Author Archives: Daniel Harper

Book Cover Canva: Design Platform Tutorial

Okay so Canva is honestly the easiest way to make book covers if you’re just starting out with KDP, and I’ve been using it for like five years now because even though I know how to use Photoshop I just… don’t want to deal with all that anymore. First thing you gotta do is sign […]

Biography Layout: Life Story Design Principles

Okay so I just redesigned three biography layouts last week and here’s what actually matters when you’re trying to make someone’s life story readable and not a total snoozefest. The Timeline Problem Nobody Talks About First thing – chronological isn’t always your friend. I know, sounds backwards, but hear me out. I was working on […]

Best Booklet Design: Award-Winning Mini Books

Okay so I’ve been judging booklet design competitions for the past three years and honestly, the stuff that wins awards versus what actually sells on Amazon… there’s overlap but it’s not what you’d think. The Size Thing Nobody Gets Right Most people designing mini books immediately go to 5×8 because that’s what they see everywhere. […]

Recipe Book Layout: Cookbook Design Principles

Okay so I just redesigned three cookbooks last month and the layout thing is honestly where most people screw up their whole project. Like you can have amazing recipes but if the layout’s a mess nobody’s gonna use it. First thing – margins matter way more than you think. I was watching The Bear while […]

Booklet Template Canva: Mini Book Design

Okay so I just spent like three hours messing around with Canva’s booklet templates last week because I was creating this lead magnet for one of my niches and honestly the whole mini book thing in Canva is way easier than people make it sound but there’s definitely some stuff you gotta know upfront. Setting […]

Book Cover Layout: Design Composition Guide

Okay so the thing about book cover layout is most people obsess over fonts and colors but completely ignore the actual composition and that’s where like 80% of covers fail right out of the gate. I was redesigning a cover for one of my planners last month while watching some terrible reality show my wife […]

Picture Book Layout: Children’s Illustration Guide

okay so picture book layouts are actually way more technical than people think I spent like three days last month just staring at spreads because a client’s illustrator kept sending files that wouldn’t work for print and honestly it made me realize most people don’t get the actual mechanics of this stuff. So here’s what […]

Book Spine Design Template: Side Cover Layout

Okay so spine design is one of those things nobody thinks about until they upload their book to KDP and suddenly realize the spine width calculator is giving them weird dimensions and you’re like wait what do I even put here. First thing – your spine width completely depends on page count and paper type. […]

Book Page Layout: Typography & Margins Guide

Okay so here’s the deal with book page layout – I was literally up until 2am last night fixing a client’s manuscript that looked like someone just hit “print” without thinking about margins and honestly it’s such an easy thing to mess up but also super fixable. Start With Your Trim Size Because Everything Flows […]

Book Template Canva: Complete Design Tutorial

Okay so I just spent like three hours in Canva last night designing book templates and honestly it’s way easier than people make it sound but there are some tricks you gotta know upfront. Setting Up Your Canva Account the Right Way First thing – you need Canva Pro for this. I know everyone wants […]