Do you want to know how to format a book before sending it to an editor? Read this article to learn how to Format a Book, which your editor wants you to know ahead of time!
You shouldn’t try to befriend your editor unless you want to hang out with tale geeks or those who have obsessive-compulsive tendencies when it comes to language.
However, you should do all in your ability to be your editor’s professional buddy. Formatting is one of the easiest methods to achieve this, which far too many authors overlook.
Before submitting their work to editors, editors want the writers to have some knowledge of book layout. The basic goal is to make it simple to read, interesting, and likely to keep people reading.
Many fiction and nonfiction authors spend hours together drafting their works despite having no experience with formatting. To pique your editor’s and readers’ interest in your work, proper formatting is critical. or take professional book formatting services The ten recommendations listed below might help you format a book to satisfy your editor’s criteria.
1. Choose a standard font, font size, and color to the industry standards.
Though some editors prefer Arial or Courier New, the industry norm is Times New Roman with 12-point font size. You should avoid utilizing sophisticated fonts such as Centuria Script and Risotto Script.
Multicolor typefaces may cause readers to lose focus on the important themes. Throughout the book, it is preferable to utilize black font color.
2. Pick a Margin That Is Uniform
Margins should be uniform for book layout, which means there should be a one-inch space between the top, bottom, left, and right margins of your pages. Select Layout > Margins> Custom Margins>(set your margins)>(see the preview)> in MS Word to customize your margins. >Confirm your choice by clicking Set as Default. That concludes our discussion. You’re ready to go!
3. Using the Tab Key vs. Using the Indent
You should indent a half-inch for the first line of a new paragraph (that is, start the phrase with a blank space between it and the margin). Hitting the tab key when indenting is perhaps every editor’s pet hate. The terms “setting tabs” and “pressing tab” are not interchangeable. To set tabs for indentation in MS Word, select all of the file (Ctrl+A), then select home>’arrow’ on the right of paragraph>Indents and Spacing>Indentation>Before Text> (type 0.5)>Special>’First line’ from the ‘Special’ drop-down menu.
Indentation should not be used in the opening paragraph of any chapter, after a subhead, or when following a bulleted or numbered text.
4. Double-space all lines and use commas to separate sentences.
To make the information more readable, lines should be double-spaced. It is not common practice to leave additional space between paragraphs. When producing prose manuscripts, keep in mind that margins should be double-spaced and one inch to an inch and a quarter wide. Single-spaced poetry is OK.
5. Sentences should be oriented to the left.
Ctrl+L aligns your sentences on the left side of your page but is not justified (Ctrl+J). Keep in mind that on the right-hand side of your written page, consistency will not exist.
6. Ensure that your pages are numbered.
From the first page forward, page numbers should be consistent. In the table of contents, copyright page, or ISBN information, Roman numerals are used. Never number the first page of your manuscript; numbering should begin on the first page of your tale.
To number pages, click to Insert>Page Numbers in the menu bar and choose your favorite page numbering solution. The page number’s location is up to you, but it will be influenced by the format and content of headers and footers.
7. Make use of standard page sizes and breaks.
The usual page size in MS Word is 8.5 by 11 inches by default, but you may alter it at any time by heading to the Layout tab>Size>More Paper Sizes>Page Setup. There will be a dialogue box that appears.
The Page Break option in MS Word is particularly handy for ensuring a specified amount of gap between pages. When you’ve reached the conclusion of a chapter, go to Layout>Breaks>Page.
8. Understand how to format your paragraphs and chapters
The chapter title should be centered in the center of the page or one-third down the page. Below the chapter number, the first chapter title should be provided. For all subsequent chapters, use the same chapter header structure. New chapters should always begin on a blank page.
A page break can be used to do this. The chapter number might be written in words or digits. To make paragraphs more reader-friendly, a typical rule is to keep them short. Use headers, subheadings, and visuals as needed in nonfiction writing.
9. Send the whole formatted book to the editor as a Word document.
Individual chapters should not be sent to your editor as separate files, as this is neither common nor good practice. Please provide the full manuscript in one document. Editors prefer manuscripts in MS Word files because of the Track Changes function, which is a popular editing tool.
10. Create a table of contents and a copyright page for your book.
The elements of your text that appear before the real material begin are referred to as “front matter.” This is also true of ebooks. The Editor allows you to manage the front matter elements of your book in two sections: the Copyright Page and the Table of Contents.
Copyright
You can manage your: on this page.
- Title
- Subtitle
- Pen name
- Edition number
- Year of publication
- Collaborators
- Publisher name and logo (if any)
- Copyright clauses
- ISBN number(s)
Most ebook vendors don’t require an ISBN since they have their own unique identifier. For example, when you publish your book with Kindle Direct Publishing, Amazon utilizes the Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN) and generates a new one for free (KDP). Similarly, an ISBN is no longer required for Apple iBooks.
There’s a debate going on right now over whether ISBNs are still useful, and you can read more about it here. For the time being, if you plan on printing POD copies, you’ll need an ISBN, which most POD services will supply for free.
After you’ve inserted your ISBN, you may start working on your table of contents.
Table of Contents
This is where you may choose the level of detail in your table of contents. If you’re creating a book, the table of contents may merely contain the chapter names (above). You can, however, opt to list your subheadings as well (below).
You’re almost ready to export your book once you’ve finished creating your copyright page and table of contents.
11. The Formatted Book’s Conclusion
You might end the document by putting “END” in the center after the last line. A closing sentence is a wonderful way to bring a paragraph to a close. A well-written conclusion phrase can aid readers in identifying the manuscript’s main ideas. In most cases, the final paragraph begins with terms like ‘In conclusion,’ ‘Thus,’ ‘For this reason,’ and so on.
Conclusion
Writing a book or manuscript is a process that begins with little steps, such as writing a single line, then a paragraph, and finally a whole chapter. After you’ve finished writing your work, you should focus on formatting it. You may use graphical components in your text while producing books about games or comic books. What are the chances? It’s possible that your novel may be made into a film in the future!
Finally, certain Famous publishers or editors have specific formatting preferences. Before submitting their novels, the author should study the guidelines set by the editors or publishers. Their preferences are frequently posted on their websites.