Before, you were at the mercy of your publisher on how your book format looked, but today, you have control over this entire process. Theres more to selfpublishing than throwing your book up on amazon and calling it a day. Self publishing for bloggers setting your timeline and budget 5 ways to sell your self. When many firsttime selfpublishers consider the design elements of their book they only think of the front cover. How to properly format and selfpublish your book toughnickel. Completelynovel specialises in helping writers create and publish beautiful printondemand books. The best format for ebooks guide for self publishing writers. Now, with a new, clean and pristine word document copy of your manuscript, you are ready to format your book for electronic publishing.
Before you submit your book to kdp, you need to format it so it meets our quality. Still, this hasnt stopped it from becoming one of the most commonly used tools in selfpublishing. Design a book cover that is eyecatching with unique elements and bold colors. Cnet s david carnoy discusses the ins and outs of what its all about. There are a lot of different options for selfpublishing a book, all of which provide different benefits and drawbacks to consider. Typesetting and formatting your book completelynovel. You can earn more money with completelynovel read our selfpublishing price comparison, here.
How to format a manuscript for self publishing youtube. To meet your needs, we offer paperback books in three binding styles perfect, plastic coil, and plastic comb. Download our free guide to typesetting and uploading your book on completelynovel. Ricardo fayet of alli partner member reedsy explains the ins and outs of their new tool to help indie authors format ebooks and print books for selfpublishing a simple and free process. We have formats for any selfpublishing project, including trade books that are priced to sell, photo books that offer options and luxury, and. A clean, well formatted document minimizes the wrestling with. Book formatting for ebooks and print the creative penn. Turn your completed manuscript into a formatted ebook with kindle create. To become a successful independent author, you must treat your writing as a business. The directions below are for ms word 7 and 10 the most.
Ask your designer or selfpublishing services company what programs they use. It also means that if you buy a book in mobi format you cant read it on a device that is not able to read mobi files. A wellformatted and designed book is critical to your success as an author. The selfpublishing services offered by websites like.
Free tool for book formatting selfpublishing advice. The goal when youre selfpublishing is to always make your book look as traditionally published as possible, so im giving you a stepby0step guide on formatting your novel. How to format a poetry book for ebook selfpublishing. Ms word is a pretty decent word processor, but it should not be used for book formatting. To format your plain text word document and be ready for.
People will judge your book by appearances, and if it appears slipshod and unprofessional, readers will assume its content is no better than its presentation. Book formatting for selfpublishers, a comprehensive how. If youre contemplating selfpublishingwhether via a printondemand or traditional printerits vital to keep that in mind. Youve just completed your first book, and you cant wait to present it to the world. Truth to be told, most new selfpublished authors wont get their first books into major bookstores anyway, but properly designed and formatted.
Self publishing a book is popular for many reasons. In fact, you have the final say over everything in your finished manuscript is displayed. Formatting print books with word selfpublishing advice. Sell your work on or buy the books you need immediately. I am a selfpublished author, and have been working in. This video is a basic rundown of some things to know when formatting a manuscript for self publishing. With any endeavor into publishing an ebook, youll come across the epub book formatting optionthe standard choice on the market.
Selfpublishing fiction is as easy as having a word document and then uploading. Createspace has been replaced with kindle direct publishing kdp, which now provides combined tools for both paperback books and ebooks. When only the best will do, choose fullcolor hardcover books. Everything you need to make, print, and selfpublish your book. For the many indie authors who still favor microsoft word for formatting their books, heres a companion piece to ian andrews recent post about using word to create ebook interiors. When shes not cooking up content for the self publishing community, she loves to read good books, travel the world, and spend time with her family. Since this is the nanowrimo month, and im using it to finish this book and blog series on selfpublishing, you can. Book formatting for selfpublishers, a comprehensive howto guide. How to format a word document for ebook selfpublishing. Whether youre a beginner or a pro, we offer complete control with our free book making software and tools. Before you submit your book to kdp, you need to format it so it meets our quality standards.
This is where self publishing meets multitasking head on. Writers often obsess about the correct way to format a manuscript before they send it to a publisher. Therefore, knowing the proper book format you need is crucial. Yes, youve guessed it this time, hes explaining how to use word to format print books. There are many different ways for selfpublished authors to format their ebooks, from farming out the task to a specialist formatter, to doing it themselves. Here are the basics steps on formatting your manuscript in microsoft word for self publication. How to format your book for self publication bookstand. Fiction and nonfiction writers alike can create, print, and sell their books through all major retail channels. How to format a book for publishing pen and the pad. Editors note this article is part of our 5series how to selfpublish your book guide. Book formatting is that design touch that makes a book. I am a selfpublished author, and have been working in the publishing industry for the. If your publisher provides guidelines, their guidelines should supersede these instructions.
The key is to start simple with one of the premade templates in word, then format and customize the book layout to fit your needs. Easily publish textbooks, course materials, and research. These steps include including setting up the correct trim size, setting up the correct margins, formatting the text, and numbering the pages. If you look at a commercially published book, you will. Publishing services for self publishing authors and businesses.
How to format a novel in microsoft word selfpublishing. How to format a book when selfpublishing wellstoried. Securing a traditional publishing contract may not work for you theyre hard to get, and you give up a lot of. Selfpublishing is no longer its former taboo self, previously known as vanity publishing. List of recommended formatting options for ebook and print selfpublishing. Before, you were at the mercy of your publisher on how your book format looked, but today, you have. As a former microsoft trainer turned selfpublished author, he is able to speak from considerable relevant. In a few clicks, it can help you format your title page, table of contents, and individual paragraphs and change you books look and feel by applying themes. A clean, well formatted document minimizes the wrestling with computer code for ebook conversions. We have formats for any selfpublishing project, including trade books that are priced to sell, photo books that offer options and luxury, and magazines for serial content. These steps include including setting up the correct trim size, setting up the correct margins, formatting the. One of the most common diy errors i see in selfpublished books is double spacing between paragraphs. Even though you worked hard on your manuscript, it may not get the attention it deserves without professional formatting.
With a drastic shift in the digital world in the last year, its easier than ever to get your message out. Book layout book format design a book cover bookbaby. Formatting your book for selfpublishing is one of the easiest steps and will save you money. Most publishing platforms automatically remove unwanted space and create flowing text in an ebook file, which is. Posted by admin on wednesday, june 12, 20 leave a comment. It may sound simple enough, but picking out the right book format can be difficult, especially when youre selfpublishing.