Writing Workshop: Self-Publishing Formatting

In my last post, I mentioned that I teach Writing Workshops. Well, this week is all about self-publishing so I thought I'd share one of the documents I created for it. I'm going to work on a more in depth version for the future, but this is skipping the top and not necessarily beholden to a single distributor or program (that's a future post).

Self-Publishing Formatting Tips

Formatting tips:

•          Separate documents or save files for ebook and print (and it helps to keep one file that’s just the text file just in case)
•           Take your time. Relax. Maybe do one thing at a time, like add the header formatting, then take a break and focus on other bits.
•           Don’t forget to include “front matter”. It will vary depending on the distributor. Read through their guidelines. “Front matter” is the copyright information as well as the title page.
•           300dpi image for cover – size depends on the requirements of the distributor – bigger is better and remember a lot of eReaders only show black and white, not color

eBook:

•           eBook formatting can be done in Word
•           Strip all the formatting first – copy/paste entire text into a Wordpad/Notepad (not Word, but the plain text pad) document to strip all formatting. Copy/paste the text from Wordpad into a new Word document. (Known as “going nuclear”)
•           Styles are your friend in Word when it comes to formatting. Create one for chapter headings and one for main text at a minimum.
•          Basic settings for paragraphs in eBooks:  start with “normal” and then “modify” to:
•    Single spaced lines
•    Times New Roman, 12pt font
•    .3” first line indent
•   For first paragraph to make text appear flush:  .01” special first line indent (make this a separate style)
•           Header text is good around 14pt – can use another font like Arial. Stay away from kooky fonts
•           Add space of 30 or 40pt both before and after header to keep spacing even and give it a small barrier between the chapter title and the text
•           “insert > page break” at the end of each chapter
•           Do not add page numbers or headers to an eBook  - text needs to be flowable.
•           Italics, Bolding, and Underlining can all be directly done on specific pieces of text – they don’t need a style unless you prefer it.
•           Glyphs as paragraphs breaks add a professional touch to your ebook, but can be tricky to pull off since you’re almost inserting a picture into text rather than a symbol.
•           Table of Contents are required and need hyperlinks. There is a two-step process – first you have to create the links within the pages (highlight the chapter heading, “insert >bookmark”, name it) and then in the TOC (highlight ‘Chapter One’, etc, “insert > hyperlink > place in this document > your creatively named link from step one”).

Print:

• Can be achieved in Word with patience and lots of work (there’s lots of tutorials online including: https://jamigold.com/2015/06/formatting-from-manuscript-to-a-print-book-with-ms-word/ and https://selfpublishingadvice.org/production-6-tips-to-help-indie-authors-format-prints-book-with-word/ and a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FzvtxK686c&t=1s )
• Adobe InDesign works well if you have a non-formatted version of your work (do not use the same file as you did for eBook or you will be very, very sad). (More on Adobe: https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/creating-book-files.html )
• Look at a print book to help with this stage.
• You should have page numbers and header/footer. This is a professional looking tip.
• What you see is what will print. You can use fancier fonts in print, but keep them readable.
• Don’t have too many fonts going on: three is good in general (one for title, one for headings, and one for main text)
• 12pt font is usually good for main text
• 14-16 or higher pt font for headers
• Add space before and after chapter titles
• Generally, do not include page numbers or header/footer on the first page of a new chapter. Chapters usually begin on the right page. This might mean adding blank pages (also without page numbers/headings) to get it correctly balanced.
• Your left and right pages with have different headings. For example, the left might be your name and the right the title of the book. Page numbers can be in the heading or on the bottom of the page.
• Section Breaks are important for print formatting in Word.