That Last
book, Brian.
I opened both PDFs you shared and went through them properly before writing this.
The hard part is done. The 55 ideas read really well, and the "Idea Worth Keeping" boxes are a smart touch.
What the files need now is the book layer. One system across all 8 parts, clean page breaks, real part openers, and a contents page with page numbers.
Below is what I found in the files and how I'd take it from here.
proposal
A short video for you.
What I noticed in your PDFs.
All of these come from the two files you attached. None of them are content problems. They come from the pages being exported one by one, and they go away once the book is built as one file. Click any picture to zoom in.
A takeaway box lands on the next page, away from its idea
The "Idea Worth Keeping" for Let the News Give You Ideas, Not Decisions gets pushed to the top of page 2. The reader turns the page and finds the takeaway on its own.
A new idea starts with one line at the bottom of a page
Your Watch List Is Telling You Something starts at the very foot of the page with one sentence, and the rest carries over.
The Part 02 title shows twice, and the opener shares its page
"Read Price, Context, and Market Conditions" is in the banner and again in the box under it. The first idea then starts on the same page.
Cover, reader note and contents are all on page 1
Everything sits on one page, and the footers carry no page numbers, so the contents can't really be used to find anything.
8.27 x 11.69 in
8.5 x 11 in
7 x 10 in
The pages are A4
That's a European size. For a US printer or Amazon KDP, A4 usually means scaling problems or a redo later. A 7 x 10 in book size also suits short ideas better.
What your post tells me.
No files yet, so here's what I picked up from the way you wrote the brief, and what I'd do about each point.
about 85% formatted and designed
The look is mostly settled. You want it finished, not redesigned from zero.
Keep your fonts and colors, and fix how the pages flow and connect.
combined into one PDF booklet
Eight files need to read like one book, not eight exports stapled together.
One file, one set of styles, a contents page and running page numbers.
through the eye of a professional
You want the small things caught that are easy to miss when you wrote the content yourself.
A line-by-line pass for bad breaks, orphaned headings and spacing.
Adobe InDesign · Print Design
This needs to hold up on paper, not only on screen.
Print-ready export with bleed, plus a lighter PDF for email.
A few questions that shape the book.
Each answer changes something real in the build, so it's worth settling them before day one.
Print, digital, or both?
Changes: page size, bleed, and whether I export one PDF or two.
Will you give it away to members, or sell it, for example on Amazon?
Changes: a selling copy needs a copyright page, ISBN, barcode and a proper back cover.
Who opens it first: current members, or new readers you want to win over?
Changes: how the cover and opening pages speak, and whether it ends with a subscribe page.
Should the digital version link out to your Substack posts and sign-up page?
Changes: clickable links, bookmarks and a clickable contents page.
Is the current look final, or are you open to small upgrades?
Changes: whether I only fix layout, or also refine type and give each part its own accent.
Are the other six parts final, and will there be a new edition each year?
Changes: the order I build in, and how the file is set up for next year's update.
Books and booklets I've worked on.
Long-form booklets with chapters, covers and contents pages, the same kind of work your book needs. Click any one to see it larger.
How I'll run this.
Four phases over about three weeks. You see a PDF at the end of each one, and nothing moves ahead without your OK.
Set the system
Lock the book size and margins, then build master pages and text styles from your current look. The cover and the Part 02 opener get designed first as test pages.
You approve the directionBuild the book
All 8 parts go into one InDesign file. Each part gets its opener, every takeaway stays with its idea, and page breaks get fixed along the way.
Full draft of all 55 ideasPolish and proof
Contents page with live page numbers, running footers, and a line-by-line pass for bad breaks. Then your feedback round and the fixes.
You approve the final proofHand over
A print-ready PDF with bleed, a lighter digital PDF with a clickable contents page, and the packaged InDesign file so it's fully yours.
Files in your handsWhy you should hire me.
13+ years of designing long-form content, and you deal with me directly from the first call to the final files.
Book layout, not just graphics
Page flow, part openers, page numbers and contents. The quiet details that make a collection feel like a real book.
Built to reuse
Master pages and text styles, so the 2027 edition is an update, not a rebuild.
You talk to me directly
From the first call to the final files, your questions come to me.
Print-ready files
Proper bleed and export settings for a US printer or Amazon KDP, plus a light PDF for email.
Your words stay yours
No rewriting. Your voice and your takeaways stay exactly as you wrote them.
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A long track record in visual content, with work trusted by teams in the US, UAE and Australia.
part opener first
See the direction on two real pages before you commit to the full book.
I can start within a day of your reply.
you are, Brian.
Pick a time for a 15 minute call. We'll settle the size, the timeline, and anything you want kept exactly as it is.
intro call
- Zoom or Google MeetLink comes in the invite
- Your time zoneThe calendar shows your local times
- No prep neededBring your questions