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!
