Book Design in Adobe InDesign Course
Learn professional book design on this Adobe InDesign Training Course covering book structure, typography, layout control and file preparation for commercial print, eBooks, and print-on-demand publishing.
Create submission-ready files for Amazon KDP and IngramSpark without common publishing errors. Professional book design training for designers, authors and self-publishers.
InDesign Course Overview
This book design training teaches you how to design, format and prepare professional-quality books for print, eBooks, and global self-publishing platforms including Amazon KDP and IngramSpark.
Designed for designers, authors, and publishers, the course focuses on real-world publishing workflows used in the book industry. You will learn how to structure long documents, apply professional typography, and prepare compliant files that meet the technical standards required for commercial printing and print-on-demand distribution.
By the end of the course, you will be able to confidently design and publish books that are ready for print, PDF, and digital distribution.
Onsite and Online Training Options
This course is available as live online training or onsite training depending on your needs. This course on book design in InDesign shows not only how to design but it also shows how to trouble-shoot and identify potential issues involved in digital publishing. Online sessions are delivered in real time with an instructor letting you ask questions and work through practical examples remotely.
Onsite training can be delivered at your premises or a training venue and is ideal for teams or organisations looking for a tailored learning experience. Both formats follow the same professional curriculum and can be adapted to suit specific publishing goals or workflows.
Print on Demand Considerations for Amazon KDP & IngramSpark
Understanding Print-on-Demand Processes
Publishing books using print-on-demand (POD) platforms such as Amazon KDP and IngramSpark involves specific layout, formatting, and technical requirements that differ from traditional commercial printing. Files must be set up accurately to ensure books are accepted by the platforms and printed correctly.
This course explains how to design and prepare book interiors in Adobe InDesign for POD publishing, covering document setup, front matter, pagination, and export workflows. You’ll learn how professional book designers structure files to meet platform specifications and avoid common submission and print issues.
Introduction to Print-on-Demand Platforms
You’ll gain a clear understanding of how print-on-demand services work, including trim sizes, page counts, binding options, and how POD platforms process book interior files. This provides essential context for making informed design and layout decisions in Adobe InDesign.
Setting up your Book Files Correctly
Correct document setup is critical when designing books for POD.
This section covers margins, bleeds, gutters, and spine allowances as well as best practice for managing title pages, front matter, and pagination. You’ll learn how to structure book files efficiently so they meet Amazon KDP and IngramSpark requirements without unnecessary duplication.
Avoiding Common Print-on-Demand Issues
Many POD rejections are caused by small but critical formatting errors. This course highlights common issues such as margin violations, bleed problems, font embedding errors, and incorrect export settings. You’ll learn how to preflight and export print-ready PDFs from Adobe InDesign to help ensure smooth approval and reliable print results.
What will you learn on this InDesign Course?
On this Adobe InDesign book design course, you will learn how to:
Design complete book layouts using Adobe InDesign
Set up documents for print, eBooks, and print-on-demand
Create layouts suitable for Amazon KDP and IngramSpark
Use master pages, styles, grids, and baseline systems
Apply professional book typography and spacing
Manage long documents efficiently using sections, TOCs, and page numbering
Prepare files correctly for commercial printers and POD platforms
Export compliant files for print PDFs and eBook workflows
Introduction to Book Design and Publishing
Understanding print, eBook, and POD publishing
Book formats, trim sizes, and binding options
Amazon KDP and IngramSpark requirements overview
Setting up Book Documents in InDesign
Understanding print, eBook, and POD publishing
Book formats, trim sizes, and binding options
Amazon KDP and IngramSpark requirements overview
Typography for Book Design
Choosing typefaces for readability
Paragraph, character, and object styles
Hyphenation, justification, and spacing control
Master Pages & Layout Consistency
Designing and managing master pages
Headers, footers, folios, and running heads
Maintaining consistency across long documents
Working with Long Documents
Importing and flowing large amounts of text
Managing chapters and sections
Creating automatic tables of contents
Preparing Books for Print
Print-ready PDF settings
Preflight and error checking
Working with commercial printers
Publishing for Amazon KDP & Ingram Spark
Platform-specific layout considerations
File specifications and compliance
Avoiding common POD errors
Exporting for eBooks
Understanding reflowable vs fixed-layout eBooks
Preparing files for digital conversion
Best practices for multi-format publishing
Who is this Book Design in Adobe InDesign Training Course for?
This course is ideal for:
Graphic designers moving into book and publication design
Authors and self-publishers producing books for Amazon or IngramSpark
Publishers and editors working with long documents
Marketing teams creating branded books or publications
Anyone wanting to master Adobe InDesign for professional book layout
A basic working knowledge of Adobe InDesign is recommended.
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Other Adobe InDesign Courses
Book Design in Adobe InDesign Training Course FAQ
How do Online Adobe InDesign Courses work?
Online Virtual Adobe Courses are delivered with a live instructor.
They are available as one to one sessions or to closed company groups
Because it is virtual online training this InDesign Course can be delivered literally at any time of the day 24/7, overnight and during weekends.
You will have live contact with the instructor throughout your training and be able to share both your screen and see theirs in real time.
All the courses featured on the website are available as online training.
How do Onsite Adobe InDesign Training Courses work
The trainer comes directly out to you at your premises to deliver the InDesign Training.
- There is no travelling for you or your team saving travel, hotel and any additional expenses
- It is cheaper than traditional training – you are paying for the trainer directly
- Nothing about our Adobe Training Courses is generic.
- Prior to the InDesign Course we discuss your aims, content preferences & knowledge
- The Advanced InDesign Course is tailored to suit you and your team
- Flexible dates & times to suit you
- Full after course support for as long as you need it.
This InDesign Course content takes between one and two days depending on the amount of people sitting on the training – for one person a day usually suffices but for small groups of between 4 and 6 people two days is more realistic.
It is available as Online InDesign Training or Onsite InDesign Training and is perfect for both company courses or individual sessions.
24 /7 and Weekend Online Adobe InDesign Training?
We run online Adobe InDesign training courses on a 24 /7 basis including evenings, overnight and at weekends.
*Unfortunately we can only offer for these for virtual online InDesign Courses
1 /2 Day Virtual Online Adobe InDesign Courses
We appreciate that not everyone likes a full days training so for online InDesign Book Design courses a full days training can be split into half days and delivered over an agreed period of time.
*Unfortunately we can only offer 1 /2 day sessions for onsite training courses.
What other similiar design courses do you run?
As well InDesign we run Book Design training in Affinity Publisher or as it’s now know Affinity Studio – again this is totally specialist design course focusing specifically on book design for print on demand and digital publishing
Book Design in Affinity Publisher /Affinity Studio
Learn to work with Affinity Studios layout persona and photo persona (for light photo editing) on this Affinity Course:
Explore our Book Design in Affinity Publisher Course
What is Affinity?
Learn more about Affinity Studio on Greta Powell Training’s post
Affinity Free Software Review – is it worth it?
Other popular InDesign Courses:
Added Bonus about Quickstart Adobe InDesign Training Courses
An added bonus of our online courses is there’s no travel involved meaning less stress on the planet so environmentally it makes great sense.
No fighting traffic or public transport just get up, have tea /coffee, something to eat, turn on the computer and we’ll be there ready to deliver your course.
And by the way we don’t mind if you’re wearing your Jim-Jams or last nights lop-sided party hat.
All our digital design courses are available online. If you have any questions about any of our Online Adobe Training courses please do not hesitate to pick up the phone or drop us an email.
Do you record the Book Design Training?
Do you record the InDesign Training sessions?
We do, but unfortunately due to privacy issues can only record for individuals or closed company courses.
How to Book the Adobe InDesign Course
Booking with us
Please get in touch with us via the online booking form or click to:
We will then get in touch and send the details of booking reservation and find out your timeframe for training.
We will then send across dates.
Once the booking is confirmed we then organise a pre-course call /meeting to discuss the course and any logistics around the day.
Payment
Payment for training is via BACS or Credit Card
Credit Card payment is via Stripe
*Greta Powell Training Ltd does not collect or store your card details.
Purchase Orders
We accept purchase orders from UK registered companies and the public sector.
Where does Greta Powell Training deliver onsite Adobe Courses?
We travel extensively across the UK to host Book Design in Adobe InDesign Training Courses including all major towns and cities.
We regularly visit cities and towns as far apart as Birmingham, Coventry, Newark, Derby, Lincoln, Cambridge, Liverpool to name a few
Please get in touch to discuss our InDesign Book Training in your area.
Book Design in Adobe InDesign Course Content
Getting Started with Adobe InDesign
Interface tour and workspace setup
Creating a new book document
Setting page size, margins, bleeds & slug
Master pages for consistent book layouts
Using grids, baselines, and typographic systems
Professional Type with Adobe InDesign
Using paragraph, character, and object styles
Spacing, line height, hyphenation & justification
Automating book structure: TOC, index, headers & footers
Best practices for long document formatting
Book Layout & Page Design in Adobe InDesign
Building clean, readable book layouts
Designing chapter openers & section dividers
Working with grids and modular layouts
Using assets, libraries, and reusable templates
Working with Images in InDesign
Placing, linking, and managing images
Anchoring images inside text flows
Basic photo editing
Image resolution, DPI, and color profiles for print
InDesign and Advanced Publishing Features
Preflight panel for error detection
Global formatting tools
Resource Manager for linked assets
Book Cover /Title Page Design
Setting up a print-ready cover file
Calculating spine width for KDP & IngramSpark
Designing front, spine, and back covers
Creating eye-catching typography & layouts
Export settings for print-on-demand providers
Set up for Amazon /KDP
Working with Amazon KDP trim sizes
Trim size and reflow
Bleed v no Bleed
Margins /Page Count /Gutter
Avoiding Margin errors
Paper /Options /Binding (paperbacks) /Case Laminate (hardcovers)
Calculating the spine
Design with CMYK-friendly colors even if exporting in PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4 RGB
Set up for IngramSpark
IngramSpark trim sizes
Black 100% Ink
Embedded fonts
MYK or grayscale files
Correct ICC profiles
Trim size and paper
Bleed & Margins
Calculaing spine width
Cover file requirements /binding
