Select all your text by left clicking on it and pressing ctrl a on a pc and cmd. Set the margins for your document at 3cm on all four sides. If you choose to publish your book on completelynovel you will be reminded how to set up your document to ensure that your book will be completely printready at the end of the process. For the stylesheet to work properly and your books formatting to be consistent, you will have to format using general styles instead of using local formatting. Tips for formatting your book correctly in microsoft word. How to format a manuscript using microsoft word book editing. Where do you start with formatting an ebook in word. Make sure you keep your original version safely filed and backed up. I prefer an approximate word count for my manuscripts, but you can list exact word count on picture books. Feel free to use any fonts you wish in your document, when publishing your book.
If your intentions are to submit your manuscript to a publisher or an agent, please check their guidelines first as they may vary. After all, in the past, all literary works were drafted freehand. Change all your text to times new roman or times roman 12 pt. With our definitions out of the way, lets get to the juicy manuscript formatting tips. Picture book manuscript format tends to vary widely. How to format your childrens book manuscript dummies.
How to format a book in word a stepbystep tutorial youtube. Jan 15, 2020 because word is a flexible word processing system, you can simply use a book template within word, and start typing your book directly onto the page. Create a cover page for your book manuscript with this accessible simple black and white template. The generic of the format is that when the manuscript is scent to formatting for publish it creates a flowing book without creating extra work of having to go through and fix spacing and other errors created from spacing start of paragraphs instead of using the paragraph indent option, or justifying a line, that type of thing. If you dont make a good first impression, your childrens book manuscript will likely get sent right back to you accompanied by one of those dreaded rejection letters. And yet, the way a book looks on the inside is usually one of the clearest indicators of the level of professionalism the author has put into producing it. This is part of an indepth video series on formatting your manuscript for createspace or other pod. Perhaps add the word ebook to your file name, so you know it is a fresh copy. Yes, youve guessed it this time, hes explaining how to use word to format print books. What are the guidelines for formatting a manuscript. Format drop cap you can format drop caps from the popup formatting screen. Typesetting and formatting your book completelynovel. The fonts used in the samples are for illustrative purposes only. To send in for a critique by the wd staff they will request that you use 1 12 in margins, which is different than the standard formatting of 1 in.
How to write a book using microsoft word microsoft word is great for editing your book. Every section you include in your manuscript foreword, dedication, chapters, etc. One of the first challenges a writer faces is how to format a manuscript. 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.
Build your book format a paperback manuscript word for. You can extend on these principles to set up other attributes such as spacing between. In word preferences, turn on views and view all to see all the invisible paragraph marks, spaces, hidden text, tab marks, etc. Proper manuscript format for a novel first manuscript. Formatting a book manuscript once youve written your book, whether its nonfiction or fiction, you may think youre ready to send it off to publishers.
Choose the proper alignment, spacing, font type, and font size. Formatting a manuscript in microsoft word left hand. Once you set up your word processor, writing in manuscript format doesnt take any extra effort. In modern usage, the manuscript format commonly refers to early drafts of novels, nonfiction works, or even short stories. However, you can follow some basic guidelines, like using black 12point font on white paper with double spacing. Others think theyre paginating correctly if they allocate a separate manuscript page to each line, resulting in a 32page word document that contains 300 words. How to format your book for amazon kindle using microsoft word in only 30 minutes 0 comments one of the factors that decides whether your book will be successful or a flop on amazon kindle is the formatting. You want to give it the best chance to become a book. Or to put it another way, its your book before it gets published. Manuscript presentation, novel manuscript format jericho writers. How to format a novel manuscript writing academy scribophile. How to format your manuscript even if you hate computers.
See our separate guides for formatting a paperback in microsoft word for mac and pages for mac. Whats more, theyll even calculate a rounded word count for you. Luckily there are ways to do it in word that make it easier if you know where to look. How to format a manuscript for ebook conversion publishdrive. Book manuscript format templates interior book design. This stepbystep guide shows you how to turn a manuscript written in microsoft word into a file ready to be uploaded to kdp. May 16, 2016 how to format a picture book manuscript for publishers. Here, we present some standard guidelines for formatting a book manuscript. How to format a book in word a stepbystep tutorial. Word doesnt divide your book into chapters for you like some other programs. Depending on your ebook, some steps may be unnecessary e.
Complete book formatting howto guide for word templates. Or, more simply put, its a great way of making things difficult for yourself when formatting a manuscript for agents or publishers. If you use microsoft word, heres how your paragraph settings should look. This guide will show you how to use our easy word template to format your book for createspace, ingramspark or any other. There are many types of manuscripts, from works of fiction to scientific treatises, and even more places where you can submit a manuscript for consideration for publication. Now that youve mastered microsoft word, go write your book. Aug 03, 2017 after all, formatting wont change the essence of your book like revising or editing can, and it doesnt influence readers purchases like a good cover will. Manuscript formatting writing picture books for children. Luckily for you, formatting your manuscript can be summarized in a few bullet points.
Book formatting may seem like a boring or superficial aspect of manuscript submission, but proper manuscript formatting is a crucial indicator of whether or not your editor, reader, or literary agents will take your work seriously. Formatting guidelines to ensure your manuscript looks professional. Insert a key word from the title in the top right header with the page number and your last name. In word preferences, turn on views and view all to see all the invisible. Use twelve point times new roman in black type only.
How to format a nonfiction manuscript book editing services. When you have an 80,000word manuscript, navigating becomes daunting. This book design tutorial will teach you how to format your own book before publishing. We offer both ebook manuscript formatting and print manuscript formatting black text or color text design. At the very least, if you format your manuscript with times new roman, 12point font, double spaced without any extra spacing between. What if a picture book manuscript template existed.
How to use styles in ms word for formatting a manuscript. Place your cursor at the beginning of the paragraph you want to begin with a drop cap. Proper formatting doesnt guarantee publication, nor does poor formatting guarantee rejection. Make sure youre familiar with standard manuscript format. Dec 20, 2018 in the upper, righthand corner you should include your target reader and word count when you format your childrens manuscriptif you dont know who your book is for read my article on the different age levels for childrens books. Use a standard font times new roman or arial the most common print font is the serif font times new roman.
Your style should dictate that the first line of your paragraphs are indented. Attention to proper formatting will help your submission stand out. 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. If you wish to include drop caps in your manuscript, please use the automatic drop cap feature included with word. This guide is applicable to every version of word as far back as word 2007. First of all, save a new copy of your manuscript under a new file name. Here microsoft word users can download and install handy files to help speed the task of formatting short story and novel manuscripts. The same thing is basically true of manuscripts books, so a reasonable definition of the word manuscript would be. The following steps will then apply to the entire manuscript. In this stepbystep video guide, we walk you through formatting a paperback manuscript in microsoft word.
If youve never been published, you might wonder why were calling this a manuscript and not simply a book. Begin numbering with the first page of the text of the book, usually the introduction, prologue, or chapter one. Formatting a manuscript in microsoft word left hand publishers. Simple instructions to formatting in microsoft word. How to format your book for amazon kindle using microsoft. How to format a novel in microsoft word selfpublishing. Basic manuscript formatting and word styles youtube. If you have a completed manuscript with botched book formatting on your hands, this article will teach you how to fix it using microsoft word. Apr 06, 2014 for qwc yoe 2014 participants, a video showing how to do basic manuscript formatting with styles in word. Sep 10, 2016 ive used microsoft word since the early 1990s, and learned to simply format text as i came across it. On the far right hand side of the toolbar, click on select, then select all on the dropdown. Apr, 2016 one of the first questions authors ask after finishing their book manuscript is, how do i format my book. Please follow these steps to learn how to format a manuscript for ebook conversion.
The information is specific to the 2016 version of word, but the steps are similar in most versions. Before sending your novel out to potential agents and publishers, be sure its sent in the standard manuscript format by following these. I saved it as a word document, even though i personally use pages, so if there are any issues, please report them to me. Proper manuscript formatting microsoft wordscrivener demo duration. However, its important to format your book manuscript to ensure that it gets the attention it deserves. Below are steps that will take you through how to format a nonfiction manuscript and make it industry standard. We will send a pdf proof for approval before printing. Formatting print books with word selfpublishing advice. Editors see a gazillion manuscripts every day, and the sight of certain common errors makes them sigh with impatience. How to format a manuscript the specifics guidelines you need. 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. To download any of the templates, click on the file name. To format a manuscript, keep in mind that theres no universal manuscript format that you should use, and its a good idea to look on a publishers website to see what their formatting guidelines are. It can be confusing, especially if youve never done it before.
Even if you dont use a book template, you can still write a book using microsoft word just be aware that you may have to spend more time formatting your book when its time to publish it. Manuscript format template free download lara willard. How to format a fiction manuscript for submission to an agent or. Sep 22, 2016 complete template formatting howto guide for word. How to format your childrens manuscript like an expert. If you have microsoft word loaded on your system, the template will open a document within the microsoft word plug in in your browser.