When designing a book cover, many authors opt to use photos for their background. But you can’t use just any old photo you find online. You have to find one that has the proper licensing rights. In other words, what you want to look for is free images for commercial...
Search Engine Optimization, commonly referred to as SEO, is the art and science of convincing a search engine, like Google, to send people to your website, content, or product. As an author, why should you care?
One of the worst mistakes self-published authors make is deviating too far from the conventional standards of the publishing industry (aka, what readers have come to know and expect). And one of the most common areas in which they do that is when choosing book...
I recently published my 21st book to the KDP platform, having been self-publishing for the last 7 years. And as I was going through the self-publishing steps again, it occurred to me how the platform has evolved over the past decade. This text-based, step-by-step...
![What Is Voice in Writing? [Examples Included]](https://www.thebookdesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Voice-in-Writing.png)
Many authors are recognizable from a single sentence: William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and Ernest Hemingway, just to name a few. We know their work because they have a distinct author's voice. “To be, or not to be: that is the question.” -Shakespeare “A lady's...
In our turbulent and ever-changing world, it stands to reason that we'd have a lot of questions. Luckily for us, the question mark is the perfect piece of punctuation for clearly articulating and posing these questions. Best of all: it's so easy to use! In this...
What is an index? If you’ve ever read a book in your life (which we hope you have) you’ve come across and used an index. The exact definition is, “an alphabetical list of names, subjects, etc., with references to the places where they occur, typically found at the end...
Congratulations! Your book is done. The hours of research and writing are finished and your book is ready to be published for your readers to find and enjoy. One of the best ways you can easily reach new readers for your book is by publishing it as an eBook...
Audiobooks have absolutely boomed in popularity in recent years, and it’s not hard to understand why. Today’s lifestyle means that most people spend a lot of time on the go, whether that means they’re commuting to and from work, juggling a few different jobs, or...
Understanding Book Layouts and Page Margins describes typical margins for a standard 6 inch by 9 inch trade paperback, including CreateSpace book layout specifications
![Sample Copyright Pages [Two Free Templates for Your Book]](https://www.thebookdesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Sample-Copyright-Pages-400x250.png)
So why exactly do you need a sample copyright page? One of the most common questions I get from new self-publishers is, "What do I put on the copyright page?" For some reason, the copyright page has the power to intimidate some people, with its small print and...
We at The Book Designer are sad to learn of the passing of Joel Friedlander. Anyone who had the pleasure of knowing Joel will remember him for his kindness, generosity, and ability to inspire and teach countless authors, book lovers, and self-publishers over the...