Self-publishing Handbook: Using role modelsWhen you are unsure about certain aspects of production, for example where the page numbers are supposed to go or what do other books’ title pages look like, you can do the same thing I did: use role models.

Simply walk to your bookshelf (if you want to research printed books) or access it electronically (when researching e-Books) and take out books by different authors, which were published by a variety of publishers. If you want to publish a young adult novel for example, it’s a very good idea to focus on what the young adult novels on your shelf look like.

Things you can learn from role models

  • What information is on the back cover
  • What book parts are there (title pages, dedications etc.) and in which order
  • What does the formatting of the text look like
  • Where do page numbers go

Whenever you feel unsure about such a decision, just look at other novels and decide what you like best, maybe try to remember whether whatever feature you’re looking at made reading it easier or encouraged you to buy the book.