It’s Part 2 of our podcast series with guest Mariska Maas (@rubreart). This week Elizabeth chats with Mariska about the readability and visual branding of your book. For many authors, it might not be the most exciting part, but depending on your genre, you may be able to have a little bit more fun with it than you think.

Mariska has a “Cinderella” approach to her design process meaning she wants to create a one-of-a-kind design for every book. If you haven’t seen her Instagram page, @rubreart, it’s worth it to see her beautiful artwork, even if the covers and book interiors aren’t in your genre. She also emphasizes authors do not need to spend a lot of time on formatting if you have someone helping you, so if this is stopping you in your tracks from moving forward to publish, this is your friendly reminder to ask for help.

For listeners of the podcast, she’s offering a 5 percent discount on her services if you book within 3 months of listening. Use code IWC5 of the form you complete for booking. She’s scheduling cover design and formatting clients into 2025 right now and offers a 3 week turnaround time on the project.

Authors, this is a great way to book a service and set a hard deadline for yourself, especially if you are self-publishing. It’s very similar to what would be expected of you from a traditional publisher who wants to stick to deadlines to get your work out into the world.

While the interior design of the book might not be the most exciting, it’s certainly the most important because it’s where your reader is spending the most time. Not every genre allows for a lot of design on the interior, but fantasy and romance genres are certainly where you’ll see more of it, and it’s a fun way to give your book a little something extra to delight the reader’s eye.

When you’re formatting your book, there are a lot of details to pay attention to with respect to where the text falls on the page, the presence of hyphens, and making sure the beginning and end of chapters are up to industry standards. This is just a small drop of water in a gallon bucket when it comes to all of the details you need to pay attention to for your book. You don’t have to do this part alone, and in fact, it’s advisable to make sure you always have extra sets of eyes on your book or hire a formatter so you can focus on your writing.

Of course, mistakes are going to happen. We’re all human and it’s only natural there will be times when a book goes to print and something is missed in the formatting stage. Don’t panic. Breathe. Take the steps to fix the error and move on with your day.

For more about formatting the interior of your book and to hear a great strategy for how to get started right now, go listen to Podcast #40 right now!

Who is Mariska Maas?

Mariska Maas is the owner of the bookish design agency Rubre Art. She is a passionate book designer and illustrator. And has made it her goal to make a Cinderella one of a kind fit design for each and every book that she works on. No matter if it is for an indie author or a publisher, for everyone deserves amazing covers, interior formatting and illustrations. In her free time you can often see her doing arts and crafts, or reading a book from her never ending TBR.

Where can you find Mariska?

Website: www.rubreart.com
Linktree which includes the service request form: https://linktr.ee/rubreart
Instagram:   / rubre.art  
Tiktok:   / rubre.art  

You’ll want to jump on this opportunity as soon as possible because she’s already booking authors into 2025.

It’s an investment in your writing to take the leap and hire a formatter.

If you'd like to connect with us:

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The Inspired Writer Collective is a podcast and online writing community membership dedicated to the healing power of writing for telling your stories in any genre. Created by authors Stephanie Oswald, Ph.D. & Elizabeth Wilson, it's a supportive online space to get more writing done, improve your craft, and strategically navigate your path to publishing.

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