Book Designer: 6x9 Paperback Interior + Cover + Complete Kindle eBook

I am looking for an experienced, comprehensive book designer and typesetter to handle the interior layout, print cover, and complete Kindle eBook formatting for a roughly 275-page Christian devotional titled Sacred Thinking. I want to hire one professional or agency who can handle all aspects of the project to ensure a seamless visual and technical workflow between the print and digital editions. The manuscript will be 100% complete and cleanly compiled by August 30. Manuscript Structure The manuscript contains: An introductory chapter 12 weeks of daily devotionals A concluding chapter (Chapter 14) A 5-page appendix A 3-page endnotes section 14 garden-map module openings corresponding to the book's final organizational structure The completed manuscript will be the authoritative source for all pagination, section breaks, headings, and content. The designer should be comfortable making professional typographic and pagination decisions when necessary—for example, avoiding awkward page breaks, stranded headings, excessive white space, orphan/widow lines, and poorly balanced pages—while preserving the author's exact wording. Every week has a title/opening page and should begin on a right-hand/front-facing page. Every Day should begin on a new page. 1. PRINT INTERIOR LAYOUT DESIGN Text Tagging & Space Cleanup The manuscript is currently typed primarily in "Normal" text and contains manual empty line spaces between paragraphs. The designer will: Strip out unnecessary manual blank-line breaks. Apply consistent automated paragraph spacing. Manually tag weekly titles as Heading 1 and daily titles as Heading 2. Establish a professional style hierarchy throughout the manuscript. Build the Table of Contents from the established heading structure. Trim Size 6" x 9" paperback This project is for the paperback edition only on the print side. Interior Color Grayscale / black and white interior, optimized for Amazon KDP standard black-and-white printing. Body Text Formatting Nonfiction block styling: Completely left-aligned body text No first-line paragraph indents Clean, consistent line spacing (approximately 1.15x–1.25x) Approximately 10pt spacing after paragraphs Professional typographic hierarchy throughout Consistent treatment of headings, subheadings, lists, quotations, Scripture, and other recurring elements The designer may make professional typographic adjustments when needed for visual balance and readability, but may not alter the author's actual content without approval. Citations & Endnotes The manuscript utilizes manual superscript numbers embedded in the text, such as: text.”¹⁹ These correspond to a static, compiled Notes section at the very end of the book. For the print edition, no dynamic footnote-to-endnote conversion is required. The superscript numbering and corresponding Notes section should remain visually accurate and consistent. Scriptures & Closing Quotes Opening Scriptures: Each day features an opening Bible verse that should be centered with the Bible reference in italics centered beneath it. Closing Quotes: Each day ends with a closing quote that should be centered and visually positioned toward the lower portion of the page when pagination permits, while maintaining consistent margins and avoiding excessive forced white space. Bulleted Lists There are bulleted items throughout the devotional. Please format these cleanly using standard bullet symbols with consistent indentation and a tight, professional line gap between items. Standout Callout Boxes The manuscript contains specific thematic text blocks which have been identified in the draft using: [START CALLOUT BOX] and [END CALLOUT BOX] Please replace these tags with an elegant, consistent standalone design feature, such as a soft gray shaded background, clean minimal border, or another professional treatment appropriate for a Christian devotional. The designer may recommend the final treatment, but it should remain visually consistent throughout the book. Pagination & Page-Break Standards The final layout should be professionally typeset with careful attention to pagination. To be clear: No orphan lines No widow lines No heading stranded at the bottom of a page Daily entries should not begin with an awkward 2–3 lines at the bottom of a page Callout boxes should not split awkwardly Weekly introductions should begin intentionally Major sections should begin on the appropriate page Unnecessary blank pages should be avoided Page composition should be visually balanced throughout the book Running Headers & Page Numbers The print edition should use alternating even/odd running headers: Even pages: Main Book Title Odd pages: Current active Month or Focus Theme Page numbers should be positioned in the footer and remain clear of the inside spine/gutter area. Table of Contents The final print PDF must contain a professionally formatted Table of Contents reflecting the weekly headings and daily headings, with accurate page numbers. The TOC should be clickable in the PDF in addition to being fully functional for the printed edition. 2. GARDEN MAP GRAPHIC PLACEMENT — PRINT EDITION Master Garden Map The book features a single, high-resolution, black-and-white visual roadmap graphic based on garden imagery. This image is already embedded in the manuscript. Placement The master garden map must be duplicated and cleanly placed at the beginning of each of the 14 garden-map module openings. Each placement should: Maintain consistent sizing and positioning Remain sharp and high-resolution Be properly anchored Never fracture awkwardly across pages Remain visually integrated with the surrounding weekly/module introduction The surrounding text will instruct readers to physically color or mark their location on this map. 3. PAPERBACK COVER DESIGN I already have a completed, high-quality, AI-generated concept for my Front Cover (attached to this listing). I need the designer to use this image as the foundation for the final, print-ready full-wrap paperback cover PDF consisting of: Front cover Spine Back cover The designer will: Calculate the final spine width based on the completed interior page count and applicable KDP specifications. Build the cover using the correct KDP template/dimensions. Lay out my provided back-cover description. Lay out my author biography. Incorporate the paperback ISBN/barcode. Maintain appropriate whitespace around the barcode. Ensure the typography and overall design language of the interior beautifully complement the fonts and visual identity established by the front cover. The cover must be built to the actual final KDP specifications for the completed book, including final page count, trim size, paper type, bleed, and spine width—not to an estimated spine width. Non-Negotiable Front-Cover Asset The provided front-cover artwork is a non-negotiable asset. It must be used as provided and may be cropped or resized only as necessary to fit the final cover dimensions. The artwork itself must not be regenerated, replaced, substantially altered, or recreated. 4. ISBN & BARCODE I will provide the final ISBN assigned to the paperback edition. The designer will incorporate the ISBN information and corresponding barcode into the back-cover design at the appropriate location, size, and resolution for KDP print requirements. If the ISBN/barcode is not available when initial cover design begins, the appropriate barcode area should be reserved until I provide the final information. No ISBN is required for the Kindle edition. 5. COMPLETE KINDLE / EBOOK FORMATTING In addition to the paperback edition, I need a complete, professionally formatted reflowable Kindle eBook created from the final manuscript. The Kindle edition should not simply be a conversion of the print PDF. It should be specifically formatted and optimized for digital reading. Kindle eBook Requirements The final eBook should include: Professionally formatted, reflowable EPUB suitable for Amazon KDP Proper semantic heading hierarchy Functional Kindle navigation Functional, clickable Table of Contents Clean paragraph styling optimized for adjustable e-reader font sizes Consistent heading and subheading hierarchy Properly formatted Scriptures Properly formatted daily titles Properly formatted closing quotations Properly formatted bulleted lists Properly formatted callout sections Proper superscript citation numbers Properly formatted Notes/endnotes section Appropriate internal navigation where useful Optimized images suitable for Kindle devices and apps Properly optimized garden-map graphics The ebook should preserve the visual identity, hierarchy, tone, and design language of the paperback while being appropriately adapted for responsive digital reading. The print-specific elements should not simply be carried over into the ebook. For example, the Kindle edition should not contain print running headers, print footers, fixed page numbers, or fixed 6x9 page dimensions. Garden Map — eBook The garden map should be appropriately optimized for digital display and inserted at each corresponding module location without creating excessive file size or display problems. The designer should ensure the map remains legible on common Kindle devices and apps. eBook Cover The designer will also create the appropriate Kindle eBook cover image using my provided front-cover artwork and maintaining the established visual identity of the paperback cover. The original front-cover artwork remains a non-negotiable asset and may not be regenerated or replaced. eBook Quality Control The completed eBook should be reviewed/tested for formatting consistency across common Kindle reading environments, including phone/tablet and larger-screen reading where practical. The designer should correct obvious formatting problems discovered during testing before final delivery. 6. TEXT INTEGRITY — PRINT & EBOOK No changes may be made to manuscript wording, punctuation, Scripture text, quotations, citations, headings, or content order without my explicit approval. Formatting corrections may be made when necessary, but substantive editorial changes are outside the scope of this project. The completed manuscript I provide will be considered the authoritative text. 7. PROOFING & REVISIONS The designer will provide a complete PDF proof of the paperback interior and cover for author review before final delivery. The project includes up to two reasonable rounds of revisions related to formatting, pagination, typography, design, and technical corrections. The Kindle eBook will also be provided for author review before final delivery. Final files will be delivered only after author approval. 8. REQUIRED FINAL DELIVERABLES To successfully complete this project and release the contract funds, the following final files must be delivered: Paperback Print-Ready Paperback Interior PDF A high-resolution, print-ready PDF with: Correct 6x9 trim size Correct KDP margins Correct alternating mirror/gutter margins Proper bleed where applicable All fonts embedded Correct grayscale/black-and-white treatment Professionally formatted pagination and TOC Print-Ready Paperback Full-Wrap Cover PDF A high-resolution, print-ready full-wrap PDF containing: Front cover Spine Back cover Correct final spine width Correct KDP dimensions/template Paperback ISBN/barcode Proper bleed and safe areas Kindle Complete Reflowable Kindle eBook A validated, upload-ready EPUB suitable for Amazon KDP, including: Functional navigation Functional clickable Table of Contents Proper heading hierarchy Optimized images Properly formatted callout sections Properly formatted Scriptures and quotations Properly formatted Notes/endnotes Appropriate Kindle cover image Source Files Editable Source Files Complete, unflattened source files for the paperback design—ideally an Adobe InDesign packaged folder containing: .indd files All linked assets Necessary fonts or font information Other supporting source files required to edit the book in the future For the ebook, provide the editable source/project files used to create the final EPUB where applicable. KDP Compliance Before final delivery, the designer must preflight the paperback interior and cover against Amazon KDP's current specifications for 6x9 paperback printing, including: Trim size Bleed Margins Gutter Embedded fonts Image resolution Color mode Spine width Cover dimensions Barcode placement The final Kindle eBook should likewise be validated for appropriate EPUB/KDP technical requirements before delivery. 9. MATERIALS I WILL PROVIDE I will provide: Final compiled manuscript in Word Completed front-cover artwork Final back-cover copy Author biography Garden roadmap graphic in high resolution Any required Scripture/citation source information Specific callout-box tags already identified in the manuscript Final author/title information for the cover Paperback ISBN KDP account specifications/templates if needed The manuscript will be fully complete and ready for formatting by August 30. Timeline: I anticipate approximately 2–3 weeks of production time after the final manuscript and all design assets are delivered. I am looking for a designer who can begin promptly after August 30 and complete the project within approximately 3 weeks, including proofing, revisions, and final KDP-ready files. Budget: $500 fixed-price starting budget. I am open to a higher fixed-price proposal for the right experienced book designer based on portfolio, expertise, and proposed approach.