DIY as a self-publisher comes with the trade. You're simply going to have to learn to "do it yourself." Paying someone else to do the work for you becomes very expensive in a very short period of time.
Book design is something we are all aware of as readers, but is not something we are necessarily conscious of. It can be an eye opening experience to most self-published authors when their first proof copy arrives and they see their beloved book printed with a poorly designed interior and cover.
While covers are an entirely separate, and perhaps more important issue, the design of a books interior is more than just aesthetics. The book design can have a major impact, both good or bad, on the readability of a book. The interior can also impact the all important Amazon reviews, again for both good or bad. I have read many negative reviews where the reviewer stated clearly the content was good but the design was so poor it made the book difficult to read.
With so many tasks to learn, when something comes along to make one of the many Do-It-Yourself projects easier AND turn out better, it is worth taking the time to examine.
In this case, I want to discuss the book templates, both for POD paperbacks and ebooks, available from The Book Designer. For a reasonable price, you are able to purchase Word templates that create handsome book interiors as well as ebook designs.
Yes, you have to learn how to use the templates. But here's the good news! If you already know how to use Word and can read, the time involved to master using most of the features of the template is about 30 minutes. Then there is the issue of customer service. It is outstanding. I had repeated issues getting the Table of Contents working on several ebook editions I released this summer and the good people at The Book Designer stood behind their templates and provided feedback till the issue was resolved.
What benefits are there to be had for self-publishing authors? Here are the benefits I gained from purchasing templates:
Book design is something we are all aware of as readers, but is not something we are necessarily conscious of. It can be an eye opening experience to most self-published authors when their first proof copy arrives and they see their beloved book printed with a poorly designed interior and cover.
While covers are an entirely separate, and perhaps more important issue, the design of a books interior is more than just aesthetics. The book design can have a major impact, both good or bad, on the readability of a book. The interior can also impact the all important Amazon reviews, again for both good or bad. I have read many negative reviews where the reviewer stated clearly the content was good but the design was so poor it made the book difficult to read.
With so many tasks to learn, when something comes along to make one of the many Do-It-Yourself projects easier AND turn out better, it is worth taking the time to examine.
In this case, I want to discuss the book templates, both for POD paperbacks and ebooks, available from The Book Designer. For a reasonable price, you are able to purchase Word templates that create handsome book interiors as well as ebook designs.
Yes, you have to learn how to use the templates. But here's the good news! If you already know how to use Word and can read, the time involved to master using most of the features of the template is about 30 minutes. Then there is the issue of customer service. It is outstanding. I had repeated issues getting the Table of Contents working on several ebook editions I released this summer and the good people at The Book Designer stood behind their templates and provided feedback till the issue was resolved.
What benefits are there to be had for self-publishing authors? Here are the benefits I gained from purchasing templates:
- Interiors that looked professionally produced
- Huge time savings in creating a quality finished product
- Significant savings in cost compared to paying a professional to design and create the interior files
- Significant savings in cost in creation of the ebook files for both Kindle and Nook editions
- A learning curve that was simple to master
