Are you an aspiring author or writer who has finished writing your book and wishes to self publish? Congratulations. The next step will inevitably be trying to get your hard work out to the masses – one which requires a completely different skillset.
No matter how absorbing the content of your book is, if it’s not presented in a professional manner, you will not be able to attract as many readers as you would like. To self publish a book, what you would have to do throughout the entire process is essentially formatting. What do we mean by that? Read on to find out more about what that entails when you self publish.
Selecting a Book Designing Software to Self Publish
Prior to the writing process, you will first have to decide which software you want to use. There is a wide variety of software out there for aspiring authors, the most advanced, and the most expensive, is Adobe InDesign.
If you intend to self publish lots of books and are very particular about even the smallest details of them, you should consider purchasing it. If not, there are other alternatives which are much more affordable, and provide most of the functionalities you require, such as Affinity Publisher.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, many authors tend to avoid purchasing any book design software and simply resort to using Microsoft Word. While it is a feasible option, we do not recommend doing so, as many functionalities, such as the setting of headers and footers, as well as page number formats, are overly difficult.
Formatting Starts Even Before You Finish the Book
One common misconception on the part of many authors interested in self-publishing is they think the process of formatting starts only after the manuscript is completed. Doing so is not recommended, as it will only complicate the formatting process.
Some aspects of the formatting process can be done while you are writing your draft, such as selecting the right font or line breaks, as well as the arrangement of graphic elements such as illustrations or photographs, ensuring that they are placed strategically. These basic aspects of formatting should be done in conjunction with the writing of your book, to ensure that the post-writing formatting process is much simpler.
Page Layout to Self Publish
Once you are done with your writing, it is time to format the layout of your pages. Some of the things you will be dealing with in this part of the process include the setting of your text color and size, the spacing between your paragraphs, and whether you plan to use the justification option, which ensures that the lines are all of the same length across the page.
You will also have to decide the content of the headers and footers, as well as their positions, the margins of your page and bleed marks. All this might sound particularly daunting, especially if you are someone who lacks proficiency in tinkling around with computer software.
If you are looking to get your book printed at an affordable price while not compromising on quality, please consider Dazzle Printing’s book printing services.
