This will make me sound so dumb, but I got to know--what does it mean about getting a book formatted? When I checked Smashword, it gave guidelines, but exactly does this mean?
Format
- Thread starter StoneWheller
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Format is the layout of your book. Things like margin settings, paper size, headers/footers (you won't need these for Smashwords), paragraph indentions, justified text or ragged right edge text, size of chapter heading titles, etc.
In other words, anything that has to do with how your book will look to a reader. The formatting also plays a crucial role when books are being converted for use with different devices. Something as simple as a tab, extra paragraph marks, or a text box can cause problems.
In other words, anything that has to do with how your book will look to a reader. The formatting also plays a crucial role when books are being converted for use with different devices. Something as simple as a tab, extra paragraph marks, or a text box can cause problems.
Smashword's Meatgrinder program is very particular about how works are formatted. Formatting is, as merrihiatt pointed out above, the encoding with a work that determines how it looks, primarily on the printed page.
Some of the major problems I've had with Meatgrinder is that it's very sensitive to line spacing within paragraphs. If you right-click on a paragraph you'll get a pop-up menu with various options. Make sure your line spacing is set to 0" everywhere.
Another thing, and I don't mean to be offensive here, but you need to buy a book on whatever program you're using and read and study it extensively. In addition, buy a "style guide", preferably Strunk & White's and consult it religiously. Why? Because you need to know more about what you're doing or trying to do. As a writer, part of your job is to format documents according to an editor's requirements which means you need to know the program you're using backwards and forwards.
Sorry, not trying to be an a$$ here, but before you try self-publishing you need to do a lot more work preparing.
Some of the major problems I've had with Meatgrinder is that it's very sensitive to line spacing within paragraphs. If you right-click on a paragraph you'll get a pop-up menu with various options. Make sure your line spacing is set to 0" everywhere.
Another thing, and I don't mean to be offensive here, but you need to buy a book on whatever program you're using and read and study it extensively. In addition, buy a "style guide", preferably Strunk & White's and consult it religiously. Why? Because you need to know more about what you're doing or trying to do. As a writer, part of your job is to format documents according to an editor's requirements which means you need to know the program you're using backwards and forwards.
Sorry, not trying to be an a$$ here, but before you try self-publishing you need to do a lot more work preparing.
No, I'm not offended. I thank you for any advice given. You're right--I have a lot to learn. I just know the basic one inch all around when sending something to a magazine. So, yes, thank you.
That's another reason you need a style guide because there's more to it than just the basic 1" all around. There's Courier 10pt font (though that's slowly falling by the wayside), double-spacing, spelling, the difference between its and it's, when and where to use commas, when and where to use colons and semi-colons, and on and on and on.
Get a good dictionary and thesaurus too. Use those religiously. Do NOT assume your word processor's spell checker knows what it's doing.
Get a good dictionary and thesaurus too. Use those religiously. Do NOT assume your word processor's spell checker knows what it's doing.
Formatting takes a lot of hours, and if you're already comfortable with MS Word than that will cut your time in half. If you find a good template to use, that would be even better--more time cut off. When I first started, it took me over 3 hours to figure it all out. I'm now down to a little under 1 hour to format a novel, and that's with using templates 
.
Good luck on your adventure!
.Good luck on your adventure!
Smashwords has a good guide for formatting rules (a few, though, like page breaks don't apply to formatting for Kindle).
Basically, in a Word document, you will need to learn to use Styles for paragraph spacing, instead of carriage returns. For blank spaces use Format>Paragraph>Space After or Before. To center or to flush left or to create indents, use Format>Paragraph>Indents and Spacings (or set up a Style using these). To skip to a new page, use Insert>Break>Page Break.
It gets very easy once you get the hang of it!
Brian January
http://amzn.com/B005WM0HN6
http://amzn.com/B006QCZF3S
Basically, in a Word document, you will need to learn to use Styles for paragraph spacing, instead of carriage returns. For blank spaces use Format>Paragraph>Space After or Before. To center or to flush left or to create indents, use Format>Paragraph>Indents and Spacings (or set up a Style using these). To skip to a new page, use Insert>Break>Page Break.
It gets very easy once you get the hang of it!
Brian January
http://amzn.com/B005WM0HN6
http://amzn.com/B006QCZF3S
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