Do NOT include any of the following:
- Page numbers (some devices will allocate page numbers to the eBook based on the preferences of the device owner, but eBook files do not have universal page numbers)
- Headers and Footers
- Borders, background colors or background images
- Fancy drop-caps at the start of each chapter
- Different color text
- Multi-column layouts – just use a single column
- Text Boxes – These can be included but bear in mind that the box may break if the text within runs onto the next page. This can happen if someone is viewing the book with a large font size, and therefore as less text on each ‘page’ or screen view
- References to specific eBook retailers such as Amazon or Apple, as the retailers do not allow promotion of competitors in products listed on their websites.
- Advertising – although you can of course, mention other titles, or your website or Facebook page.
Page layout:
- The page size is not relevant – A4 or letter is fine.
- You do not need to consider margins, just use the standard settings.
Manuscript formatting:
- Separate chapters with a page break (Ctrl + Enter/Return) – do not use multiple paragraph returns to move to the next page.
- Separate paragraphs with a single paragraph break – do not use double paragraph breaks.
- Separate sub-sections or sections within a Chapter with a centred break – usually * * * – do not use a double paragraph break.
- Do not use tabs or multiple spaces – if you want to indent a paragraph use the Word Quick Styles (See below for more information about Quick Styles)
Fonts and text styling :
Support for different fonts and styles is limited in many eReader devices, so again, keep things simple. Using Word’s inbuilt Quick Styles tool is a great way to save time and maintain consistent styles across your document.
- Main Body Text
- Use a standard font like Times New Roman, Georgia or Arial for the body font.
- 10, 11 or 12pt is ideal for the main body text.
- Use black text.
- Single line spacing is fine, but avoid line spacing that is greater than 1.5
- You do not need to consider leading or kerning – these are not relevant for eBooks.
- IDEALLY use the ‘Normal’ Quick Style in Word for the main body text, and manage the appearance of your body text through the Quick Styles
- If you need to make certain words or sentences stand out try to only use basic formatting such as bold, italic, and ALL CAPS.
- Chapter and Sub-Headings
- Use the Heading styles available in the Quick Style Heading 1 for Chapter titles, Heading 2 for sub-titles or section headings, etc.
Images:
You can include images but please be aware of the following:
- Color images are fine but some eReader devices cannot display colour and will display images in greyscale instead. If you have diagrams that rely on color, make sure that they still make sense if they are shown as greyscale.
- Insert your images into your manuscript but, if you can, also supply them as separate files (JPG, PNG, PDF, TIFF, GIF formats are fine)
- Do not float images to the left or right of text, but keep them on their own line instead (see below)
Links:
- You can add links to websites and email addresses within your manuscript – although these will only work automatically on eReader devices which have an Internet connection.
- To link from one place in the manuscript to another, use Word’s bookmarks and hyperlinks tools. See this Microsoft tutorial for more details.
- If you are linking to or referencing another part of your manuscript, avoid using page numbers. For example, rather than writing “For more information on lawn mowers see page 120” use “For more information see the section on lawn mowers”
Adding a Table of Contents:
The Table of Contents(ToC) can be a very useful tool for a) navigating the book and b) displaying a snapshot of the scope of the book. If you want to ensure that the ToC displays all the relevant chapter and section headings it is straightforward to use Word’s inbuilt ToC generator – especially if you have used Quick Style headings.
Do not include page numbers on your ToC as these will be irrelevant on the eBook version.
Finally, PLEASE do the following:
- Run a spell check and grammar check before you consider the document complete, make any corrections and then run the checks again. It is better that you find any mistakes rather than the first person to review your eBook on Amazon.
- Ensure that someone competent, other than you, has read the entire document before you sign it off. If you can afford to, it is advisable to engage an editor or proof-reader to go through your complete (Unfortunately, we do not have the time to read through every book we work on, so it really is your responsibility to find and fix any typos before you submit the file for eBook conversion.)