Every author wants to impress their readers. Especially as a self-published author, you want someone to pick up your book and feel like a lot of effort went into it. You want them to see that it was properly laid out, well formatted, and put together with care. The way you format and lay out your book is a big part of how you create that first impression for your reader.
The thing is, formatting a nonfiction book isn’t the same as formatting a poetry collection or a novel. There are sections that overlap across all three, but nonfiction has its own structure and its own specific requirements.
This post is for writers who are getting ready to self-publish a nonfiction book and want to understand how to format and lay it out properly. It also covers the difference between layout and formatting, because the two words get used interchangeably a lot and they actually mean different things. This post will help you know exactly what to do before you publish your book and will help you feel good about the book you are putting out.
Layout vs Formatting
Layout is about where everything in your book goes. What pages come before chapter one, how the chapters are arranged, what comes after the last chapter. It’s the structure of the book from beginning to end.
Formatting is about how the text looks on each page. The font you choose, the size, the spacing between lines, and how paragraphs are indented, how your headings appear. Formatting is what the reader actually sees when they open the book.
The Standard Layout of a Nonfiction Book
Most nonfiction books follow the same basic structure: front matter, the body, and back matter. Front matter is everything before chapter one. The body is where your content lives. Back matter is everything after the final chapter.
Before we go through each part, there’s one small thing worth knowing about how printed books work. Right-hand pages are always odd-numbered and left-hand pages are always even-numbered. You’ll notice that most important pages in a book, like the title page and the start of each chapter, begin on a right-hand page. This will come up as we go through the layout, so now you know what it means when it does.
Front Matter
Front matter is everything that appears before the first chapter. In nonfiction, this section tends to have more pages than in fiction because there is often more information a reader needs to know before the content begins.
Half Title Page (Optional) — Right Page
The half title page is the very first page of the book and carries only the title. There is no author name and no subtitle. Not every book includes one, but if yours does, it belongs on a right-hand page with the back of it left blank.
Title Page — Right Page
The title page carries the full details of the book: the complete title, the subtitle if there is one, your name as the author, and your publisher name or imprint. It belongs on a right-hand page.
Copyright Page — Left Page
The copyright page is on the back of the title page, placing it on a left-hand page. This is where the legal and publication information is stated: the copyright notice, the year of publication, the ISBN, publisher information, and any rights statements. For nonfiction books, this page sometimes also includes a disclaimer, especially for books covering health, legal, financial, or professional topics, where the author needs to clarify that the content is informational rather than professional advice.
Dedication Page (Optional) — Right Page
If you’re including a dedication, it should be on its own right-hand page after the copyright page. Keep it short.
Table of Contents — Right Page
A table of contents is something most nonfiction books need. Fiction readers usually read from the first page to the last, but nonfiction readers usually like to jump around. They may skip to a chapter they need or come back to something they want to reread. Because of this, adding a table of contents makes it easy for the reader to move through the book and find specific information quickly. It should list every chapter and, where necessary, the main sections within each chapter. It starts on a right-hand page.
Foreword (Optional) — Right Page
A foreword is written by someone other than you, usually someone who knows the subject well or has credibility in that space. It’s not a summary of the book. It’s more of an outside voice saying your book is worth the reader’s time and why. Not every nonfiction book has one, but if yours does, it begins on a right-hand page.
Preface (Optional) — Right Page
A preface is written by the author and explains the story behind the book: why you wrote it, what shaped your thinking, and what you hope the reader takes from it. It’s different from an introduction because it’s personal rather than content-focused. It begins on a right-hand page.
Acknowledgments (Optional) — Right Page or Back Matter
Acknowledgments can go in the front matter or the back matter. In nonfiction, placing them in the front is more common than in fiction, especially when the author wants to appreciate contributors, or experts that helped with putting the book together. If they go in the front, they begin on a right-hand page. If you prefer to move them to the back, that is fine.
Introduction — Right Page
Unlike a preface, which is personal, the introduction is content-focused. It explains what the book covers and what it doesn’t, and tells the reader what they can expect to get from reading it. For many nonfiction books, the introduction also convinces a reader to keep reading. It is placed on a right-hand page.
The Body
The body of a nonfiction book is where your book’s content exists. How you organise it depends on the kind of book you’re writing, but there are formatting styles that apply across most nonfiction.
Parts and Chapters
Some nonfiction books are organised into parts, which are larger groupings of related chapters. If your book uses parts, each part title gets its own right-hand page before the first chapter in that section begins. Chapters then follow within each part.
Each chapter should begin on a new page. Whether that falls on a right or left page depends on what you prefer and your budget. Starting every chapter on a right-hand page is the more traditional approach but it will increase your page count and printing costs. Starting chapters on either page is also acceptable.
Chapter Headings and Subheadings
Nonfiction books often use more heading levels than fiction. Within each chapter, you’ll usually have the chapter title at the top, followed by subheadings that break the chapter into sections, and sometimes smaller subheadings within those sections.
Whatever heading levels you use, they need to look the same throughout the entire book. They have to have the same font, same size and same alignment for every heading of the same level. A bold, centred heading in chapter two and a left-aligned heading of the same type in chapter five will make the book seem like it wasn’t carefully put together.
Callouts and Boxed Text (Optional)
Some nonfiction books use visual elements like callout boxes to highlight important points, examples, or additional information separate from the main text. If you use these, it is best to design them consistently.
Images, Charts, and Diagrams (Optional)
If your nonfiction book includes images, charts, or diagrams, each one needs a caption. It is very important to make sure any images have high enough resolution for print (at least 300 DPI). Low resolution images can look blurry in a printed book.
First Paragraph of Each Chapter
Just like with fiction, the first paragraph of each chapter is not usually indented. Every paragraph that follows is indented.
Back Matter
Back matter is everything that comes after your final chapter. In nonfiction it tends to have more pages than in fiction because there’s often material that supports the book but doesn’t belong inside the chapters of the book.
Epilogue or Afterword (Optional) — Right Page
An epilogue or afterword comes immediately after the final chapter. It allows the author to reflect on the book as a whole, share what has changed since it was written, or offer a closing thought outside the main content of the book. It begins on a right-hand page.
Acknowledgments (Optional) — Right Page
If you chose to move acknowledgments to the back matter rather than the front, they go here, beginning on a right-hand page.
About the Author — Right Page
An author bio usually tells the reader why they should trust the content they just read. It covers your background, your expertise in the subject, and where readers can find more of your work. It is best to write it in third person.
Also By (Optional)
If you have other published books, this section is where you list them. It’s a way to point interested readers toward more of your work.
A Note to Readers (Optional)
This can be a short note asking readers to leave a review. For self-published authors, reviews on Amazon and Goodreads help make your book more discoverable.
NB:
Depending on the kind of nonfiction book you’re writing, you may also need a few additional back matter pages. A glossary is useful if your book uses a lot of technical or specialised terms. An appendix can be used for additional material that is too detailed to include in the main chapters. If your book depends a lot on research or other sources, a notes section or bibliography gives readers a way to explore further. None of these are required for every nonfiction book, so you can include them only if your book genuinely calls for them. These can each start on a right-hand page.
How to Format a Nonfiction Book
Once the layout is right, the next step is formatting the text itself. These are the settings that affect how every page of your book looks and reads.
Choosing Your Font
The body text of your nonfiction book should use a serif font. Serif fonts have small strokes at the ends of the letters and are easier to read in print over long stretches of text. Common choices include Garamond, Times New Roman, Palatino, and Baskerville. Font size for body text is usually between 10 and 12 points, with 11 or 11.5 being a common choice.
Your chapter titles and subheadings can use either the same serif font in a larger or bolder weight, or a complementary sans-serif font (a font without those small strokes at the ends).
Your heading fonts should look the same throughout the book, and there should be a clear size or design difference between your chapter titles, section headings, and any smaller subheadings. That way a reader can glance at a heading and immediately know where they are in the chapter.
For body text, stick to a plain, readable font (a serif font as stated above). Decorative fonts might look pretty on a cover or a heading, but reading them across hundreds of pages is a different experience entirely. They slow the eye down and pull the reader’s attention away from the content, which is the last thing you want.
Line Spacing
Line spacing for nonfiction is usually set between 1.1 and 1.5. Single spacing makes the text look cramped. Double spacing feels too spaced out. This setting gives a good reading experience.
Paragraph Indentation and Spacing
There are two ways to handle paragraph spacing in a nonfiction book. You can indent the first line of each paragraph with no space between them, or you can skip the indent and add a small gap between paragraphs instead. Both are fine, and you can pick one and use it throughout the whole book.
Justified Text
Most nonfiction books use justified text, which means the text lines up along both the left and right margins rather than just the left. It’s the standard in printed books and makes the page look neat and even. If your formatting software creates gaps between words when you turn justification on, look for a hyphenation setting and switch it on. That usually sorts it out.
Headers and Footers
If you’ve ever noticed the author’s name or book title at the top of a page in a printed book, that’s a running header. The footer does the same job at the bottom of the page, and that’s usually where page numbers go.
A reader who puts the book down and picks it back up can glance at the top of the page and know exactly what they’re reading and where they are in it. The most common setup is the author’s name on the left page and the book title on the right. Some authors put the chapter title on the right page instead, which works well for long nonfiction books where knowing which chapter you’re in actually helps.
Not every page needs a header. Chapter opening pages, the title page, the copyright page, and front and back matter pages should all be left without one. Most formatting software let you turn off headers on specific pages.
Trim Size and Margins
Trim Size
The trim size is the final printed dimensions of the book. For nonfiction, common choices are:
- 5.5 x 8.5 inches
- 6 x 9 inches (most common)
- 8.5 x 11 inches
Your trim size affects your page count, which affects your printing costs. A larger trim size gives you more space per page, which is good for nonfiction books with a lot of visual elements.
Margins
Margins are the empty spaces around the edges of each page. They keep the text from running too close to the edge of the paper or getting swallowed by the binding when the book is printed.
The inside margin, also called the gutter, needs to be a little wider than the outside margin. When a book is bound, part of that inside edge gets pulled into the spine, so if the margin is too narrow the text ends up sitting uncomfortably close to the binding and becomes harder to read.
The minimum margin measurements depend on your trim size and page count. Amazon KDP has a margin guide that gives you the exact minimums for your specific book. It’s good to add a little extra to the inside margin beyond that minimum, around 0.25 inches, so that the text has more room from the spine.
Always Order a Proof Copy
Before you make your nonfiction book available to buy, order a printed proof copy. A proof copy lets you check whether the margins give the text enough space, whether the heading hierarchy looks the way you intended, and whether images or charts are printing clearly.
Most self-publishing platforms let you order a proof copy at cost price before the book goes live.
The Book Reflects the Author
A reader who buys your nonfiction book is already trusting you before they read a single word. Good formatting protects that trust. Poor formatting breaks it, sometimes before they’ve even finished the first chapter.
You wrote the book because you had something worth saying. The formatting is how you make sure it actually gets heard.
