As an author, writing a book is the first challenge. As an indie author, however, formatting and designing it is your second. You want to put your best foot forward in this process. You don't want your readers to be able to tell the difference between your self-published book and a traditionally published book. If you have money, you can get someone to design your cover and design and format your interior. However, if you can't afford that, you must do it yourself. But, can you make your interior look as professional as the exterior? That's assuming you invested in a cover designer because if you haven't, it will be obvious. If you have to spend money creating your book, spend it on editing and a cover. The self-published book covers done in Microsoft Word are obvious. I know you think what you made looks great. But trust me, we can tell you did it yourself. Unless you specialize in design, don't attempt to design your own cover.

But today, I don't want to talk about book covers. I want to talk about the inside of your book and the pages you should include before you get to your actual book.

The Half Title - Picture your book in your hands. You open the cover. The first page you see is on the right-hand side. What do you see on it? Usually, you see the title and nothing else. Just the title. That's why it's called The Half Title Page. This page is not crucial because sometimes it gets eliminated to control book length. But if you want it to look like a traditionally published book, start with it and only remove it if you have to.

Also, for consistency, your book's font on the cover should be the same inside for your title. Keep the back of this page blank. NOTE: THESE PAGES DO NOT HAVE NUMBERS ON THEM, NOR DO THEY HAVE HEADERS OR FOOTERS.

A Blank Page, Book List or an Illustration - Remember the map of Middle Earth? That would go here. Or, if you have several books, you could list them here. You could even include endorsements on this page. If you don't have anything, leave it blank.

Title Page - This page includes the title, the subtitle, your name and the publisher's name. It may also have the publisher's logo and city.

Copyright Page - The copyright page usually goes on the back of the title page. This is where people will find your publication information, legal notices, ISBN numbers, cover designer, etc. If you quote from Scripture, this is where you will put it. Each Bible translation has a different way of doing things, so make sure you know how to place it and have proper permissions.

Dedication page - If you have a dedication page, this is where it goes all alone and by itself.

Acknowledgements - Some people like to include the acknowledgements later in the book. I prefer everything up front. It doesn't matter where they go. You should just make sure you have them.

Table of Contents - Also known as TOC. It is essential for non-fiction books but not seen too much in novels. It's your call on whether to include it or not for a novel.

Epigraph - Also known as a quotation, this is where you would put a quote or verse that is significant to your book. While quotes aren't necessary, this is where it goes if you use one.

Everything up to this point should not have page numbers. Nor should they have headers or footers. Starting with the Foreword, your pages should be numbered using Roman Numerals.

Foreword - This is usually written by someone other than the author. It offers supportive information relevant to the book. It is generally signed with the writer's name, place and date. However, if the writer of the foreword requests something else, like their books, website or credentials listed, that is okay too.

Preface - The preface is written by the author and usually tells how the book came to be. It should be signed with the author's name, place and date, but not everyone does it, and it is usually found in non-fiction books.

Afterword - In fictional books, this is where the author usually leaves a "Dear Reader" note. In historical fiction, for example, many authors share the actual facts about the era and characters. In non-fiction books, it may give you updates on the subject matter.

Appendix or Addendum - Fictional books rarely use this, but some do by providing something like a recipe for one of the characters used in the book. Non-fiction books may have an Appendix that lists recommended books, websites, organizations, or other resources related to the book.

Glossary - If you have books with words that need to be explained, you would do so here, with a list of the words, their definitions and meanings. However, many fictional authors like to put this up front with their front matter.

Bibliography - This includes all the references you used in your work. Usually found in non-fiction books.

Index - Usually, in non-fiction books, the Index is an alphabetical list of important terms found in the text. It includes the pages they appear on. It is helpful to someone who is seeking specific information in your book.

Author Bio - This is where you tell us about yourself, don't forget to include your website!

Before You Go - You will find this mainly in eBooks. But the last page can be reserved to ask your reader to review your book on Amazon or Goodreads.

That's it! Hopefully, this will help you when you set out to design your book.

At Interviews & Reviews we have two valuable resources - our reviewers/readers and authors. They kind of go hand in hand. We need each other.

We have a little over fifty team members from different walks of life here at I & R. Some are stay-at-home moms, and some are students and others are even authors themselves. All claim the title of "Christian" and know that our primary purpose at I & R is to promote books and authors who bring glory to God through their writing. We are not just a "book review blog," we are also a ministry, working to build up the body of Christ and spread the Gospel through the written word.

Therefore, when someone submits a book to us, we have certain expectations. We expect a "Christian" book to be without foul language, extreme violence and sexual situations. We expect a message of redemption, grace or hope. 

I have a book that I bought many years ago when I first began my writing journey. It is Ethel Herr's book An Introduction to Christian Writing. It's a great book and one I encourage new writers to pick up. 

I'd like to share with you a few of the points she brought out in her first chapter about writers who are Christian and what their responsibilities are:
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• A Christian Writer is - someone who writes! Sounds rather obvious doesn't it? They are editors, magazine staff writers, public relations specialists, technical writers, writing teachers, novelists. They are writers who happen to be Christian. In other words they have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They belong to a body of fellow-believers. Jesus Christ is our Head and gives us our typing orders 

• A Christian Writer is - a believer at worship. Ethel Herr says, "We tend to think that we are first ministers with a pen. However, before we can minister, we must learn to worship and regard all our writing as an act of worship offered to the God of the universe. Everything we do and say must be an act of worship, done for God's pleasure." I like that  reminder! If we approach our writing as an act of worship done for God's pleasure, we will never write something that would violate, trivialize or compromise our basic beliefs.  

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• A Christian Writer is - a ministering prophet with a broken heart. Biblical prophets who preached judgment never delivered many words of fire without stopping to weep and plead with God's people. No matter how urgent the message, we must first let God break our hearts with the thing that makes Him weep, then weep with Him as we write. God has called us to be servants of Jesus Christ and to serve one another. We will write to meet others needs rather than our own. We will present all of life from the Christian viewpoint. The author also shares a warning her pastor gave her in regards to success as a writer - "There is always the danger that what begins as a humble service to God will become a desire to be great." 

 

• A Christian Writer is  - an artist. Art is more than painting a picture. Art is music, acting, dancing, poetry - in other words, art is a reflection of self-expression, a gift of God that we share from our hearts to bring encouragement, beauty and pleasure to our readers and to God.

 

• A Christian Writer is - a craftsman. The craft of writing is an exercise in the disciplines of polishing and perfecting our work. Craftsmanship is workmanship - the 95 percent perspiration that must accompany the 5 percent inspiration before a piece of art can take shape. Ethel Herr goes on to say that:

 

1. A craftsman takes pride in his work. He cares more about the quality than the sale-ability.
2. The craftsman works with untiring diligence. 
3. The craftsman nurtures growth in his person and in his writing. 
4. ​The craftsman can take criticism and use it constructively in developing his craft.

The author sums up what a Christian writer is with these four principles:

1. Weep. Look around you; see your world. Look within; know yourself. Look up to God; learn His expectations. Then let Him break your heart.  
2. Pray. Take time to pray each project into being. Don't rush into publication.
3. Think. Think your subject through. Research it thoroughly. Produce mature, intellectually sound and honest work.  
4. Work. Be prepared to do plenty of this, but not without the first three steps.

So, what do you think? When you are writing are you thinking about any of the points above? Would these help you as a writer?

You can purchase Ethel's book here.