Formatting with Word without Screaming or Acts of Violence!

I’ve been on vacation this month in my beautiful home state, and I’m afraid this post is way overdue. While enjoying my leisure time I had a message on Facebook from a reader and another in-person comment about these posts, so at least I know there are a few of you reading my suggestions. That inspired me to make an attempt at passing on what I have learned about formatting with Microsoft Word. I’m not pretending to be an expert; in fact, it may be possible to find some of these suggestions on other sites, but here goes.

If you have written a book and decide to go the traditional route of looking for an agent to represent you there are numerous sites that will outline the steps of that process. Basically, you write a query letter that contains a “hook” that will grab the reader’s attention and sell your manuscript. Usually agents want to see the first fifty pages, more or less, of your book. Some want a synopsis and the first chapter. Just remember to do a little research before you select an agent and submit your work. A reputable agent will never ask for money upfront.

That being said, let’s assume you have tried the traditional route and have gotten nowhere with submissions. Believe me, I know how you feel. It’s a long, frustrating process. But, don’t dwell on that! If you really believe in your book you will probably decide to self-publish. Just remember, the publishing business is about making money and most self-publishing companies want to help you design and format your book for a sizable fee. Do they make it easy for you to do it yourself? No! Is it possible to learn how to do it yourself? Of course! If I can figure out how to do it, you can do it. Just be aware that some companies will not help you at all. They want a print ready file and will not give you advice on the phone or tell you what you are doing wrong. I won’t mention any names here, but this is the way I learned…trial and error. My small publishing company (Cahabapress.com) now uses Amazon Create Space. I’ve been happy with them, and they’re fairly easy to work with. No, they didn’t pay me to say that!

Let’s get started. Once you have chosen the company that will print and distribute your book, you will be given the option of choosing a size. I recommend either 5.5 x 8.5 or 6 x 9 for novels. Ease of reading and market considerations are important in choosing the size. Now you’re ready to get started. Open a new Word document and go to Page Layout at the top of the screen—fourth from the left. Go to the Margins icon. You will need to set up a custom margin for your book since you will need to allow for a gutter. What is a gutter? That’s the space allowed for the binding of the book. A certain amount of space will be lost when the pages are secured. In the past, pages were often stitched together, but now pages are glued together with a strong adhesive. You will be told when you set-up your book specifications about the amount to allow for a gutter. It depends on the number of pages in your book. Next you will set your margins on the top, bottom, right-side and left-side of the pages. Open any book you have handy. Look at the gutter in the middle of the book. Notice that you can read the type easily without bending the spine back too much. With the book open, look at the left side; the edge of the page on the outside is the left margin. The right side is the right margin. I know this sounds simple, but it can be confusing, especially since we are used to thinking about a single page of type. Your margins should be set at .50 inches, at least.

Now you’re ready to insert a header and footer. Go to Insert at the top of the screen—third from the left and click.  A little more than half-way across the screen you will see Header, Footer, and Page Number. Click on Header. Look at the bottom of the pop-up screen. Click on Edit Header. Your page will then show a header and you will see Header and Footer Tools at the top of the screen. Directly below that will be the word “Design.” Check different first page, different odd and even page, and show document text. It is up to you to decide if you want a blank header at the beginning of each chapter. If you want a Running Header (a header on every page) uncheck the different first page under Design. Now you will set-up the odd and even page header. Again, this is a matter of choice. I’ve seen books without a header, but most will place the author’s name on the even numbered pages and the title on the odd number pages. Whew! Did you follow all that? I hope so.

Now, go back to Insert at the top of the screen. Click Page Number. A screen will pop-up, and you can choose how to number your pages. I recommend using the second choice which centers the numbers at the bottom of each page. Simply click on your choice and the numbers will appear on your pages. Now you can start typing or go through these steps to format an existing Word document.  Sometimes this can be tricky with an existing document. If all else fails and you are not able to format the document to the new specifications, you can always copy the text and paste it into the newly formatted Word document.

Next time, I will talk about creating a title page, etc. and creating chapter breaks.  Good luck with your manuscript!