If you’re formatting your first book, this part can feel confusing and that’s okay. Layout Priority is a setting that tells Atticus how to arrange text at the bottom of each page. Atticus makes this easy so you don’t need design experience to choose the right option.
You only need to know what kind of book you’re writing.
If you are trying to select the layout priority for your book, you can find it within your theme in the formatting tab of Atticus, in the “Print Layout” section.
Why Layout Priority Matters
Sometimes, text breaks in awkward places such as:
A single line sitting alone at the top of a page
Or a paragraph starting at the very bottom with no room to continue
These breaks can be distracting for readers, or might not line up with your personal preference. So, layout Priority helps decide between two options:
Should you keep paragraphs together so reading feels smooth?
Or should you make both pages look even and tidy when the book is open?
Different books benefit from different choices, so you should choose based on the type of book you are writing. No priority is perfect and the descriptions below will help you determine which is best for you.
The Three Layout Options and When to Use Each
1. Widows & Orphans
This layout priority is best for story-based books. It keeps paragraphs together so the text flows naturally, even if page bottoms don’t line up perfectly.
Generally, you should choose this layout if your book is one of these types:
A novel, memoir, or biography
A book meant to be read straight through
You care more about reading smoothly than page appearance
Why it works:
Readers stay focused on the story without awkward text breaks.
2. Balanced Page Spread
This layout priority is best for structured or design-heavy books. It makes the bottoms of facing pages line up neatly even if that means some paragraphs split.
Generally, you should choose this if your book heavily includes:
Lists, tips, or teaching sections
Quotes, callouts, or images
Journals, planners, or workbooks
Why it works:
Clean, even pages make structured content easier to follow and use.
3. Best of Both
This layout is best for lightly formatted novels that mainly consist of text. It balances smooth reading and clean page layout automatically.
Generally, you should choose this if:
You’re a first-time author
Your book is mostly text with some formatting
We hope this helps!