Book Layout Packages

Do you need a custom book interior design to match your one-of-a-kind book? Looseleaf will build your design from the ground up, taking into account your unique audience, market, and tone. We can even build you a template package for your series or brand that you can use for future books.

Most of our design packages begin with layout for print and include ebook formatting as well, but we do offer the services separately as well.

Our Design Packages

All custom design packages include the following:

• Research & development for interior page designs specific to your subgenre, audience, print provider, and other needs
• 2 custom design concepts for you to choose from
• 1-2 rounds of revisions on the concepts
• Full-book, page-by-page typesetting (What is typesetting?)
• Placement for custom extras like illustrations, tables, etc. (the number of custom extras varies by your design package)
• Corrections after proofreading
• A print-ready PDF
• A distribution-ready ebook file (for print-and-ebook bundles)
• Lifetime guarantee against typos & tech changes (if you find any typos in your book or if technology advancements break your book file, bring it back to us and we’ll fix it at no additional cost)

Timeline

Expect custom design to take 4-8 weeks from the project’s start date. This time frame includes time for focused design work, any revisions you request, and detailed typesetting as well as time for you and your proofreader to review the files before they go to press.

Start dates vary depending on the time of year and Looseleaf’s current number of requests. If you have a specific publication date in mind, send your custom design request at least a month before your desired start date and at least two months before your planned publication date (you want to make sure you leave time to get a printed copy and some wiggle room for unforeseen circumstances, especially if your manuscript is longer than average).

The Process

The book design process has a series of steps and stages.

1. Each custom design project starts with your request for a quote. We’ll ask you a few details so we can give you an accurate quote based on the complexity of your book.
2. Once you approve the quote, you’ll answer questions about your subgenre, audience, comparable titles, and design preferences so Looseleaf can create a design that suits your book’s niche.
3. Looseleaf will create 2 concepts for you to review. Each concept will show your frontmatter and up to two chapters in the chosen fonts and styling. You can ask for revisions at this stage so your interior design matches your vision.
4. After you approve the concept, your designer will typset the entire book—including layout for images, tables, and other custom extras—to our meticulous standards for the smoothest reading experience possible.
5. You receive a PDF for proofreading and final checks. Looseleaf recommends using a professional proofreader. Remember, proofreading is a time for minor changes for errors in grammar, usage, formatting, and continuity. It is not a time for revisions or rewriting. If you don’t already have a proofreader in mind, Looseleaf can bundle proofreading with your design.
6. Your designer puts in the proofreading changes and finalizes your print-ready PDF and your distribution-ready ebook.

In today’s digital age, print remains vital, but Looseleaf usually bundles ebook formatting with print layout packages.

Pricing

Each custom design package price is unique to the book at hand. Looseleaf can create your custom quote based on book length and design complexity after we have more details about your book. The table below shows some starting prices based on a full-length narrative-based fiction or nonfiction book. (Most instructional nonfiction begins in our Bonus category.)

*Each ebook package includes a rigorously tested EPUB 3 file. Amazon and other major sellers (Apple, B&N, Kobo, etc.) prefer EPUB 3s for their systems. MOBI and EPUB 2 files are available upon request for early reviews, but we don’t recommend uploading these files to ebook distribution platforms. They will be less robust, less accessible, and less well-designed.

**Custom extras include illustrations, images used at scene changes or chapter breaks, pull quotes, charts, etc.

Contact Us About Book Design

If custom book design isn’t right for your book, consider our template-based book design service.

Learn More

Learn more about the other design options Looseleaf offers or visit our resources page to learn more about editing, design, and publishing.