Book Design Must Sell From Cover In

In a post that’s now rolled into the internet’s oblivion, Margot Boland summarized what she believes are the four most important elements of good book design. She covered it well in her blog. I’m adding a fifth element which I believe is probably the most important.

1. Choose a readable font.
2. Adjust the white space (leading) between lines for optimal reading ease. I especially like the fact that she emphasizes the importance of leading. Many inexperienced self-publishers don’t realize how important that white space between lines is. Too much leading can be almost as bad as too little.
3. Keep margins wide enough, including adding enough gutter space so words aren’t shaded on the inside edge of the book.
4. Use an accepted book layout sequence. There may be some room to play with the fourth  element (order of front matter), yet even there it’s important to respect the general principles.
5. Choose a title and cover design that is clear and compelling. Titles and cover design work in harmony to ensure a book captures an audience. If one is weak, the whole book suffers.

The cover and title is only the start. This may be great, yet a poor interior layout may stop buyers from following through. That is why I try to make each book I coach to publication a visual joy as well as a good read. If the layout isn’t appealing, it can become a hindrance to captivating a reader.

Lost Sales From Poor Book Design

I’ll never forget lending a book to a friend who said when he returned it to me, “Honestly, I had a very hard time reading it. The content was good enough, but the layout was so boring I found it hard to stick with it.”

To tell you the truth, he was right. The book looked like an academic tome. The interior was the color of newsprint and text used an old serif font. Even headings used the same font, with the only variation a different color.

If the book’s market had been academic, this might have been acceptable. It wasn’t. Somehow in all the effort to remove the author’s academic voice from the manuscript, someone overlooked the compelling need to also remove the stodgy academic visual presentation. An otherwise excellent book most certainly failed to perform based on poor design.

My husband and I both read the book in spite of this only because we were seriously interested in the topic. Over 18 years later, I’m still seeing this book, unchanged sitting in a Christian bookstore I often visit. The inner flyer still says the same date of publication. This is a good indication the publisher is still seeking to sell off the first print run.

Book design must sell from the cover in. Books cannot depend on a powerful title alone. Nor can they expect to sell well if they look like they are for a narrow market. There are five key elements to good book design. All of them are vital.