Step-by-Step Guide to Formatting a Children's Picture Book without Professional Software

📚 This video is part of a series on how to write and publish a children's picture book.

💻 The video focuses on formatting the text and illustrations of the book using software like Pages and Canva.

📏 It also discusses choosing the size of the book and provides tips on finding pre-set templates.

📚 Choosing the right size for a children's picture book is important, and an 8 and a half inch by 8 and a half inch trim size is recommended.

📐 When setting up the document, it is necessary to consider bleed margins. Adding 3 millimeters to the width and sixths of height will ensure the correct dimensions.

📖 To create facing pages and separate the text from the pictures, the document should be converted to a page layout format.

📝 The speaker discusses the importance of using legally permitted fonts for the book's titles.

🖼️ They demonstrate how to add and position images within the book's layout.

📄 The speaker explains how to create a centered and visually appealing double page spread.

Align the pictures in a children's picture book with the corner and inside edge for a perfect match.

Consider the layout for double-page spreads and single-page spreads with images and text.

Customize the font, size, and placement of text to enhance the overall design.

✏️ You can change the background and text opacity of a children's picture book to create a fade-out effect.

📚 Ensure that the number of pages in the book is divisible by four to avoid blank pages added by the publisher.

🔖 The last page of the book should be blank to accommodate the printing of a barcode.

🎨 Canva can be used to design the book cover and interior pages, but importing fonts may be challenging.

📚 The video is about formatting a children's picture book.

📏 The speaker explains how to set up the cover dimensions and spine allowances.

💻 Templates provided by Ingram Spark and KDP can help with setting up the design.

🔖 Adding barcodes to the cover is also discussed.

📚 Learn how to format a children's picture book using commercially available fonts.

💻 Choose between using Canva or Pages to create and export your book as a high-quality PDF.

🎨 Ensure your PDF is set to the correct CMYK setting when using Ingram Spark.