m Phillip Gessert. I’m a book designer, typesetter and print/ebook formatter. I began building books full time in 2011, and am especially passionate about page typography. I pride myself on building books to the highest standard of quality, both aesthetically and functionally.

I provide fully validated ePub and MOBI files, suitable for publishing on the Kindle Store and other retailers. All ebooks are created using hand-coded HTML & CSS, and take the unique considerations for different devices into account. The books are built to be flexible and render predictably across a range of e-readers. And I use traditional and classical typographical principles to give the books an appealing look.

I also provide PDF files suitable for print. I’m happy to build to Createspace or Ingram specifications, or simply build to industry-standard print-readiness. I use my pre-press experience to preflight and prepare PDF files that most any print service provider would be delighted to receive.

Why Choose Me?

Value

I pride myself in finding high-quality, low cost solutions to common design problems. I aim to find a good nexus between beauty and price. This means I am not the cheapest book designer, but I do deliver the best bang for your buck.

Quality

I do not treat your book as a rote technical task. I am a designer, first and foremost, and strive to create tasteful and elegant designs.

Honesty

I aim to be candid and frank with you about your project, alert you to potential issues as quickly as I can, and never obscure anything about the process. This means I immediately alert you to anything that could possibly affect your project. There may be occasional false alarms, but I think it is better to be safe than sorry.

Tenacity

I work tirelessly to correct any issues you may encounter. If you have any sort of problem with your files, at any time, I will do my level best to help.

Gessert Books is far and away one of the best companies in the literary world that I’ve had the opportunity to work with. Diligent, creative, attentive, and immeasurably patient, Phillip Gessert is an absolute pleasure to work with, and I highly recommend him and his company to anyone interested in superior, professional grade interior formatting. Sebastian Wolfe, I Saw the Fire

What impressed me the most about Phillip was his commitment to the project. Not only did he read the novel—which already puts him in a rare class of designer—but he rose to the myriad difficulties of the project’s design—each chapter more challenging than the last–with the care, personal investment and attention to detail as if the book were his own. A.V. Bach, Eisenstein’s Monster

Phillip is a pure delight to work with. He’s meticulous, professional, punctual, and highly capable. He’s met my exacting demands time and time again, even when under pressure of timeline and budget. He’s my only choice when it comes to laying out a book, and I plan on using him for many more projects to come. Ben Dutter, Sigil Stone Publishing

Phillip and I have worked together for a few years now and with each project he has devoted himself to the task and will not quit until the job is done to satisfaction. Very personable and detailed-oriented, I recommend him highly! Kwasi Konadu, Diasporic Africa Press

Phillip is the miracle worker every author dreams of when it comes to creativity, patience, understanding and collaboration, efficiency and delivery on a book design. He has full command of the design process and is one of the most reliable professionals I’ve worked with. His passion for his work and superhuman turn around time make him an even more exceptional designer. It has been a great experience and delight to have Phillip design my book Desert Mojito, and I look forward to working with him again and again. Nazli Ghassemi, desertmojito.com

Phillip brought unique and creative ideas for my new eBook cover design, Gone Never Forgotten. His professionalism proved he’s willing to listen and tweak ideas best suited for that particular project. It was an easy process and I’m thrilled with the results. Natalie Bright, nataliebright.com

Working with Phillip was great—he gave me high quality work and was a pleasure to interact with. Will certainly hire him again when the opportunity presents itself! Ryan Wilcox, The Freelancer Collective

@phillipgessert has been an absolute delight to work with. He comes highly recommended. The Pass in Review (via Twitter)

I retained Phillip to design the front and back cover and the interior of my first novel, Saving the Karamazovs. He listened to the suggestions from my editor, my publicist, and me and developed several ideas that would capture the theme that I wanted to convey. Phillip is very easy to work with. In addition to being very creative, he is both patient and responsive. I was very satisfied with both the process and the final product. Gary Goldstick, ghgoldstick.com

The best business decision I ever made was to hire Phillip to design and brand my book covers. The second best decision I ever made was to totally trust his instincts. I wanted a totally modern and updated look. He went beyond and took the design into the future. I highly recommend him to all my writing and publishing peers who thank me profusely for introducing them to Phillip. Patsy Rae Dawson, patsyraedawson.com

…words cannot describe the brilliant experience i had in the cooperation with my graphic designer, Phillip Gessert. Purely a cyperspace encounter between Copenhagen and Phillip’s office in Texas, it proved to be one of a most rewarding working relationship. Through countless emails back and forth, he found the right solutions to every question. All in all, a privilege to work together with such a professional, trustworthy and personable designer. I was originally recommended to Phillip by my editor in California. Again proving how it is possible to combine forces through the net… and achieve excellent results. There is no question in my mind, that I will approach him again for my next work; it was a true pleasure! Linda Ruth Horowitz, whilethesandswhisper.com

Phillip is a terrific collaborator and someone who can add value to any creative project. His dedication to understanding the motivations behind the work is impressive, and for me, led to outstanding results. David A. Kalis, davidakalis.com

Whether he’s doing my covers or my interiors, Phillip Gessert never disappoints. In fact, he usually surprises—in a good way. His cover for my book BloodLight took my original idea and punted it into another dimension. I’ve lost count of the number of compliments I’ve received on it—even people who didn’t like the book rave about the cover! He’s just as good with interiors. How many other designers out there take time to read a book from beginning to end—prose or poetry—then try to find just the right font to match the content and theme? Incredibly creative in his own right, Phillip is always receptive to the writer’s ideas and gives them the last word—he’s in no way overbearing. Just an overall fantastic designer for writers who want their books to make an impact from first sight to last page. Harambee K. Grey-Sun, nextpoet.net

I am especially interested in academic works, cultural works, or works relating to preservation. Please do contact me if your project is at all historical in nature.

I appreciate, but do not require, a credit line. A credit line typically appears in your book’s front matter, near your publication details, and takes the form of…

Book formatted for print and ebook by Phillip Gessert (gessertbooks.com)

…this will only appear in your book if you place it in your manuscript. I will not add this to your book without your permission.