I'm often asked how I make my picture book dummies. I'm a graphic designer by day, so I use InDesign, a desktop publishing software from Adobe that not all writers or illustrators are going to know how to use or have a license for. That's okay! There are a lot of free and easy-to-use programs that will allow you to lay out a picture book dummy. One of my favorites that most everyone will have access to is Google Slides (or PowerPoint if you prefer). I've created some free templates that are already set up with text boxes and the correct number of slides to get you started on your dummy. Here's how to use them.
If you've ever tried to line a bunch of picture books up on a shelf, you'll notice that they're not all the same size. While there are many ways to construct a picture book and the exact trim size of your book will be determined partly by your publisher and what their printers are set up for, there are a few standard sizes that I find work best for picture book dummies, translating well into whatever your final book size ends up being. Those sizes are 9x12in portrait (12in tall by 18in wide when the book is open) and 9x9in square (9in tall by 18in wide when the book is open). You can also lay out your dummy in 12x9in landscape (9in tall by 24in wide when the book is open) but landscape signatures tend not to fit on the printer's sheets as well as portrait or square ones, so if you've decided to lay your dummy out in landscape, make sure there's a good reason for that choice (maybe your book is going to feature a lot of wide open landscapes or a long snake character you want to be able to stretch across that extra wide space).
Take a moment to decide whether you'd like your book to be portrait, square, or landscape.
There are two common ways that picture books are bound together. I'll go over each of them and why you might choose one over the other.
It's important to note that both of these formats are based off the industry standard that picture book are made up of two text signatures (the interior pages where all the stuff is printed) that equal 32 pages in total. Why 32 pages? It's the number of pages that fit perfectly on a printer's sheet without any wasted space. When putting together a book dummy, it's best to try and stick to 32 pages whenever possible, because that's the page count that's going to be the most attractive to agents and editors. If you absolutely must add more pages, you have to go up in increments of 8, to 40 or 48 pages. My templates are set up for 32 pages, but you can add slides to increase the page count to 40.
If you open the cover of a picture book and are greeted with a lovely, solid-colored, thick sheet of paper, that book has what is called 'separate ends.' Separate ends are two extra, blank, often colored sheet of paper that are added to either side of the text block after printing, but before binding. Those separate end sheets are what end up getting glued to the cover to hold the text signature in place. You cannot print on separate ends. They do not run through the printer like the rest of the pages. You can't use separate end sheets for front matter like a title page or copyright info. A book with separate ends is great because it gives you a little more space to work with in the text signature when laying out your story. After accounting for front matter like title pages and publication information, separate ends give you 14 spreads plus one bonus page at the end of the book (29 pages) to tell your story.
If you open the cover of a picture book and are greeted with an amazingly illustrated pattern or scene on a sheet thickness that matches the rest of the book, that book has what is called 'self ends.' Self-ending is when two pages from the text signature are glued down to the cover to hold the text signature in place. Since every page inside the book was on the sheet that ran through the printer, you can do fun things with the end pages of a self-ended book. You can illustrate the end pages, create a pattern, or even include a scene that hints at what may be happening before or after your story. Self-ending books also tend to be a little cheaper to produce since publishers don't have to pay for the extra paper that forms separate ends. The downside of self-ending picture books is it gives you a little less space to tell your story. After accounting for front matter like title pages and publication information, self-ends give you 12 spreads (24 pages) to tell your story.
Take a moment to decide whether you'd like your book to have separate ends or self ends.
I've set up one deck in google slides for each common combination of orientation and format. Choose the one that best works for your story. There is a slide at the beginning for you to include your cover design, followed by the appropriate number of interior page slides. Each slide represents one spread, or two pages. Be careful not to add extra slides unless you've decided to increase your page count all the way to 40 (add 4 slides) or 48 (add 8 slides). You'll notice there are a few grayed out pages with reminders to leave them blank for things like glue-downs, or end pages. For the self-ending book, feel free to leave the end pages as they are or to drop a sketch over the gray page and text with what you'd like your end pages to look like. I've also added a note suggesting where a title or half title page should go with an editable text box, be sure to put the title of your manuscript and your name on those pages! Here are the template links:
Portrait 32 Page Self Ends Picture Book Dummy Template
Portrait 32 Page Separate Ends Picture Book Dummy Template
Square 32 Page Self Ends Picture Book Dummy Template
Square 32 Page Separate Ends Picture Book Dummy Template
Landscape 32 Page Self Ends Picture Book Dummy Template
Landscape 32 Page Separate Ends Picture Book Dummy Template
**You will need to open the link and then save your own copy of the document to be able to edit it.
I have included text boxes on each page that you can use to type or copy-paste your manuscript into.
You will need to save all of your sketches to your computer as jpgs. If you sketch digitally, just export jpgs of each sketch from your drawing program. If you sketch traditionally, take photos of your sketches with your phone or a digital camera or use a flat bed scanner and save each sketch as a jpg to your computer.
If you're using a phone or camera to photograph sketches, make sure to use bright, even lighting. Go outside on a sunny day or turn on all the lights in your room, then position yourself so you aren't casting a shadow over your sketch before taking the picture.
Add each sketch to your dummy by going to the page/slide you'd like the sketch on and clicking INSERT > IMAGE > UPLOAD FROM YOUR COMPUTER. Navigate to where you've saved the images on your computer and choose the corerct file.
Once your image is added, you can click on it to select it and use the crop icon in the top ribbon (It looks like an L overlapping an upside down L) to remove any extra bleed or negative space around the edges of your image. you can easily resize the image or move it around on the page.
If your image is blocking the text box, Right click on it, then choose ORDER > MOVE TO BACK. This should move the image behind the text box.
Play with page layouts by adding multiple small spot illustration sketches to a single page or stretching one sketch over both pages for a full spread image.
Sometimes I find that I want to edit my sketch once I see how it's working on the page. Go back to your original method of sketching to make edits (whether that be a digital drawing program or just pencil and paper), then save a new jpg and re-import the image using the same method described above.
Once you're happy with the dummy, go to FILE > DOWNLOAD > PDF and you will have a PDF of your book dummy.
I hope you've found this useful, good luck with creating your picture book dummies!
Taylor Woolley is the author-illustrator of Earth Rover, (Familius, 2025), and the illustrator of Birthday Bash, written by Blair Northen Williamson (The Little Press, 2025).
Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Taylor creates funny, imaginative stories for children. With a pencil in hand and a sketchbook full of wild ideas, she brings readers worlds filled with humor, heart, and just the right amount of mischief.
