I design and format books, now mostly print-on-demand, for authors and publishers who care what the pages look like.
Designing a book means shaping a visual form that serves the text, the genre, and the reader. It isn't applying a template. It isn't Times New Roman with half-inch margins. If that's what you're after, I'm probably not the right person.
I've been designing and formatting books since 1979 — pre-digital, desktop, and print-on-demand. The work ranges from poetry to thrillers, artist catalogs to technical references, simple novels to books that took months to untangle. The portfolio below is the resume.
Most of my print-on-demand work is through Amazon KDP, with some projects through IngramSpark and Lulu. I've worked with what's now KDP since 2000 — through BookSurge, CreateSpace, and KDP proper — and not just using the platform; testing it. I've produced books whose sole purpose was to find out how KDP handles color, grayscale, images, and file preparation. That research informs every project.
Most commercial printers will share profiles, specifications, and guidance to help a project print well. POD platforms are more closed, KDP especially so. Their guidelines tell you what to submit. What happens after that, they don't discuss. Knowing what the platform will and won't do — and why — isn't a small thing.
More on working with KDP → ServicesEvery project starts with a review of the files. I quote based on what the book actually requires, not by the word or the page. A carefully edited manuscript with straightforward structure formats differently than one with complex image placement, unusual typography, or problems that only become visible once the pages are set.
Every project includes a full editorial pass before formatting begins — copy editing, mechanical consistency, pattern and repetition review, continuity checking, and a skeptical read for logical gaps and staging problems. You get a corrections package first, and nothing moves forward until you send back the version you accept.
Design and formatting, like editing, is collaborative. It takes as long as it takes.
What's included → Services
746 named colors, each shown with its hex value and printed in KDP Premium Color. The print-ready PDF is free on the Resources page: look at the sRGB swatches on your screen, then compare them with the printed book. That's the point of it.
Covers and interiors from 1979 to the present, pre-digital through POD. Click a cover to see the project.
22 papers on typography, color, image preparation, bleeds, copyright, and more. No sign-up. No strings. The more you understand about how books are made, the better the results — whether you're doing it yourself or working with someone else.
Free Resources →I've written five reference books on prepress, typography, color, and image use — for self-publishers and designers working in the POD world.
Books → AboutReady to talk about your book? Email is best — and please don't attach files to your first message.
Contact →