Blog 54: Interview with a Formatter

It's the very first interview of 2026! Yes, today I have the pleasure of introducing you to another member of the Author Support Network, the lovely Zara Thatcher, an excellent formatter, also known as typesetter, of books. We spend so much time getting our manuscript right, taking it through hours and hours of editing but how much time do we spend thinking about how it looks on the page? Enter Zara.

Hi there, Zara! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into formatting?

Hello, Angie! I am based in Surrey and I’ve worked in publishing for 16 years, if you discount a brief, early attempt at freelancing in my first year. I originally trained as a proofreader, motivated by my love of books.

In 2009, I went to “help out” for the day at a family friend’s publishing house in Croydon and was offered a full-time role by the end of the day. What began as an unexpected opportunity turned into an 11-year role.

Because it was a small company, I was involved in many stages of the production process, and alongside proofreading, I learned how to design the interior of books. Over time, typesetting became a core part of my work, and I developed a strong understanding of how a thoughtful layout and structure supports readability and a professional finished book.

Wow, they must really have been impressed with you to offer you a job after one day. At what point would you suggest that an author needs your services?

I usually recommend that authors get in touch when their manuscript is in the editing stage – or even sooner if you can. Many authors underestimate just how long each stage of the publishing process can take, so planning ahead is really important.

Contacting a typesetter early ensures there’s enough time to produce a polished, professional book without the stress of rushing at the last minute and allowing the author plenty of time to ensure they are happy with it. It also gives authors the peace of mind that the technical side of production is in expert hands, leaving them free to focus on their content and promotion.

Self-publishing certainly has a lot of tasks included, and formatting/typesetting may not be apparent to some as a priority. So, when an author gets in touch, what happens next?

When an author gets in touch, the first thing I do is gather some key details about their project. I ask about the word count, the genre, and whether the manuscript includes any tables, images, or other elements that might affect the layout. Once I have that information, I can provide a tailored quote for the work.

From there, we can plan the schedule, including time for a sample layout and any amends.

It feels like you cover everything. Making sure such things as images and graphs look right on the page along with the writing. Do you look at the book in its entirety, including the front and back covers, and the additional written information prior to the story?

I don’t read a book cover to cover when I’m typesetting, but I do read key sections to get a sense of the story and ensure I understand the structure and flow. This helps me typeset the manuscript in a way that reflects its content and style, rather than just applying a template blindly. It’s more about the aesthetics at this stage.

I'm sure the readers are curious to know what software and tools you use?

I use Adobe InDesign for all my typesetting work. When I first started out in publishing, we were using Microsoft Publisher, which I still cringe at slightly!

I also use Adobe Photoshop whenever there are images in a book, to resize them and to check their print quality. Combining InDesign and Photoshop lets me handle both the text and visual elements of a book with confidence, ensuring a polished final product. Luckily, I studied photography at college, so I have been using Photoshop for many years.

A woman of many skills! How long, on average, would you say the process takes?

I typically allow around three weeks to complete the typesetting process. This includes creating a sample layout, handling any amends, and allowing time for back-and-forth communication with the author. This schedule ensures there’s time to discuss changes, answer questions, and make sure the final product meets the author’s vision without any rush.

It sounds like you liaise closely with the authors to get the final product exactly how they want it. But do you have makeshift options for different budgets?

I don’t offer makeshift or rushed options because professional typesetting takes time and care to do properly. That said, I can work with authors to tailor the project to their needs and budget.

I also advise authors on design choices that can affect cost, particularly with print-on-demand. For example, if someone wanted all their chapter headings in red, I would discourage it unless it genuinely adds value to the book. On print-on-demand platforms, even just one page of colour means the book is a full-colour print, which can increase costs for the author. My goal is always to balance a polished, professional result with practical, cost-effective solutions.

I'm sure readers that aren't experienced with formatting but don't have a lot of extra cash will be relieved to hear this. So, what could be the result of putting out a book that isn’t properly formatted?

Putting out a book that isn’t properly formatted can have a bigger impact than many authors realise. Even if the writing itself is strong, inconsistent styles, uneven spacing, poorly aligned text, or badly formatted tables and images can make a book look unprofessional and distract readers from the story.

Ultimately, an unpolished layout can affect readers’ enjoyment, reduce credibility, and limit the book’s chances of success. Proper formatting ensures the story shines and the book makes the best possible impression.

Therefore, it isn't just the manuscript itself, but the overall look of the entire book that contributes to how it is received by the customer. Have you got any advice for people who are trying to format their own books and want to avoid putting out a product that looks unprofessional? Such as what should they be looking out for in terms of consistency and expected standards?

If you’re formatting your own book, consistency is key. Pay close attention to things like font choices and sizes, paragraph spacing and indents, heading styles, page numbers, and the consistent placement of tables or images. It’s also important to check the design requirements of your chosen publishing platform – Amazon KDP and IngramSpark, for example, each have their own specifications for page size, layout, and file formats.

One area that often causes problems is page margins, which is the white space around the text on each page. Margins aren’t just a technical requirement; they affect how comfortable a book is to read. Many authors don’t realise that the minimum margin Amazon KDP accepts is just 6mm, which is much smaller than what you’d see in most professionally produced books. Readers need enough “thumb space” to hold the book without covering the text, so it’s worth allowing more white space rather than trying to squeeze as many words onto a page as possible.

A really useful exercise is to look at the books you have on your bookshelf and notice how they use spacing, margins, headers, and page layout.

Ultimately, planning ahead, being patient, and paying attention to these details can make a huge difference to readability and overall professionalism.

All great advice! It is interesting how much we read fiction but don't necessarily take note of the style of how it is set out in terms of fonts, line spacing and margins. Are there any other services that you offer that we should know about?

In addition to typesetting, I offer professional proofreading, which is usually completed as the very final stage after formatting. I’m a Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading, so authors can be confident that their text will be checked to the highest industry standards.

Thanks for popping into chat with us, Zara.

If you want to see Zara’s handiwork, she formatted the Author Support Network’s published ebook entitled From Manuscript to Market, which is why I was desperate to grab her for this blog! Check it out and you will see just how amazing she is at this stuff. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0G3Q4MN81/  or https://books2read.com/Author-Support-Network.

If you want to get in touch with her, you can do so through her website: https://www.printreadyeditorial.com/.