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Formatting my manuscript for kindle or smashwords.
I've written a novel of some 80,000 words and I would now like to have a go at publishing it on kindle or smashwords. I'm not brilliant with a computer but I have read the amazon guide to formatting your movel for the kindle. My work is obviously already on my computer and typed up as a Word document in double line spacing and paragraphs formed by pressing the tab buton etc. When I wrote the novel I was intending to go down the traditional publishing route. Will my manuscript be easy to format? How does it transfer to single line spacing? I apologise if I sound thick but I'm afraid to start playing around with the work in case I ruin what I've already typed up.
Comments
This will give you a ms that is okay for KDP (that's what I found with my own) except, of course, that the front matter will need to be changed. Are you designing your own cover? Smashwords have a list of designers who will do you a cover for a modest price, but you can experiment with your own designs. And remember that if you are not satisfied with the results for any reason after you've published, it is really easy to upload a revised ms or cover.
Go for it! And give us a link when it's done.
Good luck
If you save a new copy of your work, then you won't "mess up" your original file which you understand.
The easiest way to blitz the file is to run it through Microsoft Notepad, like this.
Open your Word file and "Select all" and "Copy" it.
Open Notepad and "Paste" into there.
"Select All" and "Copy" from Notepad (under the Edit tab)
and "Paste" it back into a new Word document.
**For Smashwords you must upload .doc not .docx**
**If you use the above method to "clean out" the hidden Word formatting, you will lose any special little bits of formatting, like the non-indented first line of the Chapter, and you will have to re-centre your Chapter headings, manually.**
Personally, I find it easier to use this method (what Mark Coker of Smashwords calls the "nuke" method) to make sure my m/s is clean and then I redo all the little bits manually.
Good luck.
Use WORD. If you dont have it, buy it. If you use Open Office or Word Perfect youll have major problems & if you do manage to solve them itll take forever.
In Find and Replace enter ^t in the Find box. ^t is the symbol for tab. Thats what most people use to indent the first line of paragraphs. Leave the Replace With box empty. Click on replace.
In Find and Replace enter.. and Replace with . Smashwords likes one space between sentences. Repeat if there are two spaces between end of sentence and new paragraph.
Delete spaces between paragraphs. Use single spacing not 1.5 or 2.
Make sure title page and License Statement is exactly the way Smashwords wants it. Its in their free, downloadable Style Guide.
One more thing: WORD 2013 has a file extension of .docx. Smashwords wont recognize a docx file (I have no idea why). Save your file (document) as WORD 2003 which has a .doc extension. Smashwords likes that extension and will accept it. Smashwords will be happy and so will you.
Make sure cover image is the size Smashwords wants. The correct size is also in the Style Guide. Ill save you some time. Minimum width is 1,400 pixels and the height should be greater than the width. 1,600 pixels wide by 2,400 pixels high is a good dimension.
The choice of letting Smashwords assign you an ISBN number or using one that youve bought is up to you.
Submit. Piece of cake.
J.M. Garlock
htttp://www.actionmysteries.com
I'd also like to add that if you have a Mac you can format your book in Pages and then save as a .doc file.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Smashwords-Style-Guide-Format-Guides-ebook/dp/B004XWJ7UK/
It works just as well when formatting for Kindle. Don't be put off by the length of the book - much of it isn't needed for text only books. But there is some useful background info in there.
Personally I think Kindle is better for beginners because you can enrol in KDP Select & use their marketing tools (Free Days & countdown deals) to give your books an initial 'lift'.