Interior Book Designer / Typesetter (Adobe InDesign) for 6x9 Fantasy Novel

I’m looking for an experienced interior book designer / typesetter to format a long fantasy novel for print.

This is not a cover design job.
This is not an ebook-only formatting job.
This is a print interior layout job for a custom-printed book.

The manuscript is a long-form fantasy novel and will be formatted to 6x9 trim size. I also have a large number of paintings/illustrations that I want placed at the end of chapters throughout the book.

I need someone who understands how to make a book feel like a real, professionally designed object — with clean typography, elegant spacing, strong chapter presentation, and thoughtful image placement.

What I need help with:

Formatting a long fantasy manuscript for 6x9 print
Creating a clean, readable, premium-looking interior
Styling chapter openings and chapter endings
Placing paintings at the end of chapters in a visually pleasing way
Managing page flow and spacing so the book feels intentional
Preparing a print-ready PDF for my printer
Making revisions based on feedback

Requirements:

Strong experience in Adobe InDesign
Experience designing interior book layouts for print
Must understand:
margins
gutters
paragraph styles
master pages
typography
print-ready export settings
image placement for print
Must be able to work with a very long manuscript
Must have experience with books that include illustrations or images
Must be detail-oriented and able to keep formatting consistent across a large document

Nice to have:

Experience with fantasy, fiction, or premium special-edition books
Photoshop experience for preparing illustrations if needed
Experience creating interiors that feel cinematic / elegant / collectible

Deliverables:

Final Adobe InDesign package
Print-ready PDF
Fonts used
Linked image files organized properly
Any supporting exported files needed for printer submission

Important:
Please do not apply if your experience is mostly:

Canva ebooks
KDP low-content books
workbooks/journals only
social media graphics
cover design only

I need someone with real book interior experience.

To apply, please send:

A short note about your experience with print book interiors
2–3 samples of full interior book layouts you’ve designed
At least 1 example of a book interior that includes images/illustrations
Your preferred rate: fixed price or hourly
The words: DARK PULSE LAYOUT at the top of your application so I know you read this

Budget:
Open to proposals, but I am looking for someone experienced and detail-oriented, not the cheapest possible option.