cover is part of our ‘My Book Is Ready’ journey.
Will the cover work as a thumbnail?
That is part of the brief. We check the design at the size a browser shows it on a retail page.
Keep going
Where this leads.
Start here
Let us design the book they will pick up.
Send the manuscript or a summary and tell us the formats you want. We reply within two working days.
- We reply within two working days.
- No cost and no obligation to start the conversation.
- You keep every right and every royalty.