Design and production
Book formatting services for print and ebook
Typesetting that looks like a book rather than a converted document. Print PDF built to your printer specification, a reflowable EPUB that passes validation, and the source file to keep.
What you receive
What you receive from a formatting project
Four files, and all of them are yours.
Interior typesetting is the stage authors underestimate most. A converted Word file announces itself immediately: inconsistent indents, a chapter heading stranded at the foot of a page, running heads that stop halfway through, page numbers on blank pages. None of it is hard to avoid, and all of it is obvious in print.
Poetry and illustrated non-fiction need the most care, because line breaks and image placement carry meaning that a reflow can destroy. There is more on how we handle poetry publishing, and the typesetting figures sit inside the breakdown in our guide to what it costs to publish a book in Australia.
- 01
A print PDF built to your printer
Correct trim size, bleed, gutter and margins for your page count and paper stock, with embedded fonts and a press-ready colour profile.
- 02
Front and back matter set properly
Half-title, title, imprint and copyright page, dedication, contents, acknowledgements and author bio, in the conventional order.
- 03
A reflowable EPUB that validates
A working navigable table of contents, semantic headings, and text that reflows at any font size. Tested on Kindle, Apple Books and Kobo.
- 04
Running heads, folios and openings
Chapter openings on the right page where convention asks for it, running heads that follow the chapter, and no folio on a blank page.
- 05
Images, tables and notes placed
Figures sitting near the text that refers to them, tables that fit the measure, and footnotes or endnotes set consistently.
- 06
The source file, not just the export
You get the working file as well as the PDF and EPUB, so a correction in two years does not mean paying to rebuild the book.
What is fixed in every formatting quote
- Files delivered
3
Files delivered
Print PDF, reflowable EPUB and the editable source file, on every project.
- Rounds of revisions
2
Rounds of revisions
Two passes of corrections on the typeset proof, included in the quoted fee.
- Of the files are yours
100%
Of the files are yours
Including the source file, so a later correction never means rebuilding.
- Of free minor corrections
30 days
Of free minor corrections
Typos found after approval are reflowed at no charge for 30 days.
How it works
How typesetting runs
Four stages, about two weeks for a straightforward book.
- 01
Specification
Day 1Trim size, paper stock, typeface and where the book will be printed. These decide the margins, so they come first.
Your part: Tell us the trim size, or let us recommend one for your genre.
- 02
Sample pages
Days 2–4A chapter opening, a text spread and any special pages typeset two or three ways, so you choose the look before the whole book is set.
Your part: Pick a direction. Read the sample on paper, not on screen.
- 03
Full typeset and proof
Week 2The complete interior set, then a PDF proof for proofreading. This is where page breaks, widows and orphans get resolved.
Your part: Proofread the typeset pages, or have us do it.
- 04
Corrections and files
Days 10–14Two rounds of corrections applied, then final print PDF, EPUB and source files, validated and handed over.
Your part: Collect corrections into one list per round.
Portfolio
Books we have typeset and produced
Interior and cover production from author projects, each shown with its real title and author.
Saltwater Country
Jenny Harlow
The Quiet Advantage
David Ngata
Small Repairs
Anna Reith
Ash and Ochre
Tom Varela
Return of the Martial Messiah
ToraAKR
The Mage's Heir
Wolfe Locke
Related services
What usually comes next
Packages
What formatting costs
Typesetting is included in the Publish and Publish and launch packages. On its own it is priced by page count and complexity — a novel is straightforward, a book with 80 images is not.
Manuscript
Get the writing right before you spend anything on design.
for a 60,000-word manuscript
- Written manuscript assessment
- One round of structural editing
- Line edit and final proofread
- Australian spelling and style sheet
- A call with your editor at each stage
Publish
Everything needed to turn a finished manuscript into a book on sale.
for a 60,000-word manuscript
- Everything in Manuscript
- Original cover design, print and ebook
- Typeset interior for paperback and ebook
- ISBN registration and legal deposit
- Retailer and print-on-demand setup
- A printed proof copy before you sign off
- You keep the rights and the royalties
Publish and launch
For authors who want readers to find the book in its first month.
for a 60,000-word manuscript
- Everything in Publish
- A launch plan with dates and owners
- Author website with an email sign-up
- Retailer advertising for the first 90 days
- Review and bookshop outreach
- Monthly sales reporting for six months
Every quote is confirmed after we read your manuscript. Prices in Australian dollars and include GST. Longer books and illustrated books cost more, and we will say so before you commit.
Questions authors ask
Interior formatting: questions authors ask
You can, and for a simple novel on print on demand some authors do it adequately. What Word does badly is consistent spacing, proper running heads, chapter openings on the correct page, and a clean EPUB conversion. The result is usually readable but visibly self-made, and readers do notice.
For Australian fiction, 198 × 129mm (B-format) or 203 × 133mm are the usual paperback choices, and non-fiction often goes larger at 234 × 156mm. Trim size changes your page count and therefore your print cost and spine width, so we settle it before typesetting rather than after.
Yes, always, along with the print PDF and the EPUB. It matters more than people expect: a typo found in year two, a new edition, or a different printer all need the working file. Withholding it is a common way to make authors come back, and we do not do it.
No, and it should not. A reflowable EPUB has to adapt to any screen and font size the reader chooses, so fixed page breaks and decorative layouts cannot carry over. We keep the design intent — chapter openings, emphasis, structure — while letting the text reflow properly.
About two weeks for a standard novel, including sample pages and two rounds of corrections. Illustrated non-fiction, poetry and anything with tables, footnotes or an index takes longer, sometimes three to four weeks. We give you a date with the quote.
Then it is too early, and we will tell you to wait. Typesetting a manuscript that is still being edited means doing it twice, because every text change moves page breaks, which moves the page count, which changes the spine width on your cover. Finish the proofread first.
Still have a question? A real publisher will answer it.
Start your publishing journeyA conversation about your book
Send us the final manuscript
Tell us the trim size and where you plan to print. We will set sample pages, quote the full interior and give you a date for the finished files.
Your manuscript. Your rights. Your next chapter.