Publishing costs are crashing down

AI has split the writing community asunder; for creatives AI can threaten the human spark that defines us. But it can also let us execute beyond our skillset. Previously you had to hire an editor, a cover designer, a formatter… the basic price for quality work is at least $1000. Most people would tell you, if you can’t afford the price to enter, you shouldn’t publish.

I’ve always thought that’s rubbish.
And I’ve done the best to make tools and templates available to help self-publishers DIY.

The truth is, while AI may not compare to the best, most expensive service providers out there, it’s already better than the cheap, basic alternatives you could have found previously. And since I don’t have time to actually help everybody, I’m experimenting with some AI tools as well.

Maybe I’ll figure out my own book formatting tool, but for now I’m focused on my main strengths, book design and novel editing.

The idea is to offer something in the $50 range, that is better than anything else.

AI translation and audiobooks

Translation and audiobooks are extra things authors can get if they have a big budget. Previously only books that sold well would get the royal treatment. I’ve invested in narration for my own books and spent over $20K… it’s hard to earn that money back on audiobook sales.

AI is pretty good with ai book translation, and ai voiced audiobooks – when they work – can be enjoyed by readers. Spotify is heating up for audiobooks, as is youtube. Foreign markets are increasingly easy to access. Tools exist to translate books with AI… but Amazon itself just announced it’s own internal book translation feature.

This is not a new shift for them. Again and again, Amazon and other big players are adding AI tools into their own processes, because they’re too dangerous to ignore. When people worry about AI in book cover design, for example, I point out that Photoshop itself has integrated google’s latest image gen technology.

It feels stupid easy, to click and achieve a result, that previously would take me an hour of braindead, pedantic work. Not every task is creative, and Photoshop as a tool for book covers has always been limited by stock photos in a way that just isn’t true anymore.

Design itself is changing fast, but so is marketing – Coke is putting out another all-AI christmas ad this year, despite negative feedback on the last one. Authors are free to make their own choices and decisions about using AI, but people keep in mind that for service providers, it becomes harder and harder to be the best, if they can’t employ the latest tools – it allows non-designers to produce better results, faster, not through skill but only through technology.

Being afraid of being replaced would be a valid fear as a designer; but I’m hoping my cheap or free tools will stop the spread of more expensive alternatives.

As a writer, you and I face the same dilemma. I want all my books to be mine, written by me. My voice, my stories. But, I’m also not still developing a style. I’ve published dozens of books. I’m happy with the way I write. It’s hard work, and it’s slow. Milton – the subject of my PhD thesis – went blind but had a place to live and a maid who would write down every word he spoke.

I can’t do everything myself, and it’s not that I’m tired of trying, I just care more about finishing all the work I want to do… and I know I’ll never finish at my current rate. What is AI good for? It’s pretty good at everything. But it’s not great at anything.

You should use it for all the stuff you don’t love to do, that maybe you also don’t do well. Focus on what you love, focus on what you’re best at. Get the appropriate support you need, to give your book it’s best chance at success.

1. There was a header on top of the chapter page
2. The same ‘genre’ font (specialty font to match genre) was used on the chapter heading, the page heading and the first sentence (yuck).
3. All the rest, spacing, margins, indents, etc, where fine but nothing super.

He’s charging $99. Pretty good price, says he does it in InDesign. But just because someone can use InDesign, and knows a little bit about book formatting, and is cheap, doesn’t mean you should hire him.

Just because you pay someone, doesn’t make them a professional designer. And no, I don’t think you need to pay someone a lot of money to get quality design: you just have to educate yourself a little bit.

When you’re hiring a designer, it’s not just about his portfolio or how the work looks to you. You need to learn the rules first. You need to check out my gallery and see what professional book design looks like. Does that designer’s interior book design look like all those other books? Is it as clean and polished? Or is he breaking some rules and doing things differently?

With book design, doing things differently and new is never a sign of an experienced designer. Being clever and doing things like putting headers and page numbers in a weird place just for the sake of being novel will disorient readers.

There really aren’t many rules to book design. If you download my free templates you’ll see I can make lots of style variations with just three fonts, and they look amazing (though some are too busy and distracting). Learning how to design minimally, and learning how to appreciate the white space between the text, is what truly separates quality designers from amateurs.

So before you hire somebody, get the templates. Take a look at the design gallery. Make sure your book cover is brilliant and that your chapter heading fonts match your cover (so important, but so rarely done by indie authors! It’s such a giveaway that the book was poorly produced by random designers not collaborating).

10 book formatting mistakes and red flags to watch out for

Having a well-formatted book is crucial for providing a professional and engaging reading experience. Here are some common book formatting mistakes or red flags that you should avoid:

1. Inconsistent Formatting:

Inconsistencies in your formatting can disrupt the reading experience and make your book look unprofessional. This can include inconsistencies in font sizes and styles, spacing, indentation, and headers and footers. To avoid this, create a clear style guide for your book and stick to it throughout.

2. Incorrect or Inconsistent Margins:

The margins in your book should be consistent and appropriate for the book size. Books typically have “mirrored” margins, meaning the inside margins are narrower than the outside margins, to accommodate the binding. Inconsistent or incorrect margins can make the book difficult to read.

3. Poor Paragraph Formatting:

Paragraphs should have a clear first-line indent, and there should be a clear space between paragraphs if you’re not using indents. Avoid using both at the same time as it can make the text look disorganized.

4. Using Too Many Different Fonts:

While you might be tempted to use various fonts to make certain sections stand out, this can often lead to a messy and confusing layout. Stick to one or two fonts – one for headings and one for body text is a common choice.

5. Overuse of Bold or Italic Text:

Bold and italics can be used for emphasis, but when overused, they can make the text appear cluttered and disrupt the reading flow. Use these styles sparingly.

6. Ignoring Page Breaks:

Page breaks should be used at the end of each chapter to ensure that the next chapter begins on a new page. If page breaks are ignored, chapters can run together, which is confusing for the reader.

7. Lack of or Incorrectly Formatted Headers and Footers:

Headers and footers help orient the reader and provide a professional look. Headers typically contain the book title, chapter title, or author’s name, while footers usually contain the page number.

8. Poorly Designed or Inconsistent Chapter Headings:

Chapter headings signal to the reader that they’re starting a new section of the book. These should be consistent in style and positioned correctly (usually at the top of a new page).

9. No Page Numbers or Incorrectly Placed Page Numbers:

Page numbers are essential for readers to keep track of their progress through the book. They should be consistently placed (usually in the footer) and start from the main body of the book, not the front matter.

10. Ignoring the Front and Back Matter:

The front matter (title page, copyright page, table of contents, etc.) and back matter (appendices, acknowledgments, etc.) should be correctly formatted and included in the book.

Avoiding these common mistakes will help ensure that your book is presented in a professional manner, allowing your readers to fully engage with your content.

How to format a book in Microsoft Word

Formatting a book in Microsoft Word can be a straightforward process if you follow the right steps. Here’s a general guide on how to do it:

1. Setting Up the Document: Start by creating a new Word document. Go to “Layout” or “Page Layout,” select “Margins,” and then “Custom Margins.” A common choice is to set a 1-inch margin on all sides.
2. Page Size and Layout: Go to “Paper Size,” and set the width and height according to your book’s size. For most books, 6″ x 9″ is a standard size. Choose “Mirror Margins” under “Multiple pages” for facing pages in a book.
3. Page Numbers: Click on “Insert” and then “Page Numbers” to add page numbers. For a professional look, you might want to start page numbers on the second page.
4. Title Page: Create a title page with the book title, subtitle (if any), author name, and publisher logo (if applicable). Center align the text.
5. Copyright Page: This usually goes on the back of the title page. Include the copyright symbol ©, the year, the author’s name, and any legal notices.
6. Table of Contents: Insert a table of contents by going to “References” and “Table of Contents.” Make sure all chapter headings have been styled as “Heading 1” to appear in the TOC.
7. Chapter Headings: Use “Heading 1” for Chapter Titles. This provides a professional look and helps in creating the table of contents.
8. Body Text: The body of your text should be “Normal” style. A common choice is 12-point Times New Roman or another easy-to-read font.
9. Line Spacing: For body text, line spacing is typically set to 1.5 lines for easy readability.
10. Indentation: Go to “Paragraph,” then “Indentation.” Under “Special,” choose “First line” and set it to 0.3 inches to 0.5 inches.
11. Header and Footer: Under “Insert,” select “Header” or “Footer,” and add any text you want to appear there, such as the book title, author name, or publisher.
12. Page Breaks: Insert a page break at the end of a chapter to ensure the next chapter begins on a new page.
13. Proofread: Finally, make sure to thoroughly proofread your book for any typos or formatting errors.

Remember, these are general guidelines and the specific formatting requirements can change depending on the genre, audience, and where you’re planning to publish the book. Always check with your publisher or printing service to ensure you meet their specific requirements.

1. Organizing Your Poetry Collection

Selecting and Sequencing Your Poems

Begin by deciding which poems to include in your collection. Arrange them in a sequence that creates a flow, whether thematically, chronologically, or using another logical pattern.

Dividing Into Sections

If your collection covers different themes or periods, consider dividing your book into sections. Each section can have its own title or simply be numbered.

2. Formatting Your Poetry Manuscript

Handling Line Breaks and Spacing

Poetry formatting can be quite different from prose. Your lines may be shorter, and you might use unconventional spacing for artistic effect. Be consistent with your line breaks and spacing to ensure your poems’ integrity and impact remain intact.

Font Selection

Choose a font that complements your poetry. Serif fonts are often used for their readability, but sans-serif can also work. Make sure the font you select does not distract from the poetry itself.

This post is about formatting books of poetry for print and ebook.

You can start with the templates from DIYbookformats or just open a new document; but I strongly encourage you to watch the 3rd video and learn how you can make your poetry book go viral with amazing typography and full page images.

Getting started

Word formatting basics for poetry

Making it awesome with Wordswag or Canva

3. Preparing for Print Publication

Deciding on Book Size

The size of your book, or trim size, can affect the presentation of your poetry. Depending on the length of your lines, you might opt for a smaller or larger trim size.

Formatting for Print

When formatting for print, remember to include page numbers, headers or footers, and a table of contents. Allow for a ‘gutter’ margin to accommodate binding, and ensure your text doesn’t get lost in the fold of the book.

Choosing a Printing Service

Select a reliable printing service that caters to your needs, such as print-on-demand or bulk printing. Consider the quality of paper and printing offered, as well as the cost.

4. Preparing for eBook Publication

Formatting for eBook

eBook formatting can be a bit more complex, as it needs to adapt to different devices and screen sizes. To maintain the integrity of your line breaks and stanza structure, consider using a fixed layout eBook format.

Converting to eBook Formats

Poetry books need to be converted into .epub for most eBook platforms, and .mobi for Amazon Kindle. You can use various tools for this, such as Calibre, or hire a professional to assist you.

5. Creating a Striking Book Cover

Your book cover is the first impression readers will have of your poetry collection. It should be visually appealing, intriguing, and reflect the tone or theme of your poetry.

6. Publication and Distribution

ISBN and Copyright

If you choose to self-publish, you’ll need an ISBN for your book. This unique identifier allows bookstores and libraries to find your book. Don’t forget to copyright your work to protect it against infringement.

Choosing a Publishing Platform

There are several self-publishing platforms available, like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Smashwords, and Lulu. Research each platform’s terms and royalties to find the best fit for you.

Formatting a book of poetry requires a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of your work’s aesthetics. With these steps, you’re well on your way to creating a beautifully formatted poetry book ready for the eager hands and eyes of readers. Happy publishing!

• Love Poetry? Check out these Love Poems
• Haiku Examples Poetry

Scrivener Features: there’s a “CorkBoard” feature so you can add notes. It’s like a big binder to help organize all your characters, plot lines and story ideas. That can be useful if you’re a discovery writer struggling with plot. It might help you feel sane.

Personally, I still prefer writing in microsoft word (although I do writing sprints on my iphone with a bluetooth keyboard).

But there aren’t a lot of other contenders for “best writing software” – lots of authors have depended on it for years; others like me, don’t see the magic.

I actually know of a new writing app that’s pretty awesome, much more modern than Scrivener and I’m looking forward to sharing it (it’s based on my 24 chapter plot outlines.) But it’s not ready yet.

In the meantime, you can try my Scrivener Template.

Can you format a book with Scrivener?

No, not really.

Sure, you can export as an ebook easily, which is pretty sweet, as long as you don’t need to make changes. But you can’t do advanced stuff like fancy fonts or chapter headings.

And it just doesn’t work for print formatting – for which you should probably embed some fonts, and control the margins, spacing, headings, etc… none of which you can do easily in Scrivener, so you’ll need to export it into Word or InDesign to format your book for print.

*I think you can save as a .doc file but I haven’t tried in a long while; You can also customize some styles… I’ll dig into it again soon in case it’s been updated, but I’m pretty sure everyone will agree that Scrivener is a writing app, not a formatting tool…

Which makes Scrivener less than an ideal solution. For writing books and getting started, if you get used to it, it’s great. But for designing your books for print and ebook, it’s rudimentary at best, and probably not good enough to actually get the job done.

Get Scrivener Here >>

A Comprehensive Guide to Writing and Formatting a Book with Scrivener

Scrivener is a powerful writing tool designed specifically for writers. It offers numerous features that make writing, organizing, and formatting your book easier than ever. Let’s break down the process of writing a book with Scrivener:

Getting Started with Scrivener:

1. Create a New Project: After opening Scrivener, start by creating a new project. Choose ‘Novel’ from the templates if you’re writing fiction. For non-fiction, you can choose ‘Non-Fiction.’
2. Familiarize Yourself with the Interface: Scrivener’s interface is divided into three main sections: The Binder (left), the Editor (middle), and the Inspector (right). The Binder is where you’ll organize your chapters and scenes. The Editor is your writing area, and the Inspector is where you’ll add notes, links, and other metadata.

Writing Your Book:

3. Create Your Chapters: In the Binder, create new folders for each of your chapters. You can do this by clicking on the “+” sign at the top of the Binder.
4. Create Your Scenes: Within each chapter folder, you can create different text files for your scenes. These scenes can be moved around freely, giving you flexibility in structuring your chapters.
5. Compose Your Text: Click on a scene in the Binder to select it, then start writing in the Editor. Scrivener automatically saves your work.
6. Use the Corkboard and Outliner: Scrivener offers two powerful tools for organizing your book. The Corkboard gives you a visual representation of your chapters or scenes using index cards. The Outliner lets you view your manuscript in a structured outline format.
7. Set Targets and Track Your Progress: You can set word count targets for your overall manuscript and for each writing session. Scrivener will track your progress, which can be incredibly motivating!

Formatting Your Book:

8. Applying Styles: You can format your text using the various styling options in the Format Bar. Scrivener also allows you to create and save custom styles.
9. Compile Your Manuscript: Once your manuscript is complete, you’ll need to compile it. This is where Scrivener shines – it can export your manuscript into various formats (including ePub, Kindle, PDF, and Word), and it allows you to control how your manuscript looks after it’s compiled.
10. Choose Compile Settings: Scrivener provides a variety of compile presets. If you’re self-publishing, you might choose ePub or Kindle. If you’re sending to an agent or publisher, you might choose Word or PDF.
11. Fine-Tune Your Formatting: After selecting a preset, you can adjust specific settings. For example, you can set the font and spacing, add headers and footers, adjust the layout, and more.
12. Compile and Save: Once you’re happy with your settings, click ‘Compile.’ Choose where you want to save your compiled manuscript, and you’re done!

Remember, Scrivener is a very robust program with many features beyond what’s covered in this guide. Be sure to explore Scrivener’s tutorial (under ‘Help’) and other resources to get the most out of this powerful writing tool. Happy writing!

Get Scrivener HERE >>

1. MS Word

A great standby, that most of us are already using. If you format your book correctly, it will look good in print and convert easily to ebook. And you can even drag and drop sections and chapters around (bet you didn’t know that!) However, there have been several times in my life where my computer or harddrive crashed and I lost the books I was working on. There’s nothing as painful, and it’s really hard to get up the energy to rewrite something you’ve already written.

2. Google Docs

I started using Google docs so that, at least, all my work would be saved automatically, and I could access it from any computer, which is a huge time-saver. It works great, until you start fine-tuning and editing, then it can be clunky to try to jump through your novel and find the part you want.

3. Word + Dropbox

This is what I’m using right now: I put my Word docs in a Dropbox folder, that I can still access on any computer, update and save. Almost foolproof. But if you move it or delete it accidentally, it’s hard to get back. Still, this is the safest method I’ve found.

4. Scrivener

A lot of writers love Scrivener. I’ve tried it a few times but apparently not enough to get hooked. I find the structure limiting and claustrophobic. I want my document to be open full screen (I know it has a “full screen” mode but then I can’t access other things I want). You can move things around, but I can do that in Word. It has handy reference and note areas, but I prefer to just dump data at the beginning or end of chapters and clean it up later.

How about you?

What are you going to use to write your Nanowrimo book? When it’s done, come back to DIY Book Formats so you can get it ready to publish!

• Best writing software & apps

Winning Nanowrimo (6 steps to an unbreakable writing habit)

I don’t always do Nanowrimo (national novel writing month) but it’s a nice way to “train” yourself to write every day, and get comfortable producing 50K of content in a month, which isn’t impossible but does have to be a priority. I made this video in Thailand and some people say it’s one of my best.

Check out my article on the Nanowrimo Blog: 9 Steps to Build a Strong Plot

PS I like Nanowrimo so much, or at least the principles behind it, that I got an #amwriting Tattoo.

I’ve also rented a few castles to use as writing retreats.

And it’s not that hard, if you know what you’re doing.

Formatting is super easy, if you learn what looks good: you could use my templates package to start and just tweak the fonts for each client. You could send them my recommended font samples (or show them this page) to make some quick design decisions.

For formatting, keep it clean and simple. The amateur overdesigns and loves big crazy fonts and decoration. The professional loves white space and simplicity.

If you’re charging for formatting, you should know that InDesign is better and cleaner (and you can charge more – I charge $349 for InDesign formatting, and about half that for Word formatting, even though Word is usually harder and more frustrating to finish). But if you design in Indesign, it means client swill keep coming back to you with changes.

Update: not offering formatting services anymore, but when I do – I do everything in Vellum because it’s SO much easier.

If you’re offering print book formatting, you’ll probably need to learn ebook formatting and conversion as well, which is a whole different thing. You’ll need to learn a little bit of coding, or at least know enough about Word to format well and then use an automatic ebook conversion tool.

Book Cover Design

Designing book covers is harder. They’re easy to make, and also very easy to screw up with recognizable, amateur design flaws. If you want to skip the learning curve, make sure to watch my free video series on book cover design, and you should check out these articles on cover design as well.

How to start a freelance design business

If you’re ready to start, play around with some samples and make 20 to 50 pieces for your online portfolio. Make a website. Then offer some people free work; ideally authors who already have a platform, but have inadequate design. Offer to review their covers, or do free formatting. Get their testimonials and feature them on your site; see if they’ll link to you.

If you do free work for one big name author, and they keep sending new clients and traffic to your site, and your site is well made and converts (good sales copy, great testimonials, great prices and packages, excellent design samples) then you’ll start getting orders. The more traffic you get, the higher you can raise prices. Don’t be afraid of charging high:

For formatting, I would charge at least $100 for ebook formatting and $200 for print book formatting ($250/$300 altogether). But that’s only if you’re really good at it. You can charge less if you aren’t comfortable with your skills yet, or to get a lot of testimonials.

That said… big cover designers were doing pretty great for the past decade, and right now almost nobody is doing that well; client work and custom orders are way down, and authors who used to buy lots of premades have started showing restraint. There’s still demand, of course, but it’s hard to get visibility.

When I started, I made free covers for a bunch of big authors in the self-publishing space. I went to conferences and networked. I made book cover tutorials and helpful content. Focus on developing your skill first. The trickiest bits are:

#1 photoshopping and blending all the layers together cohesively

#2 choosing the right fonts for the genre and professional typography.

You’re probably going to need to learn a lot about how to start a profitable online business.

But working from home is pretty great.

PS. My book cover designer site needs updating, but you can check it out if you want.

Most mainstream publishers don’t embed fonts, because it makes the ebook bulkier and less easy to predict – it’s safer and easier to make a simple, lightweight ebook that just displays the text cleanly with no fancy stuff.

Actually, little considerations like not indenting the first paragraph, having line breaks between paragraphs and no indents, or starting paragraphs with a bigger letter are all possible, but not actually a big deal (they won’t make a big impression on readers, who see past those things and just read the book). So if in doubt, stay safe, don’t embed fonts, keep everything super simple.

But if you want to embed fonts in your ebook, here’s a guide to using Sigil in order to do it right.

You’ll need this bit of code for your stylesheet, to add each unique font:

@font-face {

font-family: “LHF Larcher Roman”;

font-weight: normal;

font-style: normal;

src: url(‘../Fonts/Larcher.ttf’);

Then you’ll need to upload the fonts into your ebook; then your paragraph style needs to “call” the font, like this:

.block_1 {

color: black;

display: block;

font-family: “LHF Larcher Roman”, serif;

font-size: 2em;

letter-spacing: 5pt;

line-height: 0.9;

page-break-after: avoid;

text-align: center;

text-indent: 0;

padding: 0;

margin: 0

}

This is not the same as embedding fonts in your Word Manuscript – which you can do before you save as a PDF (Kindle doesn’t seem to care about this, but IngramSpark is pickier so you might run into the issue).

For ebooks, you can basically choose a handful of standard fonts, but readers can set them according to their own style preferences. If you really need a custom font for a chapter heading (to match your book cover design) you might consider saving chapter heading images for each of your chapters and using them instead of text. It’s a little clunky but it can work great.

I have nothing against paying a pro, but if you plan to publish often (more than once) this is definitely an easy place to DIY and take more control. However, while these free templates will help, they aren’t a full book formatting software like Vellum.

Createspace is dead, long live Kindle Publishing

I’m a big fan of Createspace KDP publishing (over other choices like Lulu or IngramSpark). They make it easy, and cheap. But the design capabilities aren’t great.

You’d think for all their billions of dollars they could make a decent book cover creator or interior formatting tool. But they haven’t. Instead they make money on book design and formatting. And they are OK, but not great.

A few years ago I compared my level of cover design to their highest level – a level they stopped offering because book design is hard work and they didn’t have good enough quality design to justify their high prices.

The main problem with formatting through Createspace or using the Kindle for Desktop tool, is that they aren’t working with your cover designer; if left unguided, they will just choose random fonts that probably don’t look too bad, but also don’t match your cover design, leading to a very rough and fragmented reader experience.

They will use the fonts you tell them to use; but you have to know what they are (check out the resources on this site to find best fonts per genre).

However once they are done, they are going to charge extra ($99 I think) for design changes, on top of what you paid… which right now is $199 for simple, templated book formatting, and $349 for something more professional.

If you want to save a few hundred bucks, download my free package of templates, pick out a font that matches your genre (and book cover!) and do it yourself. Or, if you’re finding it too hard to fix everything and make it look perfect, you can hire someone on fiverr.com to do it for under $50.

How much does book formatting cost?

The cost of book formatting can vary widely based on several factors, such as:

1. Complexity of the Book: Books with simple formatting like novels will generally cost less to format than books with complex layouts, such as textbooks or cookbooks with images, tables, charts, etc.
2. Length of the Book: The longer the book, the more it will cost to format because of the additional work involved.
3. Professional vs. DIY: Professional formatters have the expertise to ensure your book looks polished and professional, but their services come at a price. If you’re on a budget and willing to learn, there are DIY options like using a formatting software or tool, though this may require a significant time investment.
4. Type of Formatting: Ebooks generally cost less to format than print books. However, most formatters offer a package deal that includes both ebook and print formatting.
5. Level of Service: Some formatters provide additional services, such as custom illustrations, graphics, or specialty fonts, which will increase the cost.

That said, the cost for professional book formatting services can range from between $50 to $500 or more. Some professionals charge a flat fee, while others might charge per page or per word. I’d get quotes from a few book formatters to ensure you’re getting a fair price.

Lastly, remember that while it’s important to consider cost, it’s equally important to consider quality. A well-formatted book can greatly enhance the reader’s experience, so it’s often worth investing in professional formatting services.

But there were tricky issues: like not having headers or page numbers on chapter pages, or having blank pages and starting on the left or right. And if you screwed something up, the whole book could be off. But I kept at it. I was tired of leaving clients to do their own formatting without help: the manuscripts they made were unprofessional and full of errors.

When I stopped doing book design to write my own fiction, I wanted to put up a package of interior book formatting templates on this site (and I’ve done so). Plus there are lots of videos and guides – all free – so you can format your book on your own, save money, and have MUCH better looking books.

Check around for the free stuff, or if you want even more options, download the master package.

How to Format a Book (With FREE Templates and Videos)

I’m going to update this with real links to the videos, in the meantime make sure you look around the site to find the DIY formatting tutorials.

Formatting a book might seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. With a few free resources and some knowledge under your belt, you’ll be on your way to creating a well-formatted book that impresses readers and stands up against professionally published works. Here’s a step-by-step guide to formatting your book:

Step 1: Setup Your Document

Before you begin, make sure you have a clean document to work with. Remove any unnecessary spaces, tabs, or other odd formatting.

Free Template: Check out this Basic Manuscript Template (replace with a real link) to help you get started.

Video Guide: For more detailed instructions, watch this Setting Up Your Document Video (replace with a real link).

Step 2: Choose a Book Size and Set Margins

Choose your book size based on your publishing goals, then set your margins accordingly.

Free Template: This Book Size and Margins Template (replace with a real link) can guide you through the process.

Video Guide: Watch this Setting Margins and Book Size Video (replace with a real link) for a step-by-step walkthrough.

Step 3: Style Your Text

Choose a font and style that complements your book. Typically, you should stick to a simple, easy-to-read font for your main text.

Free Template: This Styling Text Template (replace with a real link) provides pre-styled fonts, headers, and paragraph settings.

Video Guide: Check out this Styling Text Video (replace with a real link) to learn more about text styling options.

Step 4: Insert Page Numbers

Page numbers are crucial for guiding your readers through your book.

Free Template: Use this Page Numbering Template (replace with a real link) to help you correctly insert page numbers.

Video Guide: Watch this Inserting Page Numbers Video (replace with a real link) to understand the process.

Step 5: Create Headers and Footers

Headers and footers can include information like the book title, author’s name, and chapter title.

Free Template: This Header and Footer Template (replace with a real link) will help you set up these crucial elements.

Video Guide: For a more in-depth guide, check out this Creating Headers and Footers Video (replace with a real link).

Step 6: Build Your Front and Back Matter

Don’t forget about your title page, copyright page, dedication, acknowledgments, about the author, and any other front and back matter!

Free Template: Use this Front and Back Matter Template (replace with a real link) to ensure you don’t miss anything.

Video Guide: Watch this Building Front and Back Matter Video (replace with a real link) to understand the importance of these sections.

Formatting a book can be a big job, but with these free resources, it’s definitely manageable. With a bit of time and patience, you’ll have a beautifully formatted book that you’ll be proud to share. Happy formatting!