Theres more to selfpublishing than throwing your book up on amazon and calling it a day. I could really afford to produce 20 books, one for each student in the class in. Consult an expert meet online, by phone, or in person with a genealogist to get guidance on your research. Formatting your book for selfpublishing is one of the easiest steps and will save you money. Nov 01, 2017 creating table of contents for the first draft of how to selfpublish your book if you make any changes in the book later on, youll have to manually update the table of contents though. Whether youre a beginner or a pro, we offer complete control with our free book making software and tools. Jan 15, 2020 a simple, clean design, this free word book template is specifically for the standard 6 x 9 book, which is the most common book size for printed paperbacks. Before, you were at the mercy of your publisher on how your book format looked, but today, you have control over this entire process. May 07, 2020 ibooks author is a free app available in the app store on your mac that you can use to create and publish ebooks. If you see any issues or if your book doesnt look the way you want it to, we recommend converting your pdf to a word document and formatting it according to our ebook formatting guide.
A stepbystep guide to publishing your book in multiple formats. For instance, if you want to get a price on how much a book will cost to print, the first thing you need to know is the size. Custom hardcover books can also be covered with a dust jacket, a. These steps include including setting up the correct trim size, setting up the correct margins, formatting the text, and numbering the pages.
There is a 24page count minimum for our hard case bindings. May 09, 2017 the 7 important formats and 4 things every self publisher must do. Digital books are increasingly popular choices for selfpublishing. One of the most common diy errors i see in selfpublished books is double spacing between paragraphs.
One telltale sign of a selfpublished book is tiny, tiny margins. Enter width and height fields for your trim size with bleed added. Ebook distributors will often require your file be a certain file type such as. These steps include including setting up the correct trim size, setting up the correct margins.
Print one childrens book at a time or print in volume with offset for deeper discounts and a lower per unit cost. A simple, clean design, this free word book template is specifically for the standard 6 x 9 book, which is the most common book size for printed paperbacks. Choose a popular format or create your own customized book. Book formatting is a part of the book publishing journey that intimidates some authors, but it doesnt have to. The directions below are for ms word 7 and 10 the most. These are the things that complete a great book, and many self published authors just dont have the diy skills or the time to pull them off. Print books have their own formatting requirements, and youll have to purchase an isbn. Sell your selfpublished childrens book or ebook on your. Get the widest network of book distribution services for all 3 formats. A formatting guide to help create a print ready pdf.
Book layout book format design a book cover bookbaby. But with modern printers, desktop publishing software, online book services and entire selfpublishing companies, the dream many family historians shareto see their genealogy work in printis achievable. A wide range of file formats are proprietary to different ereader devices, such. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an. Selfpublishing is the publication of media by its author without the involvement of an established publisher. For the best results, we recommend a microsoft word docdocx or a kpf file created with kindle.
Since im writing this for people who have no budget and have to learn how to do everything themselves, i recommend formatting your book for. Lets just define selfpublish a little more clearly. You do have to commit to a lot more work, however, before that money starts coming in. Jan 31, 2018 you do have to commit to a lot more work, however, before that money starts coming in. Well have it back up and running as soon as possible. Even better the book templates listed in this article are absolutely free. Typesetting and formatting your book self publish, printon. This is the second step youll explore in our free howto guide for self publishing books. Many self publishing companies give you the option of having your book in print in addition to producing an e book. You can upload and convert your ebook manuscript file from several supported formats. To do this, click on the table of contents in your word document so that you select the table, go to the references tab, and choose update table in the bar. For one thing, there are different tasks for different formats and platforms. Publish and sell books with ibooks author apple support.
Exterior top, bottom, and outer edge and interior or gutter, where the book is bound. You may have thought an actual print book in which your relatives can read your familys story and see photos would be out of reach. Rather than making you buy a number of copies up front, the book is printed when a customer orders it. There is no shame in leaving these tasks to the professionals, and our free book on how to self publish your book will. You can also export epub files that you created in a different program to ibooks author, and then sell them on apple books or distribute them for free. To prepare your book for publishing you need a well designed cover and impeccable book formatting. We have formats for any selfpublishing project, including trade books that are priced to sell, photo books that offer options. Trim sizes in this post were updated on january 30, 2015 as soon as you get serious about selfpublishing a book, you are confronted with the choice of what size your book. Everything you need to make, print, and selfpublish your book. One telltale sign of a self published book is tiny, tiny margins. Using the tools in the app, you can add artwork and. When done, go to references tab and click table of contents on the far left. Renee came up with an idea to create selfpublishing templates to help you see that selfpublishing on amazon is fun and easy.
Using the tools in the app, you can add artwork and metadata to a book. Many selfpublishing companies give you the option of having your book in print in addition to producing an ebook. But the design of the pages inside those covers have just as much impact and require the same amount of careful consideration. The goal of this article is to explain a little about the technical aspects of creating ebooks. Jul 02, 2017 selfpublish completely on your own, hiring only the freelance assistance you need, and work directly with retailers and distributors to sell your book. Free research assessment quote an expert will assess your research and create a. How to self publish an ebook in this article, ill go through why self publishing an ebook is a good idea, how to format an ebook for publication, exclusivity vs going wide on multiple platforms, the specific sites available for self publishing ebooks and what information you need, thoughts on pricing, and piracy. A guide for self publishing writers to understand the best. Smashwords, one of the ebook pioneers and largest distributors of selfpublished ebooks, with more than 125,000 titles from over 40,000 authors, is very much a diy operation. Here are the basics steps on formatting your manuscript in microsoft word for self publication. Download our free guide to typesetting and uploading your book on completelynovel. Shelley hitz and heather hart have coauthored selfpublishing books 101. In short, this means via amazon or apple onto ereaders such as the. Exterior margins should be at least half an inch three quarters is better, and the gutter should be at least one quarter inch deeper than the exterior.
Standard book sizes and book printing options bookbaby. Part 2, selfpublishing your book, is the heart of the book and deals with cover design issues and the various types of book formats print, ebooks, audio books and foreign language translations. Publishdrive is now the only platform helping you publish your print and digital and audio book formats. Feb 20, 2020 list the reasons why you want to self publish your book, and get an estimate on how much it will cost. How to format a book when selfpublishing wellstoried. Once your book is written and ready for edits and production, the template will come in handy since itll already be in a common format and file for you to start the book production and publishing process. In short, this means via amazon or apple onto ereaders such as the kindle or ipad. Sell your selfpublished childrens book or ebook on your own website and on social media through blurb, or sell through amazon. How to write and publish a book yourself selfpublishing cheatsheet how to format your book with free templates how to make a book cover design your own with these free templates. Selfpublish a childrens book make a childrens book blurb. Determine whether the reason youre publishing is strong enough to outweigh the cost, and providing that it does, keep going.
Selfpublish completely on your own, hiring only the freelance assistance you need, and work directly with retailers and distributors to sell your book. When many firsttime self publishers consider the design elements of their book they only think of the front cover. Part 2, selfpublishing your book, is the heart of the book and deals with cover design issues and the various types of book formats print, ebooks, audio books and foreign language. Publishing services for self publishing authors and businesses self publish under your own imprint. Therefore, knowing the proper book format you need is crucial. Selfpublish by hiring a service company to basically act as your publisher. Before you submit your book to kdp, you need to format it so it meets our quality standards. How to pick the size of your book as soon as you get serious about self publishing a book, you are confronted with the choice of what size your book ought to be. Standard book sizes custom book binding book trim sizes.
Book marketing strategies for self publishing authors. Rather than making you buy a number of copies up front, the book is. Hitz and hart are business partners and make a living by helping authors to write, publish and market their books. We have formats for any selfpublishing project, including trade books that are priced to sell, photo books that offer options and luxury, and magazines for serial content. When many firsttime selfpublishers consider the design elements of their book they only think of the front.
This article is for writers who intend to sell their book in ebook formats. We are open and staying safe during the covid19 crisis to make sure your book orders get made. As soon as you get serious about self publishing a book, you are confronted with the choice of what size your book ought to be. Self publishing is the publication of media by its author without the involvement of an established publisher. While this article attempts to offer standardized recommendations, some editors, agents or publishing houses. Both our hardcover and softcover books come in all standard book sizes. The 7 important formats and 4 things every selfpublisher must do. List the reasons why you want to selfpublish your book, and get an estimate on how much it will cost. Before, you were at the mercy of your publisher on how your book format looked, but today, you have. Custom hardcover books can also be covered with a dust jacket, a removable paper cover used to protect a book from dirt or damage. These are the things that complete a great book, and many self published authors just dont have the diy. Turn your completed manuscript into a formatted ebook with kindle create. Jun 01, 2012 smashwords, one of the e book pioneers and largest distributors of self published ebooks, with more than 125,000 titles from over 40,000 authors, is very much a diy operation. Createspace has been replaced with kindle direct publishing kdp, which now provides combined tools for both paperback books and ebooks.
After coaching authors like you to selfpublish many. How to format your book for self publication bookstand. Top 10 selfpublishing companies for firsttime authors. Bookbaby offers both hardcover and softcover book options. Youll always be able to order at cost for resale by hand, internal use, or promotional purposes. This post will expand on how to selfpublish completely on your own. After coaching authors like you to selfpublish many books on amazons kindle direct publishers in the last five years see picture to the left, i had an idea to write and create selfpublishing templates for authors to make their books look and feel professional. On the layout tab, in the page setup group, click size, and then select more paper sizes. Typesetting and formatting your book self publish, print. Selfpublish your book in multiple formats travel writing 2. If you look at a commercially published book, you will.
Trim sizes in this post were updated on january 30, 2015. How to properly format and selfpublish your book toughnickel. To download, youll need to scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the download button. In fact, you have the final say over everything in your finished manuscript is displayed. This will open three inbuilt table of contents formatting options you can choose from. Part 3, other publishing decisions, finishes with chapters on obtaining a, forming an independent publishing company if you are so. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook or as a physical copy using pod print on demand technology.