Palatino Classic - A template for 9x6 trade paperbacks on Lulu.com

Using a standard book template really helps!

I've recently updated my Lulu Storefront to focus on my book templates. I'm doing more book design and publishing, lately, and I can't even begin to say how much easier it is, when I use a standard template.

I actually came up with this template - the Palatino Classic for 9x6 trade paperback after a bunch of trials and errors in my own publishing, and realizing that re-designing each and every book I wrote was a huge pain. I knew what features I wanted to have in each one, and they were all very similar to each other, so why re-invent the wheel each time?

One of the things I've found most challenging is not so much the organization of the book, as the little details that go along with it. Like margin settings. Like font sizes. Like making sure paragraphs are properly indented and page numbers are set. The problem is, after I've gone through the arduous work of designing the cover and proofreading the words and sketching out press releases and promotional strategies, those interior design details -- as vital as they are -- tend to weigh me down at the last minute.

Right when I'm starting to run out of steam, is when I'm in need of the most fastidious attention to detail -- letter spacing, line spacing, page numbers, heading sizes, all that detail-rich stuff that is a "must" for a good book interior.

So, I worked out how I wanted a perfect book to look. I went around to a bunch of bookstores and scoured my own book collection, and I studied how the best-looking ones were laid out. I made notes. I make sketches. I even took pictures. I made a long and detailed study of how I wanted my book interior(s) to look -- based on what worked for me (and I'm a very demanding reader who has a lot of high-maintenance needs). And I sat down and came up with a template I could really work with.

It took me weeks of trial and error, and I applied what I'd learned from designing more than 5 books of my own -- what worked, what didn't, what felt right, what felt awful (and yes, books do have a distinct "feel" for me -- if it's not there, well, I'm not interested). I tweaked and experimented and practiced, and eventually I came up with a template that I could use. I'm very happy with it, and it's been one of my best-selling templates over at my Lulu storefront.

I hope others can get good use out of it, too.