Typesetting explained
A book’s a book, right? Well, no!!
When you’ve spent months or even years writing and editing your book, you want the final result to look professional, polished, and ready for your readers. That’s where typesetting comes in: It’s the quiet, behind-the-scenes craft that turns your thousands of words into a beautifully structured book, one that flows effortlessly, looks polished, and provides an enjoyable reading experience.
Whether you’re an indie author preparing your first novel or a business owner publishing a guide or workbook, understanding typesetting can make a huge difference to the final result. So, here’s a breakdown of what typesetting is, why it matters, and how to make sure your book looks as good as it reads.
What is typesetting?
The term ‘typesetting’ dates back to the letterpress era when workers assembled movable type. Today, digital tools are used, and it is often referred to as formatting or interior book design.
It is an essential part of preparing a publication, whether in print or digital format, and involves arranging text and visual elements on the page in a way that is clear, consistent, and visually appealing. It transforms your Word document or manuscript into a professionally formatted book or document, the version readers will hold in their hands or view on their eReader.
Typesetting is often underestimated, and it’s easy to understand why: if it is done well, you don’t notice it at all. In simple terms:
Editing ensures your book sounds good.
Typesetting shapes the visual experience of a publication and enhances the reading experience.
What’s involved in typesetting?
Professional typesetting includes a range of design and layout tasks, such as:
Selecting the right fonts for body text and headings (and pairing them well).
Setting margins, spacing, and paragraph indents.
Adjusting justification and hyphenation for smooth text flow.
Creating chapter headings and layout styles.
Ensuring chapter openings, titles, and subtitles are consistent.
Setting page numbers, running headers, and footers.
Ensuring images, illustrations, and tables sit clearly and consistently.
Avoiding widows and orphans (those single lines that sit awkwardly at the top or bottom of pages).
Including front matter (title page, copyright information, dedication, and table of contents), and back matter (About the author and acknowledgements).
Preparing print-ready and digital-ready files for your chosen publishing platform.
Each of these details contributes to your book’s overall readability and professionalism, and, if done well, will ensure a great reading experience for your readers.
Why typesetting matters
Good typesetting isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about readability and reader experience.
✓ When typesetting is done well, readers won’t notice it; they’ll enjoy the words on the page without distraction.
𝔁 When it’s done poorly, a reader will notice awkward spacing, misaligned text or images, inconsistent fonts, or too little white space.
Good typesetting ensures:
Smooth readability.
Professional presentation.
Stylish, well-structured and consistent design.
A positive experience for your readers.
This is especially important for indie authors and small businesses, who compete directly with professionally designed publications from traditional publishers and big businesses with even bigger pockets.
How you can help your typesetter
As you can see, many different parts make up the typesetting/formatting of a book. But it’s your book, so the final style should reflect your preferences and your genre. Here are a few ways you can help your typesetter (and make the process smoother and quicker!):
Look through your favourite books. Study their size, fonts, line spacing, paragraph formatting and page numbering. What do you like about them? What would you change? The size of a publication affects both formatting and printing costs.
Think about margins. Do you prefer a tighter layout or more white space? If your book includes images, should they bleed to the edge of the page?
Select your fonts wisely. This is a big decision. While it’s largely down to personal preference, readability is key.
Decide on your text styles. You’ll need consistent styles for your preliminary pages as well as for your chapter headings, page numbers, fleurons (fancy scene break icons), footers and headers. If you have a preference, let your typesetter know.
Get creative, but stay consistent. For chapter pages, you can add a small image or a decorative chapter number to reflect your book’s tone, but don’t overdo it.
Plan your page numbering. Page numbers are often in a small font at the bottom of each page, but you can experiment to match your book’s style.
Cover design guidance: If your typesetter is also preparing a cover design, the more information you can supply, the better. Provide examples of what you like, and ensure any image you supply is high quality.
Give your typesetter enough time. If you are working to a print deadline, you must discuss this with your typesetter. You want a polished product, but there’s a lot to do. So, brief your typesetter about the length of the manuscript and the complexity of your design.
Pulling together your preferences for these design elements helps your typesetter understand your vision. From there, consistency is key, and that’s where your typesetter ensures everything aligns beautifully.
Typesetting for Print versus eBooks
Print books: Print typesetting focuses on page layout and balance. The designer ensures that text sits neatly within margins and that each page looks harmonious. Chapters start on the right-hand side, and visual details (like drop caps or scene breaks) are carefully placed.
eBooks: eBook typesetting is more about flow and flexibility, as readers can change font sizes on their devices, and layout elements must adapt.
Why I also offer a typesetting service
Providing a typesetting service brings an additional layer of care and continuity to the editorial support I offer, and for good reason.
Familiarity with your manuscript: After spending many hours editing, I will already know your writing tone and style, structure, and formatting preferences inside out, not to mention which words or sections will need special attention. This familiarity makes the transition from editing to formatting much smoother.
Consistency from start to finish: Working with the same professional throughout the process means your book maintains: consistent style choices, fewer miscommunications and, hopefully, fewer rounds of back-and-forth corrections. As your editor, I will already understand your vision for the book and can carry that through to the visual design.
Less stress for you: The transition from edited copy to print-ready design is seamless with no need to source and coordinate with a separate typesetter. Keep things simple: one person, one workflow, one consistent approach. This is especially helpful for first-time authors, who can easily feel overwhelmed by the number of publishing steps.
Hopefully, I offer a smoother, more personal experience, helping your publication transition from your words to beautifully presented, polished words in a professional publication.
Why invest in professional typesetting?
You might be tempted to format your book yourself in Word or Canva, but professional typesetting makes a noticeable difference.
Here’s why it’s worth it:
Your readers will see your book as credible and high-quality.
You’ll avoid errors that could lead to printing issues or poor reviews.
You’ll receive a book with an interior that complements the content.
It will save you hours (or days) of frustration trying to fix margins and spacing yourself.
Think of typesetting as the final polish before your book goes out into the world; an essential investment in your author brand.
When does typesetting happen?
Typesetting comes after editing, once the words are final. If you typeset too early and then make changes, you risk breaking the layout, causing extra work (and extra costs).
The ideal sequence is:
Developmental/structural edit (optional)
Line/copy edit
Proofread
Typesetting/Formatting
Final proofread (after layout)
Publish
What you’ll receive from your typesetter
When you work with a professional (like me!), you’ll typically receive:
✓ Proof copy for review
✓ Advice on ISBN placement, copyright page, and front/back matter
✓ Print-ready PDF (to send to your printer or upload to Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, etc.)
✓ eBook file (if requested)
✓ A beautifully presented book you’ll be proud to share
Final thoughts
For indie authors, typesetting is one of those behind-the-scenes steps that can transform your book from ‘good’ to beautifully professional. It’s the finishing touch that ensures your story, knowledge, or message is presented with the care and clarity it deserves. However, the main thing to focus on is what you are happy with. It is your book, after all. Having said that, do take advice from your typesetter, as they have experience designing books, often inside and out, that will captivate and immerse your readers, keeping them glued to your text. That's what you want!
Typesetting is one of the final pieces in the publishing puzzle; the moment a manuscript truly begins to look like a real book. It’s a behind-the-scenes step that can transform a publication from ‘good’ to beautifully professional.
For an author, seeing your words set out beautifully on the page is an emotional, inspiring milestone.
For me, it’s one of the most rewarding stages of the whole journey. Taking your carefully crafted words and shaping them into a polished, cohesive book that reflects your voice and vision is something I absolutely love. It’s the finishing touch that ensures your story, knowledge, or message is presented with the care and clarity it deserves.
PS If you want to read about the costs of typesetting, read my blog here.
I hope this helps xx
If you’re an aspiring author looking to publish your book, I'm here to polish your words and create a professional, reader-friendly publication for you. I would love to support you on your publishing journey.
Contact me for an editing and typesetting estimate; let’s make your book shine!
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