Custom book designs you'll show off
Imagine it's 2010 and you're a young adult who just finished her first book. The only major way to get your book published is through traditional means. But someone tells her about self-publishing and gives her the name of a company.
She saves up $500 for their design package and eagerly awaits.
The day finally arrives and the book is in her hands. She's not excited. She's deflated. Yes, she had seen the proofs online. Yes, she had approved them but only because there were restrictions with the design package. Major restrictions. She thought she'd feel something else, but she's embarrassed and wants to hide every single copy that she now owns.
She was lucky though. She had graphic design knowledge and just needed to learn how to apply that knowledge to books. When she rolled up her sleeves and put in the effort, the final book was something she was really proud of.
That girl was me. I vowed that none of my clients would ever feel like I did back then.
About me and what I do
Hello, I'm Sheenah and I'm a freelance book designer. Most people hear book designer and might think cover designer, which is true. I do deal with that. But my main specialty is with formatting. When it comes to formatting, there's a lot of names for the job. You might have heard of: typesetting, desktop publishing, interior formatting, ebook production, or even ebook formatting. I've been freelancing since the beginning of 2016 and even I find the number of terms for what I do to be a little overwhelming. The most important thing to note? I know how to handle a lot of text, which is it's own little subset under the graphic design umbrella.
Before I stumbled upon typesetting, I was convinced I'd be a web designer one day, but the allure of writing was stronger. Maybe it was a calling. I've written two novels and a short story collection, accidentally became the owner of a small press for a brief period of time, flirted with being a one-stop self-publishing service company, and realized that book design was perfect for me because it's the intersection of my two loves: design and books.
I love the joy and awe of when my clients see their final product. They've been through their books ad nauseum, but they've only seen their books in a word processor.
Their book, once a messy word document, transforms into a proper book. One that looks like something they've been dreaming of. No limitations. Full customization.
A bit more about me?
I have a vestibular dysfunction (vestibular migraine) that was finally diagnosed in 2022. I've been suffering from 24/7 vertigo since I was 16, so having a flexible schedule was my only option. Throughout the years, I've learned to manage it and juggle deadlines but with a proper diagnosis, I've made some major headway into learning what I can do about it instead of throwing things at a wall and hoping it sticks.
When I'm not talking about publishing or designing books, I'm probably snuggling with my cat, wandering about a forest, writing in my Passion Planner, playing a cozy game, making (more) tea, or lost in a fictional world. I have an interest in the intersection of pharmacy and alternative medicine, spirituality (hello, shiny rocks!), yoga, being more eco-friendly, different mediums to tell stories in, and helping others share their stories. I also collect hobbies like Infinity Stones.
I occasionally travel to visit my boyfriend, who lives 500 miles away.
We might be a good match if:
It's within your budget. I offer payment plans, but if the payment plans still feel like it could be a financial burden on you, do not hire me. Self-publishing is expensive. If you need to cut corners to realize your dream of being an author, do it. Check out my Resources page and shop around for other cover designers and formatters. Or consider purchasing a premade cover or DIY-ing your own cover with Canva. When it comes to formatting, you can DIY with Word or use a program like Atticus or Vellum.
You don't feel the need to constantly update your book. Traditional publishers are not constantly updating their books. Once the book is published, you shouldn't be scouring through the book and making more editorial updates. Learn from your mistakes and grow with the next book.
You don't want to learn more stuff. As a self-published author, we need to know all the things on publishing: how to edit, how to design, how to market. You might be an author who just wants to write and you're tired of all the other things. If you're able to, outsource what you don't want to do or don't want to learn. You'll be surprised at how much stress will be lifted from your shoulders.
You're ready to look like a pro. A professionally designed book will subconsciously make people pay more attention to you and your work.
Accessibility matters. I wouldn't call myself an accessibility master, but I'm learning. Slowly. I can tell you that my ebooks are more accessible than whatever Calibre spits out. And if you don't put in the appropriate work, InDesign's epubs can also be quite inaccessible. So if you want your ebook to be more accessible than others, let's talk.
You're interested in the American market. Cultures and markets are all different and, surprise!, graphic design and typesetting conventions are different, depending on the country/culture/market. I'm an American who is fluent in English, so my graphic design lens is based on that. If you need a cover done for a different English market or country, you might do better working with someone else.
