Step 7) Design and Page Layout

What: A graphic artist creates a basic page layout for the book, then combines and formats captions and other non-text items you want included in the book, such as graphs, diagrams, maps, and photos. Paper items and photos may need to be scanned, touched up and re-sized. The cover for your book must also be designed and laid out.

How: You meet with the Client Services Manager and discuss which photos, letters, documents, and other items you want included in the book. You also discuss page styles and cover design options. When you have made your decisions, we send the manuscript to a graphic artist so they can do the page design and layout.

Why: The difference between a manuscript, which looks like a college research paper, and a book, is layout and graphic design. The layout process adds margins, pictures, captions, page numbers, etc. to the chapters of text in the manuscript so that the book is artistically pleasing to look at. These tasks must be completed before the book can be sent to a printer.