InDesign CC: Book Production, Putting the book together

Identify and fix common word processing issues to prepare a manuscript for InDesign book production, including hidden characters, double returns, double spaces, improper line breaks, and inconsistent spacing.

Explore sourcing graphics—from stock photos to screen captures and photos you shoot—and compare vector versus raster, tracing photos into vector paths for scalable InDesign layouts.

Learn how InDesign handles vector and bitmap graphics for book production, overcoming presentation software limits, using postscript vector formats, and layering scalable, high-quality imagery.

Learn why InDesign handles vector drawings and book graphics with built-in type controls, gradients, swatches, and more, often replacing Illustrator for production and covers.

Use the pen tool in InDesign to create and edit curves with anchor points and handles, convert points with the option key, and refine paths with the direct selection tool.

Utilize frame tools and the pencil to draw and edit shapes, convert to rounded or beveled rectangles and polygons, and refine corners with direct selection and corner options.

Compare vector and raster graphic formats for print and ebooks, noting resolution, color depth, and transparency. Understand how InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator workflows influence file handling and output quality.

Learn how to copy and paste from Illustrator into InDesign, preserve transparency, and manage anchored objects that move with frames while expanding appearances and using gradients and brushwork.

Master body copy styles in book production by selecting readable fonts, setting 10–12 word lines, applying left justified alignment with indents.

Learn to format a book from front to back, managing margins, folders, and graphics, and repeatedly review pages to maintain a coherent flow as pages are added.

Explore practical formatting solutions in InDesign for book production, including font choices, color swatches, paragraph rules, alignment, and preparing layouts for print.

Explore how tables in InDesign CC function as grids of text frames with selectable rows, columns, and cells, and why they are challenging for e-book reflow.

Discuss front matter and back matter in book production with InDesign CC, outlining required items like title and copyright pages, table of contents, dedication, foreword, and epilogue.

learn how to insert and format footnotes in InDesign CC for book production, including placing, editing in text frames, and managing multi-column footnotes and common copy-paste issues.

Design covers for online visibility with clean typography, strong color contrast, and eight-word-max text readable at small sizes like 100 by 150 and 60 by 90.

Set up the front cover in InDesign CC by creating a book-sized document with bleed, centering and fading a cover image on a separate layer, then build the background.

Prepare your InDesign CC book for print and e-book formats, including Kindle print replica and downloadable media, balancing layout and font decisions across devices.

Design your ePUBs by applying typography and readability margins from print, while addressing e-reader capabilities, embedded fonts, and platform realities like Kindle and Nook.

Discover epub design challenges in InDesign CC, optimize readable typography, manage paragraph styles and chapter breaks, and test exports across devices to ensure consistent, accessible book layouts.

Export the book to a reflowable epub by configuring export options, cover image, and metadata description. Set table of contents, remove page numbers, and embed fonts before exporting.

Upload your book to CreateSpace by entering title details, inserting ISBNs into the InDesign file, exporting a PDF, and submitting interior and cover files for review and distribution.

Discover how to work with aggregators and distributors, manage exclusivity, and publish print and Kindle across platforms like drafting digital, Smashwords, Pronoun, Gumroad, and Amazon.

Learn how authors build a marketing platform by growing a following, launching a professional website, and using social media and online communities to market books.