Book Anatomy

The publishing industry offers all sorts of bells and whistles, with a sharp learning curve.

And each indie author is in a different place on their journey.

The below resources serve to help you better understand common terminology and options.

Building Blocks/External Design Aspects

*Not all printers work with all of the below listed options. For a list of printers and what they offer, go here.

BOOK TYPES: (Painted Wings Publishing Services designs and formats for all of these book types)

Hardback books (aka Hardcovers) have rigid covers that extend beyond the trim of the internal manuscript. In many markets worldwide, they are released before the paperback version of the same title by traditional publishers.

Paperback books have thinner, flexible covers, trimmed flush with the internal manuscript (usually referred to as ‘perfect bound’). They’re cheaper than their hardback counterparts.

Ebooks are digital versions of books, often formatted as Epub files and read on ereader devices, computers, and phones. Publishers have less control over ebook fonts and formatting due to the reflowable nature of ebooks; reflowable text changes based on the specs of each individual device and the settings the reader selects. Publishers also have less control over ebook aesthetics; the reflowable nature of ebooks limits the types of images that can be used, and most ereaders display black and white and not full color.

COVERS:

Ebook covers are cropped images of the front of a book and are embedded in the ebook file along with the manuscript text. They’re usually sized at 800x1200 or 400x600 pixels.

Paperback covers are submitted to printers as design files (PDFs) separate from the manuscript.

—Duplex Covers are exclusive to paperbacks, also often referred to as ‘hidden/inside cover art.’ Duplex covers allow publishers to add a premium touch by printing on the inside of the cover. Like the outside of the cover, duplex covers allow full color printing regardless of the internal manuscript ink selection. The hardback equivalent of this design element is Endpapers.

Hardback covers are submitted to printers as design files (PDFs) separate from the manuscript. Hardback cover options for POD/indie printing are varied.

—Case Covers are the default hardback cover option; the design is wrapped around and secured to the rigid cover boards.

—Dust Jackets are exclusive to hardbacks, offering a protective cover for hardbacks and/or premium design aesthetics. Printed on a sheet of specialty paper, dust jackets are longer than case covers so they have flaps that can hold them in place. The flaps can be used for additional aesthetic features or marketing purposes. The dust jacket design allows publishers to offer two different designs for readers to choose from since it doesn’t have to use the same design as the case cover underneath it. Some printers even allow reversible dust jackets, providing a third aesthetic option on the inside of the dust jacket.

—Endpapers (aka Endpages aka End Sheets) are exclusive to hardbacks. Comprised of a thicker paper than the manuscript, endpapers generally span the width of a two-page spread. Once the hardback’s case cover is wrapped around and secured to the cover’s boards, half of each endpaper (aka the endsheet) is glued over the inside of the cover. The other half (aka the flyleaf) is glued to the internal manuscript block. Endpapers are found in the front and back of all hardbacks and are generally white. Some printers allow endpaper artwork as a premium option. The paperback equivalent of this design element is a Duplex Cover.

EDGES: Every book has three exposed edges (page edges)—the top, bottom, and long edges. The long/outside edge is also known as the Fore Edge. For a premium touch, designs can be added to the page edges. For a video demonstrating the differences, go [coming soon!]. For more information on the pros and cons of each type of edge, go here.

Stenciled/Painted Edges can be painted onto the book’s outer edges (top/bottom/fore edge). This option is done at the individual book & artist level, applied after the book is fully manufactured by using different types of paints, with or without stencils. Stenciled/painted edges can be time-intensive and require more shipping than authors want, but for authors who like to DIY or only need a few done, it may be worth trying.

Digitally Sprayed Edges can be inked onto the book’s outer edges (top/bottom/fore edge). This is an option with some printers at the manufacturing level, though some third-party companies also do this technique post-manufacturing, similar to stenciled/painted edges. More printers are starting to offer this option, though it’s important to note that internal design elements that require bleed (i.e. full-page chapter headers) may show through because the ink used to digitally spray the edge design is more transparent than the other types of edges mentioned here. (Painted Wings Publishing designs digitally sprayed edges but does not do the physical application. To order digitally sprayed edges from us, go here.)

Embedded/Printed Edges (aka forced edges) are created by embedding an edge design in the outer margins of a book’s manuscript. During the binding and trimming process, the design is revealed. All printers allow this type of file, though some may have design limitations, and none explicitly offer it as an option. Publishers don’t have to request it from the printer or pay more for it at the printer unless they choose a color design which requires color manuscript printing. While the technique has some niche differences that sets it apart from all the other edge options mentioned here, it’s also the most accessible for authors who may not want to order books internationally or at higher manufacturing costs, or those who do not wish to store physical inventory since this is the only option available for print-on-demand distribution. (Painted Wings Publishing is proudly the first company to develop and offer this technique to the indie publishing community! For more info, go here.)

Gilded Edges are created by gluing a thin metallic sheet to the edges of a book. This ancient technique is not offered by many printers but similar to stenciled/painted edges, crafty authors can give it a try with supplies and tutorials that can be found online.

OTHER DESIGN ASPECTS:

SPINE: The spine is the narrow portion of a cover, protecting the important binding of the book.

HEADBANDS & TAILBANDS: Headbands and tailbands are exclusive to hardbacks. They’re comprised of a woven ribbon affixed to the internal binding, with headbands exposed at the top of the book spine and tailbands at the bottom of the book spine. Not all hardbacks have them, and printers that use them may also allow you to select different colors/patterns for the ribbon instead of the default white.

RIBBON BOOMARKS: Some printers allow a thin, custom ribbon to be bound into books (generally hardbacks) as a premium option. The ribbons are secured in the spine binding and hang down so readers can keep their place without a different kind of bookmark.

VELLUM INSERTS: Vellum is a paper with intentional transparency, used for tracing or in the case of publishing, for internal artwork. Instead of printing directly onto the book pages, vellum can be used to create a special touch. Specialty printers may offer this option, possibly even binding the inserts into the book, but most of the time, vellum is printed and trimmed separately, inserted by the printer, author, or reader at the desired page.

PERFORATED PAGES: Books with perforated pages have small holes/dashes punched into each page of the book in the manuscript’s gutter to allow pages to be easily torn out. They’re useful for lower content books such as notebooks and coloring books. This is a limited option when it comes to printers who offer it and how they allow them to be ordered.

FOILING/COVER EFFECTS: Some printers allow special effects on book covers, from metallic foiling to 3D effects.

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS:

RGB/CMYK INK: RGB stands for the Red-Green-Blue color palette and CMYK stands for the Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Black color palette. Printers almost exclusively use CMYK ink. Files designed in RGB are converted to similar shades according to the printer’s color profile. Even if the native file is designed in CMYK, each formatting program and printer converts a little differently so it’s wise to order proof copies before publication to see if any tweaks need to be made.

VARIENCE (aka margin of error aka page shift): This refers to the measurements each printer allows themselves to print and bind books a bit off-kilter. If their machinery isn’t properly calibrated, your book’s pages may be wildly off-center. Some printers list 1/16” (.0625”) as their quality standard, meaning if a book they print (cover or internal manuscript) is more than 1/16” off-center, authors can request a refund or replacement. Other printers allow themselves twice as much margin of error with 1/8” (.125”) as their quality standard.

Internal Formatting Aspects

FRONT & BACK MATTER: Front and back matter are the parts of a book that take place before and after the story. Front matter generally includes things like a title page, copyright page, dedications, etc. Back matter typically includes things like an ‘about the author’ page and teasers for other books.

TITLE PAGE: Usually the first page in a book, the title page reflects the cover. It generally has the book’s title, series, author name, publisher’s logo, and sometimes an aesthetic background.

HALF-TITLE PAGE: An older publishing option, half-title pages are much simpler than a typical title page. It may only have the title or may also have a little bit more like the author’s name. The function it originally served is no longer necessary in modern publishing, but some people may still use this simplified option for a type of signature page or to designate the start of a story when there has been a lot of front matter.

SIGNATURE PAGE: When used, signature pages are almost always the first page in a book. They’re a bit of a modern mix of title pages and half-title pages, including more aesthetic touches while intentionally leaving space for the author to sign the book or the reader to affix a signed bookplate.

MARGINS:

Top & Bottom Margins are the sections at the top and bottom of each page where text does not go. Depending on context, they are also considered ‘outside margins’ along with the long fore edge margins.

Outside Margins, similar to top and bottom margins, are blank spaces where text does not go. This refers to the long fore edge opposite the book’s spine. Depending on context, ‘outside margins’ refers to top, bottom, and the long outside edge together.

Gutters (aka Inside Margins) are the blank spaces where text doesn’t go on the inside of each page. Whereas top, bottom, and outside margins have fairly static measurements, gutters change based on the page count of the book. The more pages in a book, the more gutter space it demands because of the angle a book opens at when bound together.

HEADERS & FOOTERS: With headers at the top of the page and footers at the bottom, these sections occupy the space between the main text of the story and the margins. The layout varies depending on genre and publisher preferences, but they usually include page numbers, author name, book title, and/or chapter names.

CHAPTER HEADERS: Most books start new chapters on a new page and designate the new chapter with a header. It can be as simple as a number or it can include a chapter title and/or artwork. Standard header artwork may include a solo image before or after the chapter header text. Full-page artwork may become a background for the entire first page of new chapters, and page spread artwork takes up a blank page before the new chapter and that first page of the chapter, requiring all chapters to start on a right-hand (recto) page.

RECTO/VERSO PAGES: In western languages like English where a book is read from left to right, recto refers to the page on the right when the book is open and verso refers to the page on the left. Recto pages/right-hand pages are always odd-numbered and verso pages/left-hand pages are always even-numbered.

TRIM SIZE: This refers to final trimmed measurements of a book’s manuscript. Our most common sizes are 5”x8”, 5.5”x8.5”, and 6”x9” though there are a variety of sizes used in publishing. Trim size is generally chosen based on industry standards for the book’s genre as well as other considerations such as wanting to raise or lower the page count of a book.

BLEED/TRIM: Bleed and Trim refer to extra margin space added to a manuscript when images extend beyond the text block area, encroaching on the normally blank margins. The most common bleed requirement is to add .125” or 3mm to the top, bottom, and long outside edges, meaning a 6x9 manuscript would be submitted to the printer as a 6.125x9.25 file with the expectation they would trim it down to 6x9 in the production process, ensuring the images you want to extend to the very edge of the page don’t have unwanted white borders.

DROP CAPS: Usually 2-3 story lines tall, drop caps are a stylistic touch applied to the first letter of a chapter and/or scene.

PHRASE CAPS: An alternative to drop caps, phrase caps designate the beginning of a chapter and/or scene by capitalizing the first few words.

SCENE/SECTION BREAKS: Depending on the significance of the shift, authors include scene or section breaks to indicate a passage of time or a change in location or point of view. Most commonly, these are indicated by adding an extra blank space, 3 asterisks (***), or custom images to break up the story. Not all books require these type of breaks whereas some use more than one type of break.