Microsoft Word offers many useful features to help you format and design a professional-looking book. Whether you want to self-publish a print book or ebook, Word makes it easy to set up your document properly before you begin writing.
In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk you through the entire book formatting process in Word from start to finish. By following these steps, you’ll have a polished book manuscript ready for self-publishing.
Set the Correct Page Size
The first step is choosing the correct page size for your book. Most printed books use standard sizes like 5″ x 8″, 6″ x 9″, or 8.5″ x 11″.
To set the page size in Word, go to the Layout tab > Size > select your desired page dimensions. If you don’t see the exact size you want, choose More Paper Sizes at the bottom to enter a custom size.
It’s best to configure page size from the start, rather than changing it midway through your project. Doing so early on will minimize layout issues with images, tables, and text boxes later.
Adjust Page Margins
Now that your page size is set, the next step is to define margins. Margins determine the printable area of the page and impact the overall look.
Go back to the Layout tab and click Margins. For a standard paperback, 0.5-1 inch margins are common. Make sure to apply margins to the whole document.
Also consider adding a gutter margin. The gutter increases the margin on the interior edge to compensate for book binding. A gutter of 0.5-0.75 inches is typical.
Set Styles for Consistent Formatting
Using styles in Word allows you to format specific elements like headings, body text, and captions. This saves time and ensures consistency.
On the Home tab, right-click the Normal style and modify it to your desired font, size, alignment, spacing, and indentation for body paragraphs.
Do the same for Heading 1, Heading 2, and other styles you want for chapter titles and subtitles. Then apply these styles throughout your document.
Create a Table of Contents
Most nonfiction books include a table of contents (TOC) to outline the chapters and main sections.
To add one in Word, go to References > Table of Contents > choose an automatic style. Word generates the TOC based on text formatted with heading styles.
Remember to update the TOC later if you modify your headings. Just right-click the existing table and choose Update Field.
Add Page Numbers
Page numbers help orient readers and may be required for certain self-publishing formats. To insert them:
- Go to Insert > Page Number
- Select a style and placement (top, bottom, margins)
- Check Different First Page so numbering starts on page 2
- Click Close Header and Footer when finished
Use section breaks between chapters so you can restart page numbering as needed.
Additional Tips and Tricks
Here are some other Word features to help polish your book:
- Drop caps to make the first letter of chapters bigger
- Text boxes for images, tables, and sidebars
- Different headers/footers for odd and even pages
- Hyperlinks and cross-references for ebook formats
Take time to learn Word’s formatting tools well. Mastering these basics will make your self-publishing process much easier!
The key is setting up your Word document correctly from the beginning. Follow this guide to establish margins, page size, styles, and other elements before you start writing and formatting will go smoothly.
While Word has its limitations for book design, understanding these fundamentals is a huge step towards a professional-quality layout. For more advanced formatting, investigate dedicated book writing software like <Atticus>.
Hope this gives you confidence to create a polished book in Word! Let me know if you have any other questions.
