Sound familiar?
- Your self-published book looks self-published
- The printer rejected your cover because the spine width is wrong
- Your Word manuscript has inconsistent headings, widows and orphans
- Each issue of your magazine takes far too long to lay out
- You don't know where to get an ISBN or a barcode
Key facts
- Quoted as a fixed price; edits and new issues at £45 an hour + VAT
- In the UK, ISBNs are issued by Nielsen: £93 for one or £174 for a block of 10, including VAT, per Nielsen's ISBN Store
- Each format (paperback, hardback, ebook) needs its own ISBN
- Spine width calculated from page count and paper, from your printer's figures
- UK publishers must send a copy to the British Library within one month of publication (Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003)
- Magazines saddle-stitched in multiples of 4 pages, with consistent grids and styles for each issue
Book covers
A cover has to work at two sizes: full size on a table, and as a thumbnail on an online store, where most books are now found. dijitul designs covers that read at both, with a title large enough to see at thumbnail size and imagery that tells readers the genre at a glance. We look at the bestsellers in your category first, because readers expect a crime novel, a business book and a cookbook to look different.
The full cover is one wide file: back cover, spine and front, plus bleed. Spine width depends on page count and the paper's thickness, so it is calculated from your printer's or print-on-demand service's figures once the interior page count is final. That is why we finish the interior before the full cover file.
Interior typesetting
Typesetting turns a manuscript into pages that are comfortable to read. We set body text in a book typeface at a suitable size and line spacing, define styles for chapter openings, headings, quotes and captions, and fix the details that make DIY books look amateur: widows and orphans (single lines stranded at the top or bottom of a page), rivers of space in justified text, inconsistent indents and stray double spaces. Running heads, page numbers and prelims (title page, copyright page, contents) follow publishing conventions.
| Common UK trim size | Size (mm) |
|---|---|
| A-format paperback | 110 × 178 |
| B-format paperback | 129 × 198 |
| Demy | 138 × 216 |
| Royal | 156 × 234 |
| A5 | 148 × 210 |
Exact trim sizes vary slightly between printers and print-on-demand services, so we always build to your chosen printer's specification.
ISBNs, barcodes and legal deposit
An ISBN identifies a specific edition and format of a book. In the UK they are issued by Nielsen's ISBN agency; Nielsen's ISBN Store lists one ISBN at £93 and a block of 10 at £174, both including VAT. Each format needs its own number, so a paperback, hardback and ebook of the same title use three. You buy the ISBN as the publisher; we then create the EAN-13 barcode for the back cover, optionally with a price add-on, and place the ISBN on the copyright page.
Under the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003, publishers in the UK must send one copy of each new print publication to the British Library within one month of publication. Other legal deposit libraries can request copies too. If you are self-publishing, that duty is yours.
Magazines, newsletters and journals
Magazines need a system more than a one-off design. We create a template with master pages, a baseline grid, paragraph and character styles, and standard layouts for regular sections such as the editor's letter, news pages, features and adverts. Each issue then goes together faster and looks consistent. Printed magazines are usually saddle-stitched, so page counts run in multiples of 4. Adverts supplied by third parties are checked for size, bleed and resolution before they go in. For shorter company publications, see brochure design, and for email versions, email newsletter design.
Print on demand or a print run?
Print on demand services print a copy each time one is ordered, which suits self-published authors who don't want boxes of stock. They have fixed trim sizes, paper choices and their own cover templates, and we build to those exactly. A short digital or litho print run from a book printer gives more choice of paper, finishes such as matt lamination or foil, and a lower cost per copy once quantities rise. Many authors use both: a run for launch events and print on demand for online sales. The interior file can usually be shared; the cover needs a version for each printer because spine widths differ.
Price
Book and magazine design is quoted as a fixed price based on page count, the number of images and tables, and whether you need a cover, interior or both. Edits and subsequent magazine issues are £45 an hour + VAT. Printing is separate; we can supply files to a print-on-demand service or arrange litho or digital print through print management. Cover illustration is available through our illustration service. Tell us about your book for a quote.
What you get
- Full cover PDF: front, spine and back with ISBN barcode, sized to your printer's template
- Typeset interior PDF with consistent styles, running heads and page numbers
- Front cover image for online stores and marketing
- Magazine template with master pages and paragraph styles for future issues
- Editable InDesign files on request
How it works and what it costs
Logos from £150, brochures from £295, photography from £295 a half day and CAD at £45 an hour, all + VAT. You get a fixed price before we start.
Tell us the brief
What it is for, who will see it, where it will be used and any examples you like. Rough is fine.
Fixed price
We confirm the price and what you get, in writing, before any work starts.
First designs
We design, shoot or model it and share the first version for your comments.
Refine
We make the changes, check every detail, and prepare the files properly for print, web or manufacture.
Final files
You get the finished files in the formats you need, ready for your printer, website, social channels or manufacturer.
Frequently asked questions
How much does book cover design cost?
dijitul quotes book covers and interior typesetting as a fixed price based on page count, images and the formats you need. Later edits are charged at £45 an hour + VAT. ISBNs and printing are paid for separately by you as the publisher.
Where do I get an ISBN in the UK?
UK ISBNs are issued by Nielsen's ISBN agency. Nielsen's ISBN Store lists a single ISBN at £93 and a block of 10 at £174, both including VAT. Each format needs its own ISBN. Once you have yours, dijitul creates the barcode for the back cover.
How is spine width worked out?
Spine width depends on the number of pages and the thickness of the paper. Printers and print-on-demand services publish a formula or calculator for each paper. dijitul uses your printer's figure once the interior page count is final, then builds the full cover to that width.
Do I need to send a copy to the British Library?
Yes. Under the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003, UK publishers, including self-publishers, must send one copy of each print publication to the British Library within one month of publication. Other legal deposit libraries may also request copies.
Can you set up a template for our magazine?
Yes. dijitul builds a magazine template with master pages, a baseline grid and paragraph styles, plus standard layouts for regular sections. Each new issue is then quicker to produce. We can lay out each issue for you at £45 an hour + VAT or a fixed price per issue.
Related
Get a fixed price
Send a rough brief. You'll know exactly what it costs before we start.