5 Tips to Consider Before Formatting Your eBook and Physical Book

It’s time to format your manuscript. You’ve spent all your time on edits and reedits of your book but now you’re at the end. Your book is ready for the last step which is formatting.

In the previous book marketing plan post, we discussed the Book Cover Creation Process. Now to the next important step which is formatting. This post will cover page 11-12 of the Book Marketing Plan available in the Bound to Writing Shop and on Amazon. Every month I go into detail on one section of the book marketing plan. This month is all about…you guessed it, formatting!

Now that you’re finished your book, it’s time to format. In this post I’ll be discussing the hard cover, paperback, and eBook formatting questions you need to answer. It’s a big process, but one that’s important for your readers to enjoy your book.

What is Formatting?

Formatting is the process of making the interior of your book look good. Whether that be by adding graphics to selecting the perfect font, formatting needs to be consistent for your reader.

Inconsistent formatting can lead to DNF (Did Not Finish) reviews or readers not even picking up your book. The reason? People need consistency to not be pulled from the text you worked so hard on for your book.

What Formats Will I Offer?

You have options when it comes to publishing your book. Deciding the types of editions you offer is one of the most important ones. You see, every reader has a preference on the type of book they read. However, you may feel that some of those options don’t fit your type of publishing ideas. And that’s fine!

The types of book editions you can offer include:

Hardcover
Paperback
eBook
Audiobook

What Size Will Physical Copies Be?

Now if you’re just creating an eBook you can skip this section. However, hardcover and paperback editions require a size.

A typical paperback size is 5.5” by 8.5”. While a hardcover is 6” by 9”.

These dimensions will be used to help you get a proper format for your book as well as create the cover we discussed in the Book Cover Creation Post.

How will I Format the Interior?

When it comes to the interior of your book, there are two things you need to consider. (1) Ink Color. (2) Page Color.

(1) There are two choices when it comes to ink color: black & white and color. For most books, you will only need black & white ink because there are no images.

(2) There are also two choices when it comes to page color: white and cream. This is a personal choice. Look at books published in your genre to get an idea of the typical page color used. For example, in young adult fiction, many of the books use cream colored pages.

What Types of eBook Files Will I Create?

How you plan to sell you eBook will affect the file type you’re required to create. As with sizing physical books, each eBook file type has its own unique formatting that all vary slightly.

PDF File

Typically, a PDF file is used during the editing phase of your book. If you’re self-publishing your book, you will find that many don’t allow use of PDF files. They are good for beta readers and readers you want to read your book before it’s officially published.

MOBI File

A MOBI file is the file that used to be prominent on Amazon KDP for their books.

EPUB File

An EPUB file is that Amazon KDP, Barnes & Noble Press, and more use for their books.

TXT File

A TXT file is a file that is primarily for your own use. It keeps the code for your formatting all in one place. This is a good backup in case you lose your original file format.

Who will Format All Editions of my Book?

You can do it yourself or hire someone to do it for you. Each edition of your book (ie. eBook or Paperback) has different formatting requirements. Make sure you know what those differences are to figure out who is best to do the work.

You don’t need a fancy program to format your own book. I format my books using Microsoft Word and Calibre. I’ve guest posted on the process I use over on Elgee Writes that you can check out.

Formatting your book takes a lot of thought. But you’re not alone on this journey. There is still more information to cover regarding the formatting process, but I think it’s best to give you time to process this information first.

If you’re ready to move ahead, then head on over to the Bound to Writing Shop and purchase the Book Marketing Plan. You’ll find all this information and more in an easy to navigate file that you can file out on any device with a PDF reader or print it out. You can also find a paperback version for purchase at the shop or on Amazon.

Next month we’ll go over the formatting process for audiobooks.

Until next time, Happy Marketing!