This blog is a continuation of my series on self-publishing your manuscript: you can read Stage 1 here, Stage 2 here and Stage 3 here. It is not vital that you have read these before this blog, but it assumes that you are already at a certain point and know the reasoning behind some of the steps you are carrying out in this blog.
By this point, your manuscript should have received feedback, been copy-edited and the changes reviewed. It should also have a front cover design finalised and have a description and blurb written for it. In addition, you should now have sent out the manuscript for interior design, unless you have decided to do this yourself. In this stage, we will be reviewing the interior design and considering the back cover design, as well as having an index created for your book, if necessary.
Review the Interior Design
If you are planning to release your manuscript as a print copy, you will have either hired an interior designer for your book or elected to do this yourself, if it’s nearly all body text that works well with a template. There is more information on this in Stage 3 of this series.
Now that you have either received this back from the designer or completed work on it yourself, it’s time to review what you have. Remember that the more professional your book looks, the better from both an initial sales point of view and word of mouth. It is therefore important that you pay close attention to the interior design as well as the exterior.
So, what should you be checking for in your designed pages? You want to ensure consistency of chapter headings (for example, that they have remained the same size, font and style), that the title page looks as it should, that the page numbers are correct (positioning on the page and that they are all sequential) and that any design elements such as bulleted or numbered lists, quotes and headings are applied consistently and as you want them. It is best if you make a checklist of all the things to look for and tick them off as you go.
If you find any errors or need anything revising, now is the time to do this. Remember that if you have just changed your mind about how you want something to look, this will be chargeable by the formatter, so try to make sure you know what you want before you start.
Design the Back Cover and Spine
If you will also be releasing your book as a print copy, you will need a back cover and spine designed as well. Many ebooks just have a front cover, but this is not really an option in print! We have already written several book descriptions of different lengths all the way back in Stage 1, as well as any taglines you want on the back cover.
Choose which of your book descriptions would work best as a blurb based on length (this will depend on your chosen genre) and how much it would make you want to buy the book. Alternatively, you can write a new description to act as a blurb.
You also need to think about what review quotes, if any, you want on your back cover and how these should be formatted. Where will the name go? Will they all be placed together, or scattered around the back cover? Try shifting things around and see what you like best.
Finally, will you be having any art on the back? You could have a new piece of art, an element from the front cover or simply keep it plain. Look at other books to work out what you like. Once you have decided, it may be a good idea to again hire a designer to put it together. If you negotiate this at the start with your front cover designer, you may be able to get a good deal and you will have the advantage of consistency.
Next, you need to consider the spine of your book. You will not be able to design this until you are sure of the page count, as this will affect the thickness of the book, as will the type of paper that’s used. Once you are sure of the dimensions, it’s back to the designer! Remember that it will need adjusting if you also release the book as a hardback, as this will be thicker than a paperback.
Another point to bear in mind if you have a hardback version is that the inside flaps of the dust jacket (if you have one) will also need designing. This is often a good place to put an author biography or list of other titles you have written.
Creating the Index
If your book is non-fiction, or you would like it to have an index anyway, now is the time to start thinking about this. Why do you need an index? Well, a good index should be like a map of your book, allowing readers to easily navigate to the piece of information or particular point that they need.
This not only makes your book look more professional, it also means that casual browsers and readers are more likely to be able to find what they want and so find it more useful as a book. Hopefully, this will lead to better reviews and more sales.
You may well decide to hire a professional indexer for this job, as it requires an indexer’s knowledge of how to file and locate the key parts of the book. Ideally, you would not index your own work, as you probably don’t have the objectivity and experience of an indexer.
Wrapping Up
Now that you are nearing the final stages of self-publishing, remember to double-check everything – you won’t get another chance once it goes to print. Next time we will be looking at preparing the EPUB files and the final proofreading, so stop by in two weeks for that!
Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash.
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