Formatting & production
Formatting is the stage where a finished manuscript becomes a file a retailer will accept and a reader will not fight. Most of it is unglamorous and most of it is solvable once.
These guides cover the specifications that actually get enforced, and the production decisions that are expensive to change after publication.
12 articles
Maps, Glossaries and Appendices Together
Three documents that should be one design.
How Much Back Matter Is Too Much
When the appendices become the problem.
Maps in Ebooks and Print
Design for the worst case, which is small and grey, and it works everywhere.
How Many Pages Is a Novel?
The same manuscript can be 280 pages or 420. Word count is the stable number.
Standard Manuscript Format
Its purpose is to be unremarkable. Every deviation costs attention.
Book Front Matter and Back Matter Checklist
What goes in book front matter and back matter, in what order, and how it differs between print and ebook.
EPUB PDF and MOBI Explained for Authors
What EPUB, PDF, MOBI, KPF and AZW actually are, which file each retailer wants, why MOBI is obsolete, and how to
How to Format a Manuscript for KDP
Format a novel for KDP ebook and paperback publication with current file, style, trim, margin, bleed, cover
How to Format a Paperback for KDP
Format a KDP paperback with the right trim, margins, gutter, bleed, page styles, print PDF, cover template and
How to Format a Print Book for Professional Results
Format a print book interior properly. Trim size, mirrored margins and gutter, type and leading, chapter openings
How to Format an Ebook for Kindle
Format a reflowable Kindle ebook with clean styles, working navigation, durable scene breaks, supported files and
How to Format an Ebook Without Breaking the Reading Experience
Format an ebook properly. Clean the source, use styles, build a working table of contents, handle images and
Formatting & production, on your own manuscript.
One pass, and the documents your editor, narrator and readers each need. See the handoff pack →