Set your vision…

Before formatting your collection, you need to decide how you will be publishing. If you are planning to submit your chapbook to contests or publishers you will typically need to submit an unpublished PDF of your chapbook. Consult their submission guidelines before you begin.

If you are self publishing you can format your book just about however you’d like. If you are feeling super DIY, you can print your chapbook on regular 8.5” x 11” paper, fold it in half “hamburger style” and either staple or stitch together the pages. This is a great option if you’re looking to make a limited edition run and are planning on distributing your poetry either in person, through Etsy, or your personal website. You won’t have to worry about an ISBN, barcode, or revision costs, but you should factor in the amount of time you’ll have to spend assembling the books to make sure it’s the right choice for you.

Trim Size

The Trim Size refers to the final dimensions of your printed book. Chapbooks are traditionally small, but feel free to choose any size that your printer or publisher is willing or able to produce.

Format

We highly recommend Canva for desktop publishing. It’s free and has an excellent assortment of templates to ensure your formatting is clean and on trend. You can use it for cover design, interior formatting, social media announcements and more.

Adobe InDesign is another popular desktop publisher, but it costs $20.99 a month and has a much steeper learning curve. It offers more flexibility and more fonts, but if you’re not a seasoned designer that flexibility is probably going to make things more difficult. If you are looking at becoming a professional book designer, you’ll want to learn Adobe InDesign to boost that resume. Otherwise don’t waste the time and money.

Font

Choose a font that is easy to read and you feel compliments your text. Flip through your favorite books to help decide what fonts you like. Some chapbook contests have recommended or required fonts and font sizes.

Copyright page

This page often indicate Copyright Information, the ISBN number, and Publisher Information. If you are self publishing with KDP or IngramSpark you will need to include this information.

If you are submitting your book to publishers or contests you won’t actually have all this information yet. In this case, your publisher will be responsible for providing this information prior to publication.

Table of contents

If you feel like your chapbook benefits from a Table of Contents go ahead and include it. If you choose to use a Table of Contents or Index you should number the pages of your book. Be sure to double check that the pages match.

If your chapbook is one long poem, or if your poems are all untitled you probably don’t need to include a Table of Contents.

Foreword/dedication/acknowledgments

It’s up to you if you’d like to include them. Generally they should be brief and meaningful for both the person being thanked and for any of your readers, even strangers.

If you are making a limited run for a particular event, IngramSpark gives the option of adding a special dedication page for the limited print at no additional cost.

Don’t forget you can always grab a pen and write a personalized note for your fans! Signed and inscribed!

Chapbook Course Links