Basic Layout of a Book (cover)

Most readers are familiar with what a book looks like, but from an author’s point of view, there is much more involved in putting one together. Let’s go over the basic parts:

  • Obviously there is the cover first, made up of the front, back, and spine.
  • Then there’s the inside, but that’s just a bunch of pages, right?

Not quite, but we’ll get to that part in a post about the layout of the inside—we’ll examine just the cover in this post.

Front:

Focusing on the front of the cover, the reader will expect to find a title and possibly a subtitle (especially for non-fiction). Then there’s the author’s name, and of course some wonderful image that will catch the reader’s eye—but when the cover artist lays out the words and pictures, make certain enough room is left somewhere for that wonderful sticker you get when you win the book contest!

Back:

The back cover also has a few items that are expected. The genre is specified, typically in the upper left corner, along with the appropriate BISAC code. The middle has a paragraph or two with enough information for the reader to make the decision to buy the book—here is where you put your hook. You may also have a few blurbs from advance readers or reviewers. The lower left area is where you put your own picture, along with a bit of info about you. (Some readers will buy the book based solely on the author’s credentials.) Publisher info goes just below that. The lower right corner (near the spine) is where the ISBN goes with its bar code.

Spine:

There isn’t much room on the spine, so the only things expected are the title (possibly shortened), the author’s name (usually just the last name), and the publisher’s logo.

Although it’s usually the spine that the reader sees first, it’s the cover that gets the book get picked up, and the back gets the book opened—that’s where you have to convince the reader to buy it.

That pretty much covers the cover. The inside is a whole ’nother matter.