Paperback Page Layout
Laying out your pages can be a tricky thing, but if you plan ahead it's not too bad. First find a book where you like the layout of the pages (don't look for something wild, just basic) and try to reproduce it. Trying to do a duplicate copy of a cover design would be a no-no, but ripping off basic page layout is completely acceptable (to me anyway). In this section I'm going to assume you are laying out the pages in MS Word or another similar program. It is much better to do it in a professional layout program, but they are fairly complicated and I won't begin to go into that process.
First, I'm going to talk to you about the very basics of typography. There are 3 main styles of typeface; Serif, Sans Serif, and Decorative & Display. Serif typefaces are generally used where there is long periods of reading, such as books and magazines. An example of a Serif typeface would be Times New Roman, or Garamond. They are distinctive because of the finishing strokes, called 'serifs.' Sans Serifs are generally used for headings, headlines, and are used to grab the eye. Sans Serifs don't have those finishing touches (hence the 'sans'). An example of a sans serif would be Arial or Helvetica. Take a look at Arial next to Times New Roman, can you notice the difference?
Typography is a huge subject, so I'm not going to say anymore about typefaces except, to sum up, that Serifs are better for long passages of reading, and Sans Serifs are better for headings. Try using Garamond for your body text. Most books and magazines use it, or a variation of it, and your publication will automatically look more professional (if that is what you want). Keep in mind most publishers use it because it's an incredibly readable typeface, not because it looks professional.
Now I'm going to talk a little about type size and leading. When I say "leading" I don't mean I'm leading you down the path, but leading like lead, the metal. Leading is the space between lines of text. When you set a type size (called "font size" in most programs), the leading is generally set automatically by the program, unless you set it otherwise. Now, just because the program sets it, doesn't mean you should use the given setting. Set it yourself, and trust me, it will look better. Books are often set at 10 pt type and 11 pt leading. Some basic programs, like WordPad won't let you set leading so you'll have to live with what it gives you. But assuming you're using MS Word, you can change the leading in the "font" menu. Okay, I know that when you were using 12 pt Courier with auto leading, you had a lot more pages than you do now, but you have to understand that those settings are the most readable, and professional looking. Use a bigger type size and it just won't look as good.
Below is an example of a 2-up layout. This means that two books are actually printed beside each other, then trimmed.
With this layout you have to print your books in 2's, but it is a good idea because it makes things simple. There are two trims on this layout, the first to seperate the two books and the second to take into account the width of the spine. What? Okay, I'm assuming you're going to print your pages on standard letter sized paper directly off a laser jet, or take the flats to a copy center. I'm also assuming you're going to use a standard letter size stock for you cover, but because the cover also has a spine (which reduces its width) you must cut away paper to compensate for it. You don't have to do this if you are binding by saddle stitch or side staple, but by glue methods you do. When you layout the pages you must set margins that take this into consideration. Try cutting a stack about a 1/2" of letter sized paper into half. Pretend the paper is the pages in your book, now make a cover out of another piece of paper. You will notice that it doesn't reach all the way to the edges of the pages. This is why you have to make a cut to compensate.
When planing the margins, printing out page proofs are be a good way of seeing how it will look in the end. If you are planning on having your book trimmed (which I recommend), the following image shows how you have to compensate for the trim when laying out a page. You will need to plan for additioal space in your margins.
Compare your printed page proof with the published book you had based it on. What would you change to improve it? Try printing out an entire copy of the book and binding it using one of the techniques shown in the Binding Methods section to get a good idea of how it will really look. Don't forget, if you're having the edges trimmed, take that into consideration when you look at the bound book.