“Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established.” — Proverbs 24:3
Lesson
What You Will Learn
- Choose a trim size and set margins appropriate for print
- Select readable fonts and consistent styles
- Add running headers and page numbers
- Format sample pages using a template or a paper mock-up
Lesson Notes
Trim Size and Margins
Trim size is the finished size of the printed book. Common choices for memoir and devotionals include 5 x 8, 5.5 x 8.5, and 6 x 9 inches. A sheet of standard letter paper folded in half is 5.5 x 8.5 inches, which makes paper mock-ups easy. Always choose from the sizes your print-on-demand platform supports.
Margins are the white space around the text. The gutter (inside margin, near the binding) needs extra room so words do not disappear into the spine, especially in thicker books. Each platform publishes its own minimum margins; check them before you format.
Fonts and Paragraphs
Body text in printed books usually uses a readable serif font (one with small strokes at the ends of letters, such as Garamond or Georgia) at a comfortable size, often around 11 or 12 point. Chapter titles may use a different font, but limit yourself to two.
Print books usually indent the first line of each paragraph rather than leaving a blank line between paragraphs. The first paragraph of a chapter is often not indented. Use justified alignment for a clean edge, and check for large gaps between words. Use styles from OAB or BTO courses so every chapter looks the same.
Headers, Page Numbers, and Chapter Openings
Running headers at the top of pages often show the book title on left-hand pages and the chapter title or author name on right-hand pages. Page numbers usually appear in the header or footer. Front matter pages often have no numbers or use roman numerals; chapter-opening pages often omit the header.
Start each chapter on a new page with a page break or section break. Many books start chapters a few lines down the page, which gives the reader a breath.
Templates and Paper Mock-Ups
Word and Google Docs both let you set custom page sizes and margins, and some print-on-demand platforms offer free downloadable interior templates. Start with a template when you can. Export a PDF and check every page before uploading.
No device? Build a paper mock-up. Fold sheets of letter paper in half to make a booklet. Rule light pencil margins, hand-letter a title page, copyright page, contents, and two chapter pages. Mark where headers and page numbers go. A mock-up teaches the same decisions a computer does.
Key Terms
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Trim size | The finished page size of a printed book |
| Gutter | The inside margin near the binding |
| Serif font | A font with small finishing strokes, common for printed body text |
| Running header | A line repeated at the top of pages, such as the title or chapter name |
In-Class Activities
Page Detective
Open a published book to any two facing pages. Measure and record: trim size, top/bottom/inside/outside margins, where page numbers sit, what the headers say on left and right pages, and whether the first paragraph of the chapter is indented.
Template or Mock-Up Setup
Device option: set up a document at your chosen trim size with mirror margins, a body style, a chapter title style, headers, and page numbers. Paper option: fold two sheets of letter paper into an eight-page booklet and rule margins with a wider gutter.
Assignment: Formatted Sample Pages
Produce four sample pages of your book (typed or hand-lettered in a paper mock-up):
- A title page.
- The first page of Chapter One (chapter title, no header, first paragraph not indented).
- One interior page with a running header and page number.
- A table of contents page.
Attach a short spec sheet: trim size, margins, body font and size, and header choices.
Graded with the Module Assignment Rubric.
Reflection Journal
Proverbs 24:3 says a house is built through wisdom and established by understanding. What wisdom is God building into your life during this season of preparation?
Prayer focus: Ask God for patience and care in the small details of your work, and for wisdom as you build.
Weekly Reading & Devotions
The Quiet Work of Good Pages
Good formatting is invisible. When pages are well designed, the reader simply reads. When they are not, she notices cramped margins, odd fonts, and gaps, and the message gets lost in the distraction.
Formatting is detail work: trim size, margins, fonts, headers, page numbers. It can feel tedious. But detail work is where faithfulness shows. Jesus said that whoever is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much (Luke 16:10).
If you do not have a computer, a paper mock-up is real practice. Folding letter paper into a booklet, ruling margins, and hand-lettering pages teaches you the same decisions a designer makes. When you have a device later, you will already know what you want.
Keisha built her mock-up from folded paper and colored pencils. (Keisha is a composite example.) When she got home, she set up her document in an afternoon because she had already decided every detail. Her paper practice was not a lesser version; it was her plan.
Think About It
- What did you notice about the pages of books you love? ______________________
- Which formatting detail feels hardest? ______________________
- How can detail work be an act of worship? ______________________
Daily Devotions for Week 4
Built by Wisdom
Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established.— Proverbs 24:3 (KJV)
A book, like a house, is built with wisdom and care.
Reflect: What are you building in this season?
Pray: Lord, build my life with Your wisdom.
Do: Finish your spec sheet for your book.
Faithful in Least
He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.— Luke 16:10 (KJV)
Margins and page numbers are small things. Faithfulness in them matters.
Reflect: What small task have you been avoiding?
Pray: Lord, make me faithful in small things.
Do: Check every page number in your mock-up.
With Thy Might
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.— Ecclesiastes 9:10 (KJV)
Give your full effort to the task in front of you, even if it seems ordinary.
Reflect: Where can you give your full effort today?
Pray: Lord, help me work with all my might.
Do: Hand-letter one sample page carefully.
The Work of Our Hands
And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.— Psalm 90:17 (KJV)
We ask God to establish what our hands make.
Reflect: What work of your hands do you want God to bless?
Pray: Lord, establish the work of my hands.
Do: Pray over your sample pages.
Patience to Finish
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.— Galatians 6:9 (KJV)
Formatting takes patience. Do not grow weary.
Reflect: Where are you tempted to give up?
Pray: Lord, strengthen me to keep going.
Do: Work for fifteen minutes on your formatting today.
Module Quiz
- 1.
The gutter is:
- 2.
Which is a common trim size for memoir or devotionals?
- 3.
A running header usually shows:
- 4.
You should check your print-on-demand platform's margin requirements before formatting.
- 5.
Describe how to build a paper mock-up of your book.