To help you format your manuscript properly for ebook conversion, i wrote an article for the bookarma blog sharing a number of simple ebook formatting tips for independent authors. Tips for formatting your book correctly in microsoft word. May 07, 2014 tips for formatting images in your ebook. Insider secrets to professional book formatting for print in. How to make an ebook cover in microsoft word part 1 duration. Also used for glossary term items to provide definitions or explanation of acronyms by the word within the body text. Vellum is the single best investment any author can make. You need to see the formatting marks, so turn them on, as well as. While its not strictly necessary to follow these tips, it will make converting your word or pages doc so much quicker and easier and possibly. We will turn your word document into a beautiful, professionallooking ebook and spare you the frustration of dealing with style guides and pre formatting. You can use styles to format an ebook or update its formatting to work on a different platform.
Ive read that some people have trouble trying to upload an ebook using word for mac. This is somewhat similar to or at least hearkens back. Ebook formatting is the preparation of a digital file, to ensure that it meets the publishers requirements and is an enjoyable reading experience. This free package of formatting templates is unsupported, and a little dated. Go to the insert tab, click on cover page the leftmost option and select one of the microsoft word designs. I started doing ebook and paperback formatting for a small publishing company a couple of years ago and now i also have my own formatting company. Az travel writing tips amazon amazon kdp article roundup beginners guide to ebook retailers book formatting book marketing consumelessmed project content marketing destination travel guide digital nomad advice ebook distribution ebook formatting ebook retailers filmmaker free workbook freewriting for travel writers guest article guest articles.
When i first started learning ebook formatting, it was frustrating. The information we give is specific to the 2016 version of word, but the steps are similar in most versions. Let me stress that you should read every word in the document to ensure it is correct. The stepbystep guide to formatting your print book for kdp. How to format your ebook for kindle using microsoft word kindle publishing bible 2.
Do make sure you keep saving the ebook as you write, to avoid losing your hard work. General tips for book formatting in word all stand. That means to convert your whole microsoft word file to plain text and then copy it back into a new word file and start the entire formatting process from scratch. And if the book is formatted poorly, it could kill any interest before a single word is read. It is literally the first thing you have to do if you want to publish your book. All of these background elements can alter the look of your ebook once it. Formatting is both an art and a science and is the first step in creating an ebook.
Use this free template its just a matter of changing the words, if you like the visualheavy, modern, clean format. Getting rid of the junk code requires a solid knowledge in xhtml programming and bundling in epub and mobi formats. Then you will find that getting your ebook approved is easy. On the bookmark window, type toc in the bookmark name field see below.
Its filled with stepbystep instructions, pictures, and a hyperdetailed process for. Click here to watch my tutorial on how to use vellum to. Murphy offers great formatting tips for ebook authors, including this valuable advice. I was trying to approach it like a print book, and insert images and special designs, and fixed fonts. Simple ebook formatting using ms word molly greene.
Use styles, not manual formatting, to create your documents look. If you make any changes in the book later on, youll have to manually update the table of contents though. The pdf format is a destructive format in the sense that you lose all highlevel information. Styles in microsoft word is the easiest way to perfectly format an ebook the stepbystep procedure for using word styles to format an ebook file.
Anyone whos tried formatting their ebook themselves will tell you its. Click the circled p sign to view all the formatting marks in word. Apr 10, 20 using these tips will help you create a print book that can easily convert to a kindle ebook. My last post led us through the process of getting rid of all the junk, hidden code, and other weirdness. Its easy to turn your print book into an ebook with the. Book formatting for ebook and print books the creative penn. Would i be too dramatic in declaring it the bane of the selfpublished authors existence. For example, this ebook design could become 5 tips about anything, not just youtube marketing. My personal choice for ebook and some print formatting is vellum. Open kindle create and click new project from file.
How to format your book for kindle using microsoft word in 6 easy. How to make an ebook kindle and epub conversion diy book. Then upload the word document directly to amazon kindle direct publishing kdp. Once you have a great topic that interests you, the next step is formatting your ebook to sell or give away. Ill give you plenty of templates and ebook design tips that work for the venngage editoran online drag and drop design tool thats free to use. If a pictures worth a thousand words, a correctly formatted image can be priceless. Structure your word document to make ebook conversion and formatting easy.
Choose the type of book youre making and click choose file. It will make sure that your document will be clean of background code that can affect fonts, paragraph styles and line spacing in your ebook. Book formatting tips going from print book to ebook. Below is a sample ebook cover created with microsoft word. But for nonfiction in particular, there are a few specific considerations. Lists in microsoft word documents, especially nested lists with subcategories, dont convert well. However if your ebook does not contain these formatting issues, here are 6 easy steps to turn your microsoft word document into a kindle book. The science part is the technical aspect that makes the ebook work as it should and enhances the user experience.
Use the heading1 style for all chapter titles, and check that a toc is being made automatically. Some companies use ebook formatting software, which can miss things. Essential poetry ebook formatting tips birds of a feather. How do you format a kindle ebook how to write an ebook. Jun 28, 2016 now that you have your word document that was created from a pdf here is what you need to do in addition to the standard formatting that you would otherwise do for word document before converting it to an ebook. Word is a great tool to use because its extremely easy to format. Nonfiction book formatting for microsoft word lulu blog. Many writers are using calibre for their initial conversion to epub from microsoft word a notorious creator of extraneous bits of code. Apr 17, 2012 microsoft word has lots of features that make creating ebooks easy.
For your ebook to display correctly on the kindle, you must format your document using the styles and formatting. You need to see the formatting marks, so turn them on, as well as the navigation pane and the ruler, by clicking the backtofront p sign the paragraph symbol used by proofreaders. Request an ebook formatting quote by clicking the button below. Proper manuscript formatting can make all the difference. We now also have a video guide to help you to format your ebooks for kindle or smashwords. Jul 20, 2017 top tips for ebook formatting in word. Using word to prepare a kindle book isnt nearly as difficult as many will tell you, but its also not as simple and straightforward as others claim. Youll save yourself a ton of work and formatting headaches if you set up your formatting before you start writing.
Word is easy to format and manipulate, which is why so many ebook authors choose to use it. We often get inquiries about image formatting, so here are a few tips to make sure the images you are using for your ebook are ereader ready. You can do this the debate continues, but im back to tell you yes, you can format and upload your ebook manuscript in microsoft word. In the busy life of an indie author, thats a good thing.
A clean ebook is one without any of the extraneous bits from the program in which it was originally written. Microsoft word the initial formatting you chose in word may be slightly altered to conform to kindle device specifications. You should write your book in word or convert it to an existing source file into word. Weve got a guide here for you, with some in depth formatting too. How to format your kdp ebook selfpublishing tips youtube. Top tips for ebook formatting in word learn to view your document correctly. Turnaround time for your custom book within 7 days 3 days for rush jobs.
Styles are simply preformatted settings for your chapter titles, subheadings, second level sub headings, bullet lists, numbered lists and quotes. How to format a manuscript for an ebook working writers. Ms word is a pretty decent word processor, but it should not be used for book formatting. How to format your book for kindle using microsoft word in 6. To do this, click on the table of contents in your word document so that you select the table, go to the references tab, and choose update table in the bar this will open a dialog box with additional options page numbers only if you only edited, added, and removed parts of the. Ive discovered there are a number of things that authors are struggling with when it comes to formatting, so i thought i. How to write an ebook using microsoft word clothed in. You do this using the styles and formatting options in word to tell kindle how you want it to display your ebook. How to format an ebook using microsoft word ebookauthor. The initial formatting you chose in word may be slightly altered to conform to kindle device specifications.
Beautiful formatting draft2digital easy selfpublishing. Insert the title of the book, author and a subtitle slogan for the book. How to format your book for kindle using microsoft word in. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. To achieve this, ebook formats use something very similar to html code. Remember these important tips below to ensure an excellent ebook presentation. Since its one of the most widely used formats, im going to show you how to format an ebook in microsoft word. You can find a lot more information on creating, formatting, and revising ebooks for our largest retail market directly from amazon. Although your word doc formatting looks correct when you use the tab button to indent and the space bar to create multiple extra spaces, etc. It does involve jumping a few hurdles, though, and those hurdles are the reason that so many selfpublished.
If you want to keep up with my ebook formatting work, dont forget to subscribe to my newsletter. A quick guide to formatting your microsoft word manuscript. In general, document styles should have paragraphs set for onehalf inch first line indent, single spaced lines and font set to 12point times new roman or its equivalent. The information contained is very much like a scan of the printed pages.
Self publishing your kindle book with microsoft word, or tips on formatting your document so your ebook wont look terrible. For an ebook, though, youll want to indent your paragraphs and remove the space between them. Most ebook manuscripts are typed using microsoft word. In other words, you need your ebook to look beautiful and function properly, not seem like a garbled mess. Still, this hasnt stopped it from becoming one of the most commonly used tools in selfpublishing and the reason why a lot of indie books look terrible. How to use microsoft word to create an ebook pcworld. Free book formatting templates in ms word and indesign.
How to format ebooks in word selfpublishing advice. Styles are words way to standardize the treatment and appearance of words, characters, and blocks of text. Basic manuscript formatting and word styles duration. External hyperlinks to websites, social media, andor email. If youve worked with word much at all, you know how frustrating it can be getting formatting just the way you want it. Using these tips will help you create a print book that can easily convert to a kindle ebook.
Word doesnt export epub files the most common ebook format, but most digital publishers will. How to format an ebook in microsoft word using styles. I wont go over the basics of how to format a book for publishing, since i covered it all in a post from last year. These are great tips for anyone that is new or getting use to publishing on kindle. Amazon kdp have kindle create, a kindle only formatting tool. That way i can keep you updated about the latest developments, updates to my books, code snippets, techniques and formatting tips. Microsoft word format comes with a few quirks and not all file format details are well documented. You can also click each style for a dropdown options menu, allowing you to modify and build a new style, select all instances of that style in the document or completely clear them. While you dont really need to learn this code, it will help if you need to fine tune the details. Lists in microsoft word documents, especially nested lists with subcategories, dont convert. Example of popup screen footnote with brief reference notation for additional information. Pdfs store characters and coordinates for each character or word. How to write an ebook using microsoft word clothed in scarlet.
Microsoft word has lots of features that make creating ebooks easy. Nov 03, 2014 in other words, you need your ebook to look beautiful and function properly, not seem like a garbled mess. Aug 07, 2016 basic manuscript formatting and word styles duration. Formatting a print book for kdp can be learned quite quickly, and you can do everything in microsoft word, or indesign if you want to make it extra professional. Look at any mainstream published ebook they rarely have special fonts or images and are super minimal. Now that you have your word document that was created from a pdf here is what you need to do in addition to the standard formatting that you would otherwise do for word document before converting it to an ebook. I hope the free resources are useful, but if youre looking for more flexibility and a larger selection of formatting styles, you can upgrade to the epic book design package. Using microsoft word styles to format a book for kindle before you start typing your ebook you should set up your word document using microsoft word styles. The art part has to do with layout and changes that make your book visually appealing. Insider secrets to professional book formatting for print. This book is a goldmine for anyone trying to learn how to format their own books.
How to format a book for kindle using microsoft word geoff affleck. Professional ebook formatting is required to get proper chapters tagging, clickable table of content, and a flexible layout compatible with all ereaders. Lets now get into the step by step process on how to write an ebook using microsoft word. The easiest way to make an ebook is to start by setting up your word file the right way. Click on new from the file menu, and then click on save to save the ebook. Apr 16, 2020 for example, this ebook design could become 5 tips about anything, not just youtube marketing. It is this latter part we will go over in this step. In this free detailed guide, im going to show you how to format a book for kindle for fiction and nonfiction yes, there is a difference when it comes to formatting fiction and nonfiction, so you need to make sure you follow the right process for your genre. How to format your book for amazon kindle using microsoft.