An Interview with a Book Designer
With so many DIY options out there, you may not have thought about hiring a professional book designer to do your cover. You may even be shocked to know that they can lay out the interior of your book.
And while the DIY method is cheap and fast, a graphic designer has the training and experience to know about all the finicky details a book layout requires.
But I’m not here to tell you if you should splurge for a graphic designer or learn how to do it on your own.
I interviewed a book designer, so you have all the information you need to make that choice yourself,
1. Who are you and how do you fit into the indie book space?
I’m Susi, and I'm a graphic designer. I worked for a publishing company for over a decade as the art director. I mostly focused on editorial design projects, and I learned all about direct-response marketing techniques. I worked on almost all the books the company published with the help of my design team!
In 2019, I took my freelance business full time and created Creative Blueprint Design, where I help clients with logo design and marketing materials. I get to work with authors, which I especially love, guiding them through the book publishing process. I create cover designs, work on interior book formatting and designs as well as assisting authors through the self-publishing process.
2. Why should an author have you on their team?
Because of my experience, I can help with each part of the book-design process and help you to the finish line when getting your book published.
Once your book has been edited and is ready for design, I’m your last stop in the process of getting your book in your hands. I take you through cover design, interior formatting, and then guide you through the self-publishing process.
If, however, you’ve already started any of those steps with someone else and need help, I can assist and make sure that your files are error free for publishing on Amazon’s KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) or IngramSpark, or I can help you find a way to get your book printed.
3. What’s the one thing you wish indie authors knew about your profession?
Book design is a crucial part to the success of your book, but not everyone understands the specific design requirements for a book. There are many tools and professionals out there to help you through the process, but not every designer is also a book designer or understands the publishing process.
Often, authors come to me with beautiful and compelling cover designs but who don’t have the right files for publishing or no more access to the designer.
For example, when working on the cover file, you can’t predict the width of the spine. The width of the spine can only be determined once the interior has been completed and the publishing platform or printer has been chosen.
I’d also suggest you check out the designer’s testimonials from previous clients and their portfolio before hiring them to make sure that you like what they’ve created in the past. Ask if they’re creating your book from scratch or if they are using automated production software or are working from templates. I would expect different price points for each of those methods as well as the experience level of the designer.
Most of the books I’ve worked on, I created the design completely from scratch based on the author’s vision. To give you an idea about the interior design process: I create multiple design samples for the authors to choose from and once chosen, I go paragraph by paragraph—almost line by line—through the entire book to format it, so that your paragraph rags and every page look professional from beginning to end, whether that’s a fiction or non-fiction book or even a children’s book.
There are so many different aspects to understand when it comes to book design, so remember to ask your designer about their experience with book design, because as I said, not every graphic designer is also a book designer.
4. When should an author think about booking your services and how much should they budget?
About three to four months in advance of wanting to have a front cover design in hand or of wanting to get started on the interior.
There is a lot to consider when going through the book process, and it’s usually all new to an indie author, so don’t overwhelm yourself before you’ve written your book. I would suggest starting you talk to a book designer before or while approaching a copyeditor or a few months before you are ready to start promoting your upcoming book.
In my case, to get your book on my schedule, you’d have to contact me about three months before we could start any work on the cover or interior design. But if you’re looking for self-publishing assistance only, I can usually fit authors in within a shorter time frame.
Because I work on a variety of book genres—ranging from fiction to non-fiction to journals and workbooks—it’s hard to give a range for budget. I’ve worked on books where clients paid about $1,000, but I’ve also worked on big, intricate books that cost the authors close to $10,000. However, most books fall somewhere between $2,000 to $4,000 if you’re working with me on all three parts: cover design, interior formatting, and self-publishing assistance.
I recommend getting a custom estimate from me for your book, which I always happily provide.
5. When would you recommend an author not book your services?
I would suggest waiting until you are truly ready and committed to invest in your book before booking my services.
I would not recommend booking me if your expectations are to turn your manuscript into a quality book and you want me to handle all three parts (cover design, interior formatting, and self-publishing assistance) if you have less than 3 months left in your marketing schedule prior to your release date.
6. What’s your favourite part about your job?
My favourite part of my job is sharing the excitement my authors feel when they are ready to release their book into the world. When all their time and effort come to this magical moment of publishing their book or when they get to hold the book in their hands for the first time.
I get just as excited as they do about their book. I love seeing the printed piece, and I love seeing them rank on Amazon, reading their testimonials, and even seeing them market their book and supporting them with it.
What brings me the most joy is seeing how proud authors are of their books when we’re done with it.
7. How does someone book you?
The best way to book me is by filling out my form on my website, which you can find here.
Once you have filled out this form, I’ll receive an email and will be in touch with you to start the custom estimating process for your book to ultimately add you into my schedule.