Technical tips THAT AUTHORS MUST KNOW!
Shruti Bhattacharya
My mum's a tad concerned about my hilariously sharp tongue | A Ghostwriter who does EVERYTHING | I help founders amplify their social media presence through my content
Want to make your books look better?
Then this is for you.
1.?Cover: People do judge a book by its cover. Try using free platforms like Canva, Adobe Creative Express, etc, to create nice, attractive covers.
Ensure that your covers are unique. Also, handwritten stuff, hand drawings, etc on covers do look pretty if made properly. Keep your covers simple, yet attractive.
?
2.?Font Face: A lot of online platforms use their own font styles. However, for those which rely on your choice, make sure that your font is readable- and this applies to both the interior text, as well as the cover text. Designing is good, provided it is readable by people. I use ‘Cambria’ personally, but you may choose any other font. Keep it simple.
?
3.?Font Size: DO NOT use huge sized fonts or absolutely tiny fonts. Ideally, your font size should vary anywhere between 12pt to 14pt (or maybe 16pt) for your interior text.
?
4.?Page Size: If you are trying to publish your fiction book as a print, ideal page size should be around 5”X8“or 5.5” X 8.5” or even 6”X9”. For eBooks, you may choose to use 8.5”X11”. Usually, your publishing site will mention the ideal book size for fiction, non-fiction, etc, and it’s best to abide by them.
?
Note: In Microsoft Word, go to ‘Page Layout’, ‘Size’ and choose your page size. You may also provide custom sizes, by clicking ‘More Paper Sizes’. Do it before you start writing, as, if you do it later on, it might hinder with your overall alignment.
?
5.?Drop Cap: It is one of the brilliant ways in which you can make your book look professional. It basically makes the first letter of your first word big enough to look good.
?
Note: Go to ‘Insert’ tab, in MS Word, and under ‘Text’ you will find ‘Drop Cap’. Make sure you choose ‘Dropped’ instead of ‘In margin’, as it looks better and I personally prefer the former. Also, click on ‘Drop Cap Options’ and specify the ‘Font’ and the ‘Lines to drop’. Preferably make the latter 2 instead of 3.
?
6.?In line with text: Try to make your images ‘In line with text’ as the chance of them ruining the alignment reduces.
?
Note: Click on the image to select it. Go to ‘Format’ tab, ‘Arrange’, then ‘Text wrapping’, then ‘In line with text.’ You may also choose, ‘Tight’, because this is what will allow you to move your images freely. But, the latter may create issues with alignment later on.
?
7.?Line spacing: Once done writing, select all (Ctrl+A) of the text, right click on it, go to ‘Paragraph’, and change ‘Line spacing’ to ‘Single’ instead of ‘1.5’ or ‘Multiple’.
?
8. Click on ‘Show paragraph marks and other hidden formatting symbols’.
No, it’s not written this way, so stop searching. Read on.
?
Under ‘Home’, move your cursor to ‘Paragraph’. There, at the extreme bottom, you will find a weird looking symbol (almost like a piano note or a reverse P).
领英推荐
?
That’s it. Once, you click on it, you’ll find your entire document filled with those symbols. Don’t get scared, those are temporary; they will go away if you click on the symbol again.
?
Basically, it shows the spaces, tabs, etc that are there in the document. Ensure that you get rid of extra spaces, and use ‘tab’ instead of multiple ‘space bars’.
?
Also, ensure that you use a ‘Page Break’ at the end of every chapter, as you would not want different chapters of your book to overlap or start from the same page.
?
9.?Justify alignment looks better. But, you may also choose to keep it left aligned.
?
10.?Index and Hyperlink: An index is a must in any book. But, for eBooks, a mere index won’t work. You need hyperlinks too.
?
Create a page for an index, Give bullets and write down the chapter names. Go to the individual chapter start, select the chapter name and go to ‘Insert’, then ‘Links’ and then ‘Bookmark’. Add a name, say, ‘Chapter_1’ (no spaces), and click on add.
?
Go back to your index page. Select, ‘Chapter 1’ text and again go to the ‘Insert’ tab, ‘Links’. Click ‘Hyperlink’. Ensure that you click ‘Place in this document’ on the left panel. Select the bookmark that you just created- ‘Chapter_1’ and click on ok. Tada! Your hyperlink’s ready.
?
Test it out! Click on the now blue, underlined text- ‘Chapter 1’ on the index page. It’ll take you to that page.
?
11.?Author page is a must- Either at the beginning or at the end. Put up your website link and other links that you think are relevant. But, please, don’t overdo things. Also, mention all the other books that you have written, if any. Write a nice, short bio about yourself.
?
Note: Many publishing sites don’t encourage external links of other publishers. So, preferably, stick to your website and other social media sites links.
These are some tips. It’s impossible to list down all in one article. But, don’t worry, these are important ones and doing these will improve the way your books look.
Having doubts? Feel free to contact me.
?
DISCLAIMER: The platforms mentioned are available publicly. The author has not indulged in paid promotion, and has merely given personal opinions and suggestions.?
Realtor Associate @ Next Trend Realty LLC | HAR REALTOR, IRS Tax Preparer
1 年Thanks for sharing.