BOOK INTERIOR LAYOUT
- Daniella DeChristopher
- Dec 2, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 15, 2025
Let’s walk through how to lay out your book’s pages.
How to Select the Best Layout for Your Genre
Book Paragraphs
For a clean, professional appearance, your paragraphs should be fully justified.
NOTE: If you’re using Microsoft Word, go to the Home tab and look for the Paragraph section. You’ll see four small alignment icons. Click the one that shows lines stretched evenly left to right—this will justify all lines in your paragraph.
That’s the method I use, and it’s the simplest option for consistent formatting.
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Book Font
What kind of font will you use?
Keep in mind that you may want your interior font to coordinate with the font you use on the cover. Your book’s tone and genre should influence your choice. For example, I wouldn’t use a basic Arial font in a sci-fi thriller, just as I wouldn’t use a gothic font for a love story—unless it is a gothic love story. Choose a font that feels appropriate for your genre and complements your cover design.
Here is a great site to help you make that decision:
IngramSpark Font Recommendations
They also share helpful information about font licensing. Something many authors don’t know: avoid downloading free fonts from random websites. Not only could you expose your computer to viruses, but using unlicensed fonts in a published book can be illegal.
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Book Line Spacing
What line spacing will you use? I used 1.5 line spacing in my book, but many books are formatted using 1.15. Some fonts are easier to read with 1.5 spacing, while others look cleaner at 1.15. Remember, it’s your book—choose the spacing that looks best with the font you’ve selected.
NOTE: If you’re using Microsoft Word, go to the Home tab and look in the Paragraph section. You’ll see a line-spacing icon (it looks like up-and-down arrows beside horizontal lines). Click it to choose the spacing you prefer.
These decisions should be made before you choose your trim size. Font and line spacing will affect your final page count.
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Book Dimensions
What size book do you want to create? If you’re not sure, the size of your book often depends on the number of words or pages you’ve written, as well as your genre. For example, memoirs and novels are commonly printed in sizes like 5 × 8, 5.5 × 8.5, or 6 × 9. Once you know your word count, it’s easier to estimate which trim size will work best.
NOTE: If you’re using Microsoft Word, go to the Review tab and look for the Word Count tool in the Proofing section. Open your manuscript to page one and let Word do its magic.
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KDP Tools and Resources
KDP offers tools and calculators that can help you determine the best trim size for your book.
Once you know your word count, you can use KDP’s calculators to estimate how many pages your book will be, and whether your manuscript fits comfortably within your chosen dimensions.
Ask yourself:
Did you write enough words?
Do you need to cut back a bit?
Do you have too many pages or not enough?
You may need to adjust your manuscript slightly until it fits the dimensions that work best for your book.
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Summary
Amazon KDP offers excellent tools designed to help writers. I highly recommend visiting the link below and exploring their online KDP University. The time you invest in these resources will give you the knowledge you need—and the cost to watch their videos is $0.
KDP University
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NOTE: All of the above steps are important if you want to turn your manuscript into a book. Once you complete these steps, you’re ready to move on to the next stage. Congratulations!
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