ebook production

Here are some things to remember when creating your manuscript for an ebook

The first step is creating a clean, workable manuscript. Office Word® is very powerful, and creating a clean manuscript will make formatting much smoother. Remember, the actual book length will change based on what the reader is using to read it: tablet, phone, computer, or reader. So, if the document isn’t formatted correctly, it can cause lots of problems when designing the book’s layout.

  • Here are some basics and how your manuscript should be set up at a minimum.
    • Use double or 1.5 line spacing.
    • Use a standard font. Times Roman is fine.
    • Make sure to use font size 12.
    • Use standard margins. 1″ all around is fine.
    • Chapter breaks should be marked by page breaks (no return, return, return. 🙂
    • Insert page numbers (though this will change).
    • Indent paragraphs.
    • Do not add extra space between paragraphs.
    • Don’t overuse the ellipsis… Or, exclamation marks!

If you are struggling with this set up, I can consult with you on how much it would cost for me to clean up your manuscript to get it to the formatting stage. Just contact me for a no-obligation review.

Formatting I will do for you:

  • We will choose the size that is best for your book: novel, artbook, memoir.
  • We will collaborate on how the interior of the book will look. There are some fun things that can be done, flourishes between pages, and images on the Chapter headings, for example. I will also help you choose a font and layout. Best of all, color does not cost extra in an ebook.
  • Remember, images except decoration on the Chapter page in an eBook CANNOT be placed exactly in the same position as in a print version. The reason is simple: the actual number of pages in your book and how the book flows depend upon what the reader uses to access it. (For example, a cellphone page is a lot smaller than a tablet.) But they can be scattered throughout and also added as an addendum if necessary.
  • And speaking if images, I know how to size them and create the high-resolution images required by Ingramspark, Amazon, etc.
  • PAGES®  on Mac OS does a good job creating an ebook as well if you don’t have Word®. My least favorite is Google Docs, but it’s workable.
  • Regardless of what program is used, usually, there are glitches and tweaks required.
  • It will probably take longer than you think.
  • The ebook cover can be the same as the print version.
  • The final is a pdf. I use Adobe Creative Suite®.

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