Zesty Books designs

My design brand is (was) Zesty. This is work done under the Zesty Books brand.

I love books.

Reading them, admiring them (on my bookshelves, ideally), and also designing them.

I’m all for digital books (they have many advantages) but to be honest, I prefer an actual-3D-reality-tangible book.

Holding it in my hands. Feeling the texture of it. Taking in the scent of it. Isn’t it just delicious? There’s nothing quite like it.

What’s also rather delicious is being a part of getting someone’s passion, ideas, values and other forms of self-expression out into the world.

Above are some of the books I’ve had the pleasure of contributing to. For some, I only designed the cover; for some, only the inner pages. For others, I was involved in the whole book; designing the layout, typesetting, formatting, cover design, and even drawing maps (for Beyond Bucharest).

What I love is that they are all very different. Individual; like the author. This is not a one-size-fits-all approach – I tune into each book project and feel into the energy of it. That then translates into visuals. It’s a beautiful co-creation.

What I create for – and with – my unconventional author clients

Book cover icon in blue

Book Cover Design

From £444

Print book icon in blue

Hardback & Paperback Design & Typesetting

From £888

Ebook icon in blue

Ebook Formatting

From £444

Or a combination of any (or all) of the above. Curious?

What clients say (‘zestimonials’ 😉 )

Picture of 'Bernadette' (a crop from the cover of the book)
Bernadette
Escape to Simisu

“My book simply wouldn’t exist without Esther. She made the whole process from my manuscript, right up to getting it on to Amazon, incredibly easy. Her work is always high quality…she clearly cares about getting out a book you love.”

Book cover of 'Escape to Simisu' by Bernadette
Complete book design
August 2021 & 2023 (2nd ed.)
Deniz Paradot (a client)
Deniz Paradot
Move Life Better

“Esther is always my #1 go-to for graphic design and her friendliness, professionalism and reliability makes my life so much easier. It is refreshing to work with someone who can express the ideas I have in my mind and convert them into visual design.”

Book cover of 'Move Life Better' by Deniz Paradot
Complete book design
March 2020
Holly Worton (a client)

“The entire process of determining the design and the fonts was really smooth and easy, and Esther added some beautiful creative touches to it by designing custom icons for each type of tree. I absolutely loved the final product.”

If Trees Could Talk workbook cover
Inner pages design
2019

Do you have a book to release into the world?

I’d love to hear all about it. Let’s have a cuppa!

More zestimonials

Ben Dean (a client)

“You made my book look really sexy, I’m so pleased with how it turned out, I cannot thank you enough. I’m proud to promote it.”

Uncover Satan Recover Thyself book cover
Inner pages redesign
March 2019
Ange de Lumiere (a client)
Ange de Lumiere
My Father Wo Art In Heaven

“Look at the beautiful cover you have made for my memoir. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

My Father Who Art In Heaven book cover
Book cover design
November 2019
Bob Goddard (a client)
Bob Goddard
Mother Moon

“The second book you designed for me is even better than the first! ‘Mother Moon’ has an awesome front and back cover that I’m proud to display anywhere. The formatting and design of the inside pages is second to none.”

Mother Moon book cover
Complete book design
2015

Frequently asked (book) questions

Please note: This information was correct at the time of publishing. Always do your own research to ensure you have the latest details.

What is an ISBN?

ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number, and is simply a number to uniquely identify a book. It consists of either 10 digits (before 2006) or 13 digits (from 2007) and most commonly starts with 978 (although 979 also occurs).

You will find it inside the book on the Colophon page (the information page at the front of the book, with copyright details, and sometimes design and printer details too), and also on the back cover in the form of a barcode.

Do I need to get an ISBN for my book?

Not necessarily – it depends on how you want to get your book out into the world.

You DO need an ISBN:

  • if you decide to independently self-publish your print book and have X copies printed to sell (for example, via your website, in local book stores, at events, or via the Amazon website)
  • if you decide to publish your ebook directly on the Apple iBooks store.

You MAY NOT need an ISBN:

  • if you get a traditional publishing deal – this is the responsibility of the publisher
  • if you decide to publish your ebook via an online platform, such as Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Kobo etc (they will assign their own unique identifier for your book)
  • if you decide to publish your print book via Amazon’s print-on-demand service – this used to be called CreateSpace, but is now part of KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) (Amazon will assign its own unique identifier)
  • if you decide to publish your book via an aggregator service, to appear on multiple platforms (an ISBN is most often included in the service)

How many ISBN numbers do I need for one book?

Different versions of your book will require different ISBN numbers. Depending on how you plan on distributing your book, you will need separate ISBN numbers for the:

  • hardback print book
  • paperback print book
  • PDF version
  • ePub version
  • Apple iBooks version (if going direct)
  • plus any (major) updates or new editions

If you decide to only publish on Amazon Kindle and/or CreateSpace, you don’t need an ISBN since they can assign their own unique identifier for you.

How much does an ISBN number cost?

In Nielsen’s ISBN store, prices are as follows (for the UK, in September 2023):

  • one ISBN for £91
  • 10 ISBNs for £174
  • 100 ISBNs for £379
  • 1000 ISBNs for £979

The more you buy, the cheaper per ISBN. You may find you need several ISBNs for your book anyway depending on how you choose to distribute it (see ‘How many ISBN numbers do I need for one book?’)

For other countries, visit the ISBN International website to find out further details.

Where can I buy ISBN numbers in my country?

On the ISBN International website, you can find answers to many ISBN related questions. On this page you can select your country and you will find detailed information about where you can purchase ISBNs. Always check the latest information on the appropriate websites, and ensure to get all your questions answered before buying.

In the UK, you can buy ISBN numbers at Nielsen UK ISBN Agency. In their ISBN Store, you’ll find pricing information. Processing may take around 10 days, but there is a fast track option available.

Free resources

Image of free guide 'Amazon KDP Prep Sheet' created by Esther

DESIGN & BOOK RESOURCES:

Amazon KDP Prep Sheet

Are you about to publish your first ebook on KDP? Exciting!!

There are a few things to consider in addition to simply uploading your manuscript and cover, though.

This is a handy FREE 8-page PDF guide that takes you through all three sections of the KDP ebook upload system in detail, with an interactive page to keep all the essential information (title, categories, keywords, description) together, to make actually getting your book published easier and faster.

(And it contains handy tips Amazon doesn’t tell you, or takes time to find!)

£0

Would you like some professional design help with your book?

Let’s have a cuppa together to see if we’re a good fit.