Formatting Foundations

Master the "Invisible Art" of book design. Turn your manuscript into a professional book before you even open the software.

Does the thought of margins, trim sizes, and "bleed" make you want to quit self-publishing? Are you terrified that your DIY book will look DIY? Formatting is the difference between a book that looks like a bestseller and one that looks like a rough draft. But you don't need a degree in graphic design to get it right—you just need the rules.

Formatting Foundations is your comprehensive "textbook" for self-publishing. It skips the confusing tech jargon and teaches you the timeless principles of typography and layout that professional designers use. Whether you use Word, Vellum, or InDesign, this guide gives you the "Designer's Eye" to ensure your pages look flawless.

Inside this 80+ page guide, you will discover:

• The Rules of Typography: How to choose professional fonts, master line spacing, and avoid the amateur mistakes that scream "self-published."
• Layout Logistics: Finally understand trim sizes, margins, and the dreaded "gutter" so your text never gets swallowed by the spine.
• The Anatomy of a Book: A complete checklist of exactly what goes in your Front Matter (Title Page, Copyright) and Back Matter (About the Author, CTAs), and the correct order for them.
• Legal & ID Strategy: A clear breakdown of ISBNs, barcodes, and copyright.

BONUS RESOURCES

• The Copyright Page Builder—a copy-paste template file with standard legal wording for Fiction, so you can protect your work in seconds.
• The Beautiful Body Fonts Guide: Stop guessing which fonts look "professional." This curated guide gives you a list of the industry-standard typefaces that are proven to be easy on the reader's eyes (and tells you exactly which default fonts to avoid at all costs).

Stop guessing if your margins are wide enough. Get the knowledge you need to publish with total confidence.