What to Know About Formatting:A Practical Guide for Self-Publishing Authors

Jacquelyn Lee
4 days ago
8 min read

Tips for Prepping Your Manuscript for Interior Formatting

Getting your book to the point where it is ready for publication can feel overwhelming, especially when you do not fully understand the process. And I know that feeling firsthand.

While I was working with Beth and her team on my own book, I spent weeks reviewing my manuscript’s interior layout, marking up every place I thought needed adjusting.

The truth is, I was a total newbie at it. I did not understand the process, and even though I had a professional right there guiding me, I kept second-guessing everything because I was not clear on what I was looking at.

When you do not know the basic anatomy of a book, do not have access to the right tools or resources, or do not have the technical and artistic knowledge to know what “done” looks like, getting your book ready for publication can be challenging. This blog focuses on the interior of your book. The next post will cover the exterior and cover design.

So, what is typesetting, and what does the process look like? How can you start preparing your book while you write, so that when your design team gets involved, you are already a step ahead?

This guide helps you skip the lengthy apprehension stage I experienced and understand contemporary interior book formatting.

WHAT IS TYPESETTING?

Typesetting (also called interior formatting, interior designing, or book composition) is the process of preparing the content of your book for printing or electronic publication. The goal is simple: to make your book easy to view, easy to read, and easy on the eyes.

Back in the 19 ^th century, typesetters literally placed individual letters and characters one by one using a letterpress. Today, typesetting is about making sure that spacing is correct, alignment is consistent, and the overall layout allows reading to feel natural and effortless.

And while the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, do not confuse typesetting with typography. Typography is more about visual style and appeal in the design of your book, and we will get into that in the next post.

So, Do You Need a Professional?

Short answer: For most writers, yes. Here is why it matters.

Print books and eBooks differ in their formatting and file types. A print-ready interior is typically submitted as a PDF, built to very specific trim and bleed requirements. An eBook uses an EPUB or MOBI file, formatted differently to work across e-readers, tablets, and phones. On top of that, every major publishing platform has its own set of interior formatting guidelines. IngramSpark, KDP, and others each require your file to meet their specific standards before it can be accepted and distributed.

A professional typesetter knows all of this. They understand book blocking, how to meet platform-specific requirements, and how to make sure your readers have the best possible experience with the layout, no matter how they choose to read your book. Unless you have strong technical skills and access to a professional-grade program like Adobe InDesign, bringing in a pro for the final product is a smart move.

That said, this blog is not here to replace your typesetter. It is here to help you understand the process well enough to work with one more efficiently, and to make decisions now, while you write, that save everyone time later.

THE ELEMENTS OF INTERIOR FORMATTING

Key Elements to Know Before You Begin

Here are the core elements of interior formatting, organized to align with the KDP Book Formatting resource listed in the Resources section below. Familiarizing yourself with these terms before you meet with a designer will make a meaningful difference.

TRIM SIZE: The finished dimensions of your book after the printer has cut it. Common trim sizes include 5.5 x 8.5 and 6 x 9 inches. Choosing your trim size early helps you make formatting decisions that align with it throughout the writing process.
BLEED: When an image or design element extends all the way to the edge of the page, the area that goes beyond the trim line is called the bleed. Printers require bleed so that cutting the page does not leave a white border. Your design team will handle this, but knowing the term helps you communicate clearly when the time comes.
MARGINS: The space between your content and the edge of the page. Most printing companies have minimum margin requirements, and the gutter (the inner margin closest to the spine) typically needs to be wider to account for how pages are bound together.
JUSTIFICATION: How your text aligns on the page. You can set the text alignment to left, center, right or full justification. Justified is the most common choice for book interiors because it creates clean, even edges on both sides and reads naturally for long-form text.
FONT TYPE AND SIZING: Your font and size will reflect your genre and your audience. A literary novel might use a classic serif font, while a children’s book may call for something more playful and engaging. The designer will likely offer several options for the font size and type to make sure it fits both genre expectations and your personal preferences.
LINE AND LETTER SPACING: The space between lines of text and between individual letters. Too tight and your book feels cramped; too loose, and it feels unfinished.
CHAPTER STYLING: Chapters are the heart of your book, and they need a consistent look and feel throughout. The styling of your chapter openings, including font, size, spacing, and placement on the page, should be uniform from the first chapter to the last.
FIRST LETTER, WORD, OR SENTENCE: Some books open each chapter with a large decorative letter, called a drop cap, or with the first word or line set in small caps. This is a stylistic choice that adds visual character to your chapter openings.
PAGE NUMBERS: Where you place your page numbers, whether top, bottom, left, right, or centered, is a design decision that should match the overall style of your book. Chapter opening pages, blank pages, and front matter typically follow different numbering rules than your main body text.
GRAPHICS: If your book includes images, charts, or illustrations, each one needs to be placed and formatted with care. Resolution, positioning, and how graphics interact with surrounding text all affect the quality of the final printed or digital result. Designers can sometimes work with the charts, graphs, and images you send, but it’s important to note that there are image resolution requirements for all graphics and images. Most printers require all images and graphics to be a minimum of 200 DPI in an interior. Some designers will want you to submit all images separately as assets for your project. Make sure you know what they prefer before you prep your file and images.
WIDOWS AND ORPHANS: Two of the most common typesetting corrections a professional will make before your book goes to print. A widow is a single line from the end of a paragraph stranded alone at the top of a new page. An orphan is a single line from the beginning of a paragraph left alone at the bottom of a page. Both disrupt the reading experience and should be corrected before publication, and this happens in the final stage of interior formatting before print.

Consistency is key.

QUESTIONS TO START WITH NOW

Before you call a designer, spend a few minutes with these questions. The answers will guide almost every decision that follows.

WHAT GENRE ARE YOU WRITING IN?

Your genre influences every formatting decision you make, from font choice to trim size to whether you will include a table of contents, an index, or chapter epigraphs.

IS THERE A NICHE?

Within your genre, is there a more specific audience or sub-category? The more focused your niche, the more targeted your formatting choices can be when you research comparable titles.

WHO IS YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE?

A book written for children formats very differently from one written for business professionals. Consider your reader’s age, reading habits, and accessibility needs before making decisions about font, size, and layout.

WHAT DO YOU WANT YOUR BOOK TO FEEL LIKE IN THE READER’S HANDS?

Think about the overall reading experience you want to create. Consider everything from font size and spacing to the width of the margins and how the pages turn. These details matter more than many first-time authors realize, and they are worth imagining before you sit down with a designer.

DIY FORMATTING TOOLS

Which Software Is Right for You?

If you want to get a feel for interior formatting before working with a professional, or if you have a strong technical background and want to take on more of the process yourself, here are some of the most widely used tools available today. Each one comes with its own learning curve, feature set, and price point, so the right choice depends on your comfort level, your budget, and how much control you want over the final layout.

PROGRAM	PRO'S	CON'S	COST
MS Word	Budget-friendly; familiar to most users; zero learning curve	Limited design control; not built for book layout	Free with Microsoft 365
Vellum	Creates beautiful, professionally formatted books; very user-friendly	Mac only; higher upfront cost	$199.99 (eBook) / $249.99 (eBook + Print) + tax
Atticus	All-in-one writing and formatting tool; works on Mac and Windows	Not ideal for complex non-fiction layouts	$147.00 one-time
Scribus	Free; professional-grade desktop publisher similar to InDesign	Steep learning curve; not beginner-friendly	Free
Adobe InDesign	Industry standard; maximum design control; used by professional typesetters	Monthly subscription; significant learning curve	~$22.99/month

Whether you use one of these tools to experiment, to sketch out your vision, or to handle formatting on your own, keep this in mind: the software is only part of the process. A professional typesetter brings knowledge of platform-specific requirements, print specs, and design standards that most writers are still building. These tools are a great way to learn the language of interior formatting and to prepare yourself for a more productive conversation with a designer. For your final publication-ready file, a professional is well worth the investment.

WHAT TO BUDGET FOR INTERIOR FORMATTING

You can expect to pay a professional formatter anywhere from $3-7 per formatted page (see EFA rates for design), depending on the complexity of your book. A novel, for example, has a much simpler construction to it, with few interruptions to the text and minimal subheadings and graphics. A nonfiction book, on the other hand, can have multiple heading levels, images, charts, graphs, and callouts. Your designer will review your manuscript and give you a quote based on the projected page count.

How can you figure out your page count? It can be challenging to estimate your projected formatted page count from a Word doc, but in general, there will be anywhere from 200-400 words per page depending on your trim size, font size/style, and margins. Let’s try an example with a 35,000-word manuscript. Divide your word count (35k) by 200 (projected words per page), then multiply by the formatting rate ($3): 35k / 200 x $3 per page = $525. If your words per page were closer to 400, the formatting rate could drop: 35k / 400 x $3 per page = $262.50.

Like I stated above, hiring someone trained in book design is well worth the investment for a book that looks and feels professional. If your budget does not allow for professional formatting or you just want to tackle it yourself, I’ve included a detailed walkthrough on how to format your book in Microsoft Word in the resources section below.