The cover
This is a vital part of the book which deserves a significant investment of
your time. The cover must attract attention. As many will probably buy it
online, the image must be strong even when viewed at less than full size.
Spin design issues
It is difficult to get the spine of the book exactly the right
thickness until you know the page count and the thickness of the
paper (which is an organic material which changes as the moisture is absorbed!)
Once you know the number of pages, we can supply a template in the format
to suit your software. If you don't want to do this, then find a similar
book and guestimate it.
The best solution is to flow the image or the background colour from the
front onto the back cover to avoid a sharp edge. The lettering on the spine
must be 2 mm away from the nominal edge of the spine. A larger margin is
recommended unless you are very confident about the exact thickness of the spine
of the finished book.
When the paperback cover is glued on to the ‘book block’ (i.e. the insides of
the book), there must be at least a 2 mm 'margin of error' round the outside
of the cover. This is known as ‘bleed’. Make sure the cover image or background
colour extends at least this distance (and preferably 5 mm) beyond the design
edge.
Barcode
The barcode is generated by WritersPrintShop and goes on the back cover at
the outer edge (furthest from the spine). It is 45mm wide by 25mm high. It needs
a white space situated about 10mm from the edges.
The price is normally printed on the back cover in Pounds Sterling and US
Dollars (if the book is to be made available for international sales).
WPS logo
A set of jpeg files in various colours are available for the logo. These go
at the bottom of the spine.
The WPS lettering block is never bigger than 11mm wide by 15mm tall and there
is no minimum size provided it is ‘legally legible’. If you condense, expand or
distort the logotype in any way it may end up with it looking like someone
else's logo. So we strongly recommend you include it ‘as is’.
All artwork is reviewed by WPS before going to press. Blank pages will be
inserted as necessary to balance the book where the total page count must be
divisible by four.
The Text block
We strongly recommend that you have the text set by our design team.
Remember that most word processors do not have full proportional spacing or the
other facilities to produce a good flow of text through the book.
 | If you do it yourself, choose a suitable font and font size. Times Roman
works well on the printed page. Small font sizes reduce the page count and so
the print cost, but may be difficult to read. |
| There is normally a larger margin on the inside edge (spine) side of the page |
| It is not only acceptable, but often necessary, to include blank pages.
|
| The main pages are numbered. The preliminary pages are often not numbered or
given roman numerals. |
| New chapters normally begin on the right-hand page. |
| Even page numbers are the left-hand side, odd pages on the right. |
Trim sizes
Choose a size to suit the style and length of the book. A larger book sizes
means a lower page count. Larger sizes are preferred for non-fiction books, but
avoid a large trim size if your text is quite short, as your book will end up
looking very thin.
Our designer will be able to advise you on a suitable size for your book.
The five sizes available are:
