MWSA Visual Checklist

EXTERIOR CONSIDERATIONS

______ Cover art is attractive and draws the eye

______ Cover art relates to the genre and storyline

______ Size and placement of title and author name make them easy to read

______ Back cover blurb, endorsements, and/or bio are legible and interesting

______ Spine information is complete and is the same theme as the cover

INTERIOR CONSIDERATIONS

______ Outside margins allow space to hold the book without covering up words with your thumbs

______ Inside margins allow you to read words in the gutter without prying the book further open

______ Font is serif and large enough to read with ease

______ Space between lines is sufficient that the book lines don’t appear crowded

______ Page numbers appear in the middle or on the outside margin of each page.

______ Odd numbered pages are always on the right side

______ Blank pages do not have page numbers on them

______ Chapter numbers/titles are placed consistently, and there are no headers on that page

______ First paragraph in each chapter is flush left (not indented)

______ Subsequent paragraphs are indented with no space between paragraphs for fiction books.

______ Nonfiction can be formatted like fiction OR no indents, and with a space between paragraphs

______ Length of chapters are approximately the same or intentionally otherwise.

______ Current trend in fiction is toward shorter chapters.

______ Table of Contents must be included for nonfiction but is not mandatory for fiction

______ Paragraphs are blocked (not ragged on the right side) AND without large gaps between words