The Book Designer
The Book Designer is a free blog for self-publishers about book design, interior layout, fonts and production, founded by Joel Friedlander.
At a glance
- Price
- Free
- Platforms
- Web
- Outputs KDP-ready files
- Not stated
- Touches your KDP account
- Not stated
- Categories
- Courses, Blogs & Channels
- Last checked
- 2026-11-09
Summary
The Book Designer was started by book designer Joel Friedlander in 2009 and was bought by selfpublishing.com at the end of 2020, shortly before his death. It keeps an archive of his articles plus newer guides on trim sizes, margins, fonts and covers that apply to KDP print books. It is now owned by Chandler Bolt's selfpublishing.com (Self-Publishing School) and promotes that company's training and programs, so it is no longer an independent voice.
Best for
- Learning print interior layout and typography basics
Pros
- Detailed archive on interior design and print production
- Free templates and guides on layout and fonts
Cons
- Owned by selfpublishing.com and funnels readers to its paid programs
- Newer posts drift into general content beyond book design
Alternatives
- Self-Publishing School: Self-Publishing School is a paid coaching program for first-time authors that pairs one-to-one coaching with done-for-you formatting, covers and publishing.
- Creativindie: Creativindie is Derek Murphy's free blog for indie authors on writing, cover design, formatting and book marketing, alongside his paid courses and templates.
- Reedsy Blog: The Reedsy Blog is a free writing, publishing and book marketing blog run by Reedsy, the freelance marketplace for editors, designers and marketers.
Sources
Facts on this page come from the vendor and these pages. Prices change; confirm on the vendor site.
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