Because i have written it in word, anyone can read it. Depending on your book, some steps may be unnecessary for example, your book doesnt have images. In a few clicks, it can help you format your title page, table of contents, and individual paragraphs and change your books. How to format a manuscript for ebook conversion publishdrive. Plus, once you have the basics down, you can create a book format template for future use. Once you set up your word processor, writing in manuscript format doesnt take any extra effort. Picture book manuscript template mary kole editorial picture book manuscript formatting doesnt need to be intimidating. It features styles for keeping the fonts and spacing formatted properly, a title. Centre the chapter title, even if its only chapter one or chapter 1, about onethird of the way down the page. This video explains how to write a book in microsoft word prior to submitting to an agent, writing coach, editor, or publishing company. Build your book format a paperback manuscript word for. Now, select an area of text, such as the title in the image above, and then click on the style and your text will be changed to the new format. Please save each chapter as a separate file and zip the files into one file. Formatting a manuscript in microsoft word left hand.
In the standard format, section text is doublespaced, leftaligned, and set in a 12point courier font. I usually use the manuscript format template in word. Skip a couple of lines before beginning the text of the chapter. And you will have the ability to transform your manuscript into a beautiful. For your manuscript it should show your last name at the left, the book title centered, and the page number to the right. How to format your book for amazon kindle using microsoft. Before submission, all parts of your book manuscript should be checked. But once you incorporate the standardized basics of formatting a manuscript in preparation for your editor, youll see that it will save both you and your editor a lot of time and frustration. See the top of this page to download a correctly sized word template to paste into if required. Do the same for any credit text you have at the beginning of the. How to format a manuscript using microsoft word book editing. How to format your manuscript even if you hate computers. Microsoft word is universally recognized, and youre probably already familiar with it. Here are the basics steps on formatting your manuscript in microsoft word for self publication.
Heres how to format your novel or memoir so it looks. If playback doesnt begin shortly, try restarting your device. In word preferences, turn on views and view all to see all the invisible paragraph marks, spaces, hidden text, tab marks, etc. Writing a manuscript in microsoft word mybestseller. So, later on, you can select the best practices and which tools to use in your book design. If you want to write a book, you need word processing software thats up to the task. How to format a novel in microsoft word selfpublishing. Formatting a manuscript in microsoft word left hand publishers. The term manuscript has its origins in the latin term manu scriptus, which means written by hand. For the stylesheet to work properly and your books formatting to be consistent. Part of my job as a copy editor is to fix the formatting to publishers standards.
Authors submit manuscripts in a hodgepodge of formats. The number of words, combined with the information in your. Your margins should be 1 all around, indents going out to. For the best results, follow the five steps in this guide.
If you need help with the mechanics, ill provide that later. Format your book manuscript in word 20 at zero cost. How to format your word document for book printing on mac. To download any of the templates, click on the file name. Please follow these steps to learn how to format a manuscript for ebook conversion. Insert a key word from the title in the top right header with the page number and your last name. If youve never been published, you might wonder why were calling this a manuscript and not simply a book. How to format your childrens book manuscript dummies. Book manuscript create a cover page for your book manuscript with this accessible simple black and white template. At the time, all novel manuscripts or other written works were handwritten. After you format your manuscript in word, add finishing touches with kindle create. To help you format your manuscript, we created templates in microsoft word into which you can insert your content. How to format your book for self publication bookstand. Book seven of the zero cost self publishing series is here.
The word manuscript comes from the latin for handwritten. This sample novel excerpt shows some of the ways in which novel format differs from short story format. The fonts used in the samples are for illustrative purposes only. Prepare, publish, promote prepare your book format your manuscript paperback submission overview build your book format a paperback manuscript word for windows in this stepbystep video guide. With a few customizations, it can make writing your book easy. How to format a manuscript the specifics guidelines you. Focused specifically on developing your book manuscript to professional standards using microsoft word 20. Book manuscript format templates interior book design.
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. Things like font size, page color, word count, page number, line spacing, paragraph breakseverything that goes into the visual appearance. Then, in word 2007, word 2010, or word 20, open your book manuscript file and click file from the top menu. Picture book manuscript format tends to vary widely. Use the format menu font to change all your text to times 12pt. Feel free to use any fonts you wish in your document, when publishing your book. Well walk you through the steps to format your word document for printing a book that is a 5. To support you with this final step, we prepared a downloadable checklist for you. Write a book manuscript that you can submit to an editor with this template for word. However, as a book editor, i take care of most of these things as part of my overhaul service, especially the proper. How to format a nonfiction manuscript book editing services. How to manage and format your book manuscript in word. Heres how to format your novel or memoir so it looks professional.
Every manuscript you send must go out with complete contact information on the first page, as well as the title of your book and the word count. Proper manuscript format for a novel first manuscript. Here microsoft word users can download and install handy files to help speed the task of formatting short story and novel manuscripts. For one thing, a novel manuscript requires a separate title page. These steps include including setting up the correct trim size, setting up the correct margins, formatting the. Others think theyre paginating correctly if they allocate a separate manuscript page to each line, resulting in a. Once you find your perfect microsoft word book manuscript template, youll be ready to start typing up your book. Picture book format and how to format your manuscript. I think a template would make it a lot easier to format it and also make it look more professional, but you dont have to have one. While fancy book writing software programs might be popular among writers, word is the standard for professionals. Valuable list of all of the steps that go into building a book manuscript. Achieve your writing goals by committing to writing each and every day.