Publishing Guidelines

Everything you need in order to publish your book correctly with Orbita Media.

Publishing guidelines

One set of rules for every market. Most of it is the same everywhere; where the printer for your market wants something different, it says so right there in the text.

Printed in Europe: DE · ES · EU · FR · IT. Printed internationally: AU · INT · UK · US.

Overview

Details required for publication

These are the details you need in order to complete the publishing form:

1Title
2Subtitle
3Author first name
4Author surname
5Description
6Keywords
7Amazon paperback link (if it exists)
8Amazon ebook link (if it exists)
9Page count (even number)
10Manuscript (.pdf)
11Paperback cover (.pdf)
12Ebook cover (.jpeg)
Note

The Amazon links for the paperback and the ebook are only required if the book has already been published. The page count must always be an even number.

Article 1

Title and subtitle

  • Avoid titles that are too generic or have been used a hundred times before, such as "The 5-in-1 Survival Guide" or "The Ultimate Mindset Bible".
  • Aim for a title that conveys the uniqueness, value and identity of your book.
  • Do not simply copy well-worn formulas such as "10-in-1", "The Bible of…" or "The Ultimate Guide to…".
  • Find a way to stand out and to describe your content in a fresh, compelling way.
Character limit

The combined length of title and subtitle must be under 199 characters, including the colon (:) and the space that follows it.

Article 2

Author first name and surname

  • Avoid pen names that are obviously invented or far too generic, such as "John Writer" or "James Publish".
  • Use the same author name across all of your books, so that you build trust and recognition.
  • Always connect the book to a genuine online presence (website, social media, Amazon author page) to give your profile authenticity and continuity.

An online presence is not mandatory, but it is strongly recommended.

Article 3

Page count

Core rule

The page count must always be an even number. Books with an odd page count will not be accepted.

If necessary, add a blank page at the end of the manuscript.

The highest page count depends on the trim size and the paper you choose. The publishing form shows the limit for your choice.

Retail price

As the publisher we set the final retail price of every edition: the German law on fixed book prices (§ 5 BuchPrG) places that duty on the publisher.

The price you suggest is rounded to a usual price step and cannot be lower than a minimum that depends on the page count and the trim size. The publishing form shows this minimum next to the price field.

Article 4

ISBN

The ISBN is provided by Orbita Media and assigned automatically by the platform as soon as you purchase a publishing slot. It must be placed inside the manuscript and on the cover, as explained in the articles that follow.

You will also be able to download the barcode for the assigned ISBN directly from the platform.

Important – exclusive use

ISBNs provided by Orbita Media may be used exclusively for publications made through this platform. They may not be reused, transferred, or applied to books published on other platforms or through other publishers. Any misuse will lead to the ISBN being revoked and, where necessary, to the book being withdrawn.

Article 5

Keywords (Amazon backend keywords)

  • Keywords must be in the language of the book – German for a German edition, French for a French one, Spanish for a Spanish one, English for the English-language markets.
  • Write them all in lower case.
  • Keep them short and precise.
  • Separate them however you like – comma, semicolon or one per line, with or without spaces. The form turns whatever you paste into single keywords.
  • The order matters. The Amazon search field holds 249 bytes; if your list is longer, the last keywords are cut off. Drag the important ones to the front – the form shows you live how much fits.
  • Bytes are not characters. An accented or umlauted letter counts as two. That is why the form counts bytes for you instead of letters.

Examples

English
mediterranean diet; cookbook; healthy recipes; meal prep; weight loss
German
mediterrane diät; kochbuch; gesunde rezepte; abnehmen; meal prep
French
régime méditerranéen; livre de cuisine; recettes saines; perte de poids; meal prep
Spanish
dieta mediterránea; libro de cocina; recetas saludables; perder peso; meal prep
Article 6

Trim size

Choose the trim size your book is set in. Which sizes you can pick depends on who prints for your market – and the publishing form offers you exactly the ones listed here.

Available trim sizes
DE · ES · EU · FR · IT · European printing
  • A5, 148 x 210 mm (5.83 x 8.27 in)
  • A4, 210 x 297 mm (8.27 x 11.69 in)
  • A6, 105 x 148 mm
  • 120 x 190 mm
  • 135 x 205 mm
  • 170 x 220 mm
  • 170 x 240 mm
  • 190 x 270 mm
  • 210 x 210 mm (square)
AU · INT · UK · US · international printing
  • 5 x 8 in (127 x 203 mm)
  • 5.25 x 8 in (133 x 203 mm)
  • US Trade, 6 x 9 in (152 x 229 mm)
  • Royal, 6.14 x 9.21 in (156 x 234 mm)
  • Square, 8.5 x 8.5 in (216 x 216 mm)
  • 8.5 x 11 in (216 x 280 mm)
  • A5, 148 x 210 mm (5.83 x 8.27 in)
  • A4, 210 x 297 mm (8.27 x 11.69 in)
Article 7

Book description

Write your description wherever you like and paste it into the form: Word, Google Docs, a note, your own website. You do not have to clean anything up first – the form does that and shows you what it changed before you save.

What is kept

  • Bold and italic.
  • Bullet lists and numbered lists – also when you simply start a line with a dash or a number.
  • One level of sub-heading inside the text.
  • Paragraphs, exactly where you put them.

What is removed

  • Large headings. Every shop places your book title above the description itself – a second large line there looks like a mistake.
  • Links. The text of the link stays, the link does not. No shop accepts links in a description.
  • Fonts, colours and sizes. Every shop uses its own; what you set here would be thrown away at the other end anyway.
  • Tables and images. A description is one text, and that is all the shops show.

Length

  • At least 200 bytes, at most 4,000. Counted is the cleaned-up text, not what you pasted – so a page copied out of Word with all its formatting is not too long just because of the formatting.
No emoji

Emoji do not belong in a book description. Not every shop can show them, and where they cannot, the reader sees an empty box in the middle of your text. The form removes them for you.

Article 8

Manuscript / interior (PDF)

A. Technical guidelines

  • A single PDF file – the entire interior must sit in one file.
  • Embedded fonts – every font must be embedded in the PDF.
  • File format – export as PDF/X-1a:2001 or PDF/X-3:2002.
  • Margins – at least 0.5 inches (13 mm) clear on every side. No text and no important element inside that area.
  • No crop marks – do not add trim marks.
  • Single pages – no spreads and no facing pages.
  • An even page count, visible in the document. Add a blank page at the end if you need one.
  • Page numbers must NOT appear on the first page (the one carrying the title, subtitle and author). Start the numbering on the pages that follow.
  • The file name does not matter. Upload the file the way it is called on your computer – we rename it to the form the printer expects (your ISBN plus _txt for the interior, _cov for the cover).
  • Colours – do not use spot colours or ICC profiles.
  • Text colour – black text is printed as 100% black, which gives the sharpest result. Coloured text is allowed; remember that the interior is printed in greyscale, so a colour becomes a shade of grey.
  • Images – at least 72 ppi. You may deliver them in colour, but the interior is printed in greyscale: every colour becomes a shade of grey. Images that are already black and white or greyscale are therefore the safer choice, because you see what the reader will see.
  • File name – save as ISBN_txt.pdf.
  • The bonus QR code (if there is one) should sit at the end of the book wherever possible.

B. Working document dimensions

The dimensions of your working file (Word, Pages or anything else) are: the chosen trim size plus the bleed. How much bleed, and on which edges, depends on who prints for your market:

Bleed on the interior
5 mm on all four edges DE · ES · EU · FR · IT · European printing
3.175 mm (0.125 in) on the top, bottom and outside edge – never on the binding edge AU · INT · UK · US · international printing

Where the bleed sits on three edges only, the width grows by one bleed and the height by two.

Worked example, 200 pages

Working file for A5, 148 x 210 mm (5.83 x 8.27 in) / US Trade, 6 x 9 in (152 x 229 mm)
158.0 × 220.0 mm (trim 148 × 210 mm) DE · ES · EU · FR · IT · European printing
155.6 × 234.9 mm (trim 152 × 229 mm) AU · INT · UK · US · international printing

C. Book content

Title page (page 1, or page 3 after a half-title page)

Must carry the title, subtitle and author. No page number may appear on this page.

Copyright page (imprint)

Usually on the back of the title page – page 2, or page 4 when the book opens with a half-title page. The last page of the book is fine too. Add the copyright notice in exactly this format:

Lucid Page Media (an imprint of Orbita Media GmbH) Ericusspitze 4 20457 Hamburg Germany Website: https://lucidpagemedia.com Contact: [email protected] 1st Edition Copyright © 2026 author name ISBN: xxxx All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the publisher’s prior written permission.
Watch the copyright page
  • Additional credits such as designer, proofreader and the like are permitted.
  • No "Printed in…"
  • No "Independently published"
  • No other company details, and no address or email for the author
  • No old ISBN and no reference to any other ISBN

After the title page and the imprint

The table of contents starts here, followed by the book itself. Margins of at least 0.5 inches / 13 mm on every side.

Content structure

  1. Vary the structure of your chapters. Do not repeat the same introduction, list, summary pattern every time. Alternate explanations, worked examples, stories, real cases and exercises.
  2. Draw on sources and real experience. Include quotations, expert contributions or your own experience to add value and credibility.
  3. Cut the filler. Do not lean on phrases such as "Let us dive in…" or "In this chapter we will explore…". Get to the point.
  4. Make every chapter its own. Do not recycle the same template across different books.

Category and book type

  • Label the book type correctly. Planners, journals and colouring books must be presented as exactly that, not as a "manual" or an "essay".
  • Avoid unclear bundles. Make sure the reader knows what they are buying.

Quality and formatting

  • Take care with the layout. Professional margins, spacing and formatting. Avoid interiors that look like a stock template.
  • Organise it logically. A readable, consistent table of contents and a clear thread running through the sections.
Important

The content should read as little like a ChatGPT-written book as possible. In places it is worth rephrasing, so that the book reads as though a real author wrote it.

Professional fonts by genre

Core rule

Avoid generic word-processor fonts (Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman). They make a book look amateurish or machine-generated. Use editorial typefaces of proper typographic quality.

Craft and Hobbies
  • Garamond – elegant and readable, perfect for creative manuals.
  • Sabon – classic but with character, excellent for descriptive text.
  • Bembo – harmonious, suited to practical guides with a considered tone.
Business and Money
  • Minion Pro – professional, widely used in trade manuals.
  • Helvetica Neue – modern and clean, excellent for charts and tables.
  • Baskerville – authoritative, conveys seriousness and reliability.
Cookbook
  • Palatino Linotype – elegant and clear, excellent for recipes.
  • Century Schoolbook – highly readable even in short passages.
  • Scala Sans – modern and clean, ideal for ingredient lists and notes.
Education and Teaching
  • Cambria – balanced between the classic and the modern.
  • Merriweather – readable on screen as well as in print.
  • Book Antiqua – elegant, often used in academic texts.
Health, Fitness and Dieting
  • Optima – understated but modern, perfect for a fresh, motivating tone.
  • Avenir – clean and positive, suited to motivational content.
  • Frutiger – very clear for practical text and exercise sheets.
Self Help
  • Georgia – readable, warm and friendly.
  • Perpetua – elegant but simple, inspires trust and calm.
  • Myriad Pro – modern and reassuring, ideal for motivational books.

Choose one main font for the body text (a serif such as Garamond, Minion Pro or Palatino) and, if you need one, pair it with a sans-serif for headings or section titles (Helvetica Neue or Avenir, for example). Keep it consistent throughout the book.

Examples of accepted manuscripts

Below you will find examples of manuscripts that Orbita Media considers flawless and has accepted, so that you have a concrete reference for how the formatting should look.

Example 1.pdf Example 2.pdf Example 3.pdf Example 4.pdf
Worth noting

The examples show how ordered and professional the interior of a book has to be. Pay attention to how the paragraphs are divided, to consistent spacing between heading and body text, to even leading, and to page numbers that are present and consistent throughout (except on the first page).

Remember

To publish with Orbita Media the book must be practically flawless, with no grammatical errors and no errors of any other kind. If you are publishing a cookbook, for instance, check that every unit of measurement is correct and consistent, and lay the recipes out neatly. One recipe per page is recommended.

Article 9

What happens when you upload

Every file you upload is measured right away, against the book you entered: the trim size, the bleed, the page count, and for the cover also the spine width that belongs to your page count and your paper.

You get one sentence back. Either the file is ready for print, or it says how many points have to change. The details sit underneath if you want to see them – you do not have to.

  • Green – nothing to do, carry on.
  • Orange – it can be printed, but one point is worth a look.
  • Red – it cannot be printed like this. The point to change is named; correct it and upload the file again.

You do not have to prepare anything for this, and you cannot break anything by uploading the wrong file: nothing leaves the platform until you confirm.

Article 10

Paperback cover (PDF)

Technical requirements

  • A single PDF file – the whole cover must sit in one PDF.
  • Embedded fonts – every typeface must be embedded in the file.
  • Text safe area, front – make sure the text on the front cover stays inside the safe area.
  • Text safe area, back – the same applies to the text on the back cover.
  • Bleed on every side – the cover is printed on an oversized sheet and cut down, so the artwork has to run past every edge. Otherwise a white line appears along the trim. How far it has to run depends on the printer (below).
  • Total size – back cover, spine and front cover side by side, plus the bleed all round. The upload measures your file against exactly that.
  • Key elements away from the edge – text, logos, boxes, badges, frames and anything that must not be trimmed off stay the same distance inside the finished size as the artwork runs past it.
  • Spine margins – text on the spine must respect the minimum side margins given below and must always be properly centred.
  • A thin spine carries no text – below 48 pages the spine of a book printed internationally has to stay free of text, because the fold is wider than the spine. For books printed in Europe there is no fixed limit; the upload measures your file and says so if the spine is too narrow.
  • No spot colours – use standard CMYK only.
  • Maximum ink density 300% – the sum of the CMYK percentages must not exceed 300%.
  • Image resolution ≥ 200 dpi (300 is better). Never go above 600 dpi.
  • High-quality barcode – it must have a minimum resolution of 300 dpi.
  • No wording such as "Manufactured in" or "Printed in" on the cover.
  • Correct PDF format – export as PDF/X-1a:2001 or PDF/X-3:2002.
  • File name – save as ISBN_cov.pdf.
Bleed on the cover
5 mm on every side DE · ES · EU · FR · IT · European printing
3.175 mm (0.125 in) on every side AU · INT · UK · US · international printing
Whole cover, 200 pages, standard trim size
318.6 × 220.0 mm, spine 12.6 mm (A5, 148 x 210 mm (5.83 x 8.27 in)) DE · ES · EU · FR · IT · European printing
321.9 × 234.9 mm, spine 10.8 mm (US Trade, 6 x 9 in (152 x 229 mm)) AU · INT · UK · US · international printing
Safety margins on the cover and the spine

No text and no essential element may sit too close to the outer edge of the cover: stay at least as far inside the finished size as the artwork has to bleed past it – 5 mm for DE · ES · EU · FR · IT, 3.175 mm for AU · INT · UK · US.

  • For spines wider than 0.35 inches, the text must keep at least 0.0625" (roughly 2 mm) clear on both the left and the right.
  • For spines narrower than 0.35 inches, the text must keep at least 0.03125" (roughly 1 mm) clear on both the left and the right.
  • Spine text must not run into the front or back cover area.

Design considerations

  1. Avoid templates and recycled images. Do not use templates, fonts or stock images identical to those already seen on dozens of other titles. The cover must look unique and original.
  2. Build a recognisable visual identity. Add graphic or stylistic elements that echo your author brand or your imprint. Keep the look consistent across your books.
  3. Mandatory information on the front: title, subtitle, author name.
  4. Summary text on the back. Add a short summary of the book (the description works well here). Keep the style in line with the tone of the book and with the overall design.
Article 11

Ebook cover (.jpeg)

The ebook cover is the cover of the ebook edition – in every shop the ebook is sold in, not only one.

Tip

The ebook cover can simply be the front of the paperback cover, exported as a .jpeg file. There is no need to design something separate: isolate the front of the paperback cover and save it in the required format.

  • File format: .jpeg
  • Content: the front of the cover (title, subtitle, author name, artwork)
  • Keep the same visual identity as the paperback cover, for consistency
Article 12

Amazon links for the book

If you have already published your book on Amazon, enter both the paperback link and the ebook link in this field, where they exist.

Optional field: only fill it in if the book is already live on Amazon.