Alan Hebel

Alan Hebel – Designer

With over 20 years of experience designing books, I specialize in helping authors stand out and succeed on self-publishing platforms.

Overview

With over 20 years of experience, I’ve designed books for major international publishers, indie authors, and small presses. I’ve worked across every genre—cookbooks, photography, thrillers, self-help, sci-fi, memoirs, children's books, and more. My favorites are large-format, photography-driven projects that require creativity and precision.

I’m fluent in all aspects of book design, from concept development to press checks, ePubs, and audio books. My industry knowledge helps indie authors navigate platforms like KDP and Ingram while allowing me to seamlessly collaborate with major publishers.

I’ve traveled extensively, bringing a global perspective to my work. Designing a book is storytelling, and a great design keeps readers engaged and reflects the book’s heart and soul. A well-designed book is key to its success, and I’m excited to bring your vision to life.

I have worked for clients ranging from major publishers like Penguin Random House, Macmillan, Hachette, HarperCollins, dozens of University Presses, and successful self-published authors.

Services
Non-Fiction
Art Biographies & Memoirs Business & Management Entertainment Religion & Spirituality Self-Help & Self-Improvement Technology
Fiction
Poetry
Languages
English

Work experience

theBookDesigners

Feb, 2007 — Present
Co-owner and lead layout designer.

Alian Design

Feb, 2006 — Feb, 2007 (12 months)
Co-owner and layout designer for a multi-disciplinary design studio.

Restoration Hardware

Feb, 2005 — Feb, 2006 (12 months)
Catalog layout designer for a large number of different Restoration Hardware catalog publications.

Insight Editions

Feb, 2003 — Feb, 2005 (almost 2 years)
Book layout designer responsible for creating book interiors for special edition books. Designed full book layouts and prepared them for print production.

Palace Press International

Feb, 1999 — Jan, 2003 (almost 4 years)
Book layout designer responsible for creating book interiors for special edition books. Designed full book layouts and prepared them for print production.

Portfolio

Cover Design Production Management
Book Interior Design Production Management
Cover Design Production Management
Cover Design Production Management
Cover Design Production Management
The Haunted Forest Trilogy

Anderson, Jarod K

Boyle & Dalton

Cover Design Production Management
Cover Design Book Interior Design Production Management
The San Francisco Cliff House

Hountalas, Mary Germain

Cover Design Book Interior Design Production Management
Cover Design Book Interior Design Production Management

Alan has 34 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

michael M.

michael M.

Jun, 2025

Pinned
Alan is a consummate professional. The work was concise, well directed by his prompts and creative. Our communications and collaboration were off the charts efficient. I would very much recommend and advise anyone to work with Alan on cover design and formatting for the more technical POD publ...
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Alan H.
Thank you, Michael! It was really great working with you and collaborating with you on your publication! I greatly appreciate getting the opportunity, and I look forward to working with you again o...
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Kathryn L.

Kathryn L.

Jan, 2026

As a first-time author, I had no idea how complex book design could be—or how critical it is to find the right designer. Alan was absolutely extraordinary from start to finish. My book had a particularly challenging internal format with multiple tables, custom icons, and repeating chapter elemen...
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Joseph S.

Joseph S.

Jan, 2026

Alan prepared a highly professional Board of Directors quality level art work for my first Business Governance book.
Jason S.

Jason S.

Jan, 2026

My experience working with Alan H. on the job of converting and formatting my book for Epub was that he is the consummate professional in all aspects of the business. TIMELYNESS AND COMMUNICATION SKILL, GRADE A+ His timely proposal summarized quite clearly all the technical work that was to be...
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Adam K.

Adam K.

Jan, 2026

I’m delighted to share my strongest recommendation for Alan, whose extraordinary work on my book designs has far exceeded expectations. Alan combines sharp creative instinct with real professionalism. His attention to detail, visual storytelling, and ability to translate even vague ideas into p...
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Alan H.
Thank you, Adam! It's a pleasure working with you on your wonderful publications, and I look forward to our continued collaborations!

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