31 May 2018, 17:02

Hello,

Stupid question alert! I'm way more stumped than I should be, but maybe you can help me out here.

I'm taking the SVS Illustrating Children's Books class, and I'm working on my own book dummy. Once it's finished and goes through several rounds of feedback and revisions, I'll either submit it to publishers, or self-publish. I haven't decided. Either way, it's mostly for fun / learning. πŸ™‚

So, can someone please clarify what a good starting-point layout would be for a book dummy? On pg 24 of the illustration workbook it says: "8.5"x11" is a very standard size and, proportionally, if the editor wants to make your book bigger, they can easily do so before you get started on the final art." Does this mean each page is 8.5"x11"? Can you choose horizontal or vertical? That seems really big to me, even though many children's books are big.

When Jake Parker made his example book dummy in the class, the entire two-page spread was 6"x13" with .25" margins. Maybe I can start there, but I just want to make sure I understand! πŸ™‚

On pg 109 of the handbook it gives the example of bleed: "If you are asked to add a half-inch bleed, your art director means a half-inch on each side; therefore, you will need to add one inch to both dimensions - so 8.5"x11" would become 9.5"x12" "

Bleed is left blank, right? Margins include some "extra" art, while bleed is ultimately extra, physical paper... is that correct?

I know the art director / publisher ultimately decides the exact page size and margins, but where do I start? I've watched the book dummy lessons on SVS, searched through the handbook, and looked at standard sizes for independent publishers / printers.

I don't know why I'm so confused, but I'd really appreciate some clarity!

Thanks so much!