Like many self-published authors, I struggle to find the right printing solution. Local options are way above my budget, and I haven’t been able to find a print shop that does hardcover. I’d have to print interior and exterior separately (including the binding), which is tedious and expensive. With that said, I’m left with two familiar options that I have a lot of experience with. IngramSpark and KDP. KDP requires a minimum of 75 pages for a hardcover book (24 for paperback).

My very first book fair is next week. I don’t know if it’s my ADHD, but I have a tendency to do things at the very last minute. In addition, sometimes I come up with new ideas giving myself more to do. This time around I’m trying to be well prepared but not everything has gone according to plan. I got the children’s books yesterday, and the title on the cover is not centered, and the pages have the white gutter showing.

This is a continuation of my previous post, where I analyzed the different types of layouts used in children’s books for the 3-5 age group. I’m grateful to have consulted the mum group, which represents my target readership. After all, they are the primary readers of these books! Their feedback led me to retain the white pages while incorporating centered illustrations, framed illustrations, and some positioned at the bottom. I was careful to maintain a consistent color palette and ensured that each illustration complemented its corresponding full-page image.