Many of us learned how to type using the Tab key to create an indent at the start of each paragraph, so this can be a tough habit to break. (A quick note: it’s possible to do many of the fixes in Google Docs, however, Word has a more comprehensive set of features, so that’s what we’ve used for the rest of this article.) #1 – Avoid Hard Indents in Your Book FormatĪ hard indent is when paragraph indentations are created by manual use of the keyboard’s Tab key. If you have a completed manuscript with botched book formatting on your hands, this article will teach you how to fix it using Microsoft Word. By avoiding these mistakes, not only will you have a professional-looking manuscript, but you’ll make the process of designing your book to publish on Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing a lot easier. In this article, you’re going to learn what the most common book formatting errors and how to avoid them. But fear not!įrom our experience, most authors make the same mistakes when with their book format. There are over a hundred things that can go wrong with your book formatting, and if we wrote about all of them you’d be reading from sun-up till sun-down. Here are mistakes to avoid when formatting your book: To find out more, you can book a call with our team. At Self-Publishing School, we encourage everyone to consider hiring a professional formatter, and now, we also offer done-for-you formatting as part of our core programs. Your completed self-published book should convey professionalism in all aspects – including with its book format. Or worse, your audience will slam your book with negative reviews because you published it riddled with errors.Īn unprofessional-looking book will not only distract readers, but it will also harm your brand and label you as an amateur, affecting the sales of future books as well as your current one. If you’re not careful, you may end up with a sloppy and messy manuscript that an editor will refuse to work on until you tidy it up. And with great power comes great responsibility. Therefore, knowing the proper book format you need is crucial. In fact, you have the final say over everything in your finished manuscript is displayed. Before, you were at the mercy of your publisher on how your book format looked, but today, you have control over this entire process.

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