FORMATTING PLAYLIST: ruclips.net/p/PL3IFBPbxQRypIBssmfDTmyFi68zmk5l-L TEMPLATE: www.diybookformats.com 💻 and don't forget to SIGN UP FOR MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER for FREE exclusives (starting with the first HALF of The Stolen Kingdom + a step-by-step self-publishing guide and template): www.bethanyatazadeh.com/contact
Haha definitely not the hardest thing in the world... maybe one of the hardest things in the writing world specifically... depends on the person really!
This video (and the series) is the most helpful ever! I'm self-publishing because I know what I want and want to make sure that my book turns out exactly according to my vision. And I don't want to look like an idiot while doing so!
I just wanted to say thank you so much for all the work you put into this series. It has been absolutely invaluable to me and thanks to it, I self published my novel, yay! I can't tell you how many times I watched each video and how helpful it was. I'm really really grateful.
Really glad I found this channel! I found your novel through the narrator, Merphy Napier, and I’ve been reading it (and enjoying it). Looking forward to watching more of these videos.
For spacing, you can also press SHIFT + CTRL + END to highlight the manuscript (from wherever you place the cursor), go to Paragraph on the toolbar, and select single spacing. It's probably the same number of steps, but it's another option.
Oopsies! I have done everything you suggested EXCEPT for one. My paragraph spacing is 1.5, not Single. I like it for my book, it's not a fiction, it's memoir/photo book on healing from cancer in Hawaii. It's also too late to change it as my cover design is already done (by a professional designer) who says KDP is strict about the amount of pages that will fit in a formatted cover. If I decrease the line size, it will definitely affect page count. What are your thoughts? Thanks!
Yay I'm so glad! And that's a complicated answer, but good news, we have a whole entire video dedicated to chapter headers coming up! That video will be coming up on Feb 12th with tons of info that will answer this question! :D
Just watched this, my second video so far. I've already learnt loads but my brain is kinda spinning. I guess one video a day for me will stop my brain exploding while giving me enough time to digest the info. So, until tomorrow!
Thanks so much for creating this series! Now, I dont know if this would be included in the series, but what about using fonts. Are all MS fonts allowed to be used? And what are any POSSIBLE restrictions of using fonts and things? And again, thank you so much, I know this is going to help so much!!
Oh and also during like SCENE breaks, not chapter, I see loads of professional books with little images of like a star or heart or whatever's related to the book. I think this would come in the pictures video but I was unsure
These rules apply for both Ebook format and Print, right? (P.S. I love all your vids in this series! Huge help! I'm just rewatching before diving into formatting my novel! 😊👌🧡)
Hi, First of all, thank you for this series. It is so helpful. I am in the UK and I wondered if formatting rules are different here because I have paperbacks from a major crime writer and the page numbers appear on the chapter page.
@@BethanyAtazadeh thanks for replying.I have just checked another crime writer, a psychological thriller and a book on psychology and they are all the same. If it's just a minor rule I don't suppose it will look bad but as I'm going to be using Amazon as my main distributor I should probably stick with your guidelines for all books.
Hi. Does the single spacing between lines also apply to MIddle reader books age 8-12? I read there is more spacing such as 1.5 and the font is larger for this age range (8 to 12) and can't find the answer anywhere. I currently have it at 12 pt and 1.5 line spacing and am going to change it down to 1 since that is industry standard. I also tried it at 1.15 which looked good. BUt if that isn't standard I am switching it. I have looked and looked for the answer. Seems like a weird category for middle reader age group. Thank you so much for the video.
Thanks so much for this series, Bethany! It's so helpful! I always do Control Enter to do page breaks. Can I still do it that way or do I need to insert a page break like you show?
Great question! I just googled it and it says that “control + enter” is a keyboard shortcut for inserting a page break. So you were already doing page breaks :)
I was also doing the same thing and the Identation did not work (I hope this is what it is called, I am from Austria so I am not sure). Had to go through my whole book, delete the Control Enter breaks and make it normal breaks :/
I'm a bit confused about one thing. If I download the DIY book template, am I copy/pasting my already written novel into this template for formatting? Do I write my book someplace else? I have 5 chapters of my first book written in Docs. Should I transfer this over to Word then finish writing the book before formatting it in the DIY template? I'm sorry if this I'm not making sense, but I'm so new to this world and I want to do it right. :) Thank you for your help.
Hi! Absolutely love this playlist! But I do have a question. In the template the line spacing is 1.4, do I change it to single spacing? Because in your video you said that it should be okay in the template. So now I don't know what to do?😂
the new page for new chapter rule is such a big thing even as a reader! i remember when i read The Shining, I got so confused when the chapters started on the same page the last one ended. IMO it just doesn't look as good.
Yeah I agree! The standard is specific to the first chapter, but about 50% of books also do this for all chapters... Although I've noticed it's much rarer now than in the past, because every single page makes the book more expensive, so typically these days publishers just do the first chapter to save on costs.
I think it's personal preference. I really enjoy writing in the formatted template because it makes me see it more as an official book, but it's totally up to you! :)
Thank you! For an ebook you absolutely could, but for a paperback I found that the formatting got a little weird. That said, they have recently added a beta test of paperbacks to D2D as well, so the formatting may be better now!
@@BethanyAtazadeh , oh, I see. I'm in the manuscript-formatting phase. I know what you mean regarding the finished product. But are you saying publishers want manuscripts single-spaced as well? I was looking for a video on formatting a manuscript, but I think I ended up in one that shows me the eventual published product. I am about one-third of the way in my manuscript, so the title of this video caught my attention. The consensus from all the writers I've researched is double-spaced, when it comes to typing up a manuscript as a Word document.
Like I said in the video, double spacing is used during editing (such as when working with betas), but you'll never see it in a finished book, just take a look at your bookshelf for proof.
@@BethanyAtazadeh yes of course. I like to learn as much as possible. But I work 14 hours a day. I'm trying to release my debut novel in October. The cover art is nearly finished. I want to do like you showed with the title page. I'm not sure I'll have the time to formatted all by myself correctly.
![Who Wrote a Short Story That Seriously Disturbed a Teacher? | Dirty Laundry x Smosh [Full Episode]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/bvHAy_rKoEI/mqdefault.jpg)
FORMATTING PLAYLIST: ruclips.net/p/PL3IFBPbxQRypIBssmfDTmyFi68zmk5l-L
TEMPLATE: www.diybookformats.com
💻 and don't forget to SIGN UP FOR MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER for FREE exclusives (starting with the first HALF of The Stolen Kingdom + a step-by-step self-publishing guide and template): www.bethanyatazadeh.com/contact
Someone finally did this series. Authortube makes formatting sound like the hardest thing in the world.
Haha definitely not the hardest thing in the world... maybe one of the hardest things in the writing world specifically... depends on the person really!
This video (and the series) is the most helpful ever! I'm self-publishing because I know what I want and want to make sure that my book turns out exactly according to my vision. And I don't want to look like an idiot while doing so!
Sooo glad you're doing this series, Bethany! Thanks so much for all the work you're putting into it!
Yay! Thanks Brittany! I’m so happy it’s helpful! 🥰❤️🥳
@@BethanyAtazadeh How can I find time to write when I might help take care of a newborn niece?
This was so helpful! I thought I knew everything, I clearly didn’t lol.
Thank you, Bethany!
Loving this
haha oh nooo! So sorry! But so glad it was helpful! :D
Am I the only guy watching? These videos are priceless; finally someone showing step by step process
I just wanted to say thank you so much for all the work you put into this series. It has been absolutely invaluable to me and thanks to it, I self published my novel, yay! I can't tell you how many times I watched each video and how helpful it was. I'm really really grateful.
Really glad I found this channel! I found your novel through the narrator, Merphy Napier, and I’ve been reading it (and enjoying it). Looking forward to watching more of these videos.
That first line pop is what I had did with my first book. - Lol that is neat. I'm glad I learned this. I need to learn scene breaks bad.
Thank you so much, Bethany, for this invaluable advice on editing. So glad that I found your channel :-)
Love that you're doing this series! I have that same Starbucks cup! I use mine everyday too. :-P
Thank you again for making this! Some things were new to me, like the Chapter Header Placement :)
Yay! You're so welcome, I'm so glad it's helpful!
Cool! Confusing cause I have to do it all from scratch... but this helps out immensely.
How wonderful to share your wealth of knowledge. Thanks so much.
This was so helpful and informative. Thank you
I’m so thankful for this series. Thank you soooo much for sharing your knowledge.
Yay! You're so welcome, I'm so glad it's helpful!
I did it! I followed all these rules. Let's see how my book does now.
For spacing, you can also press SHIFT + CTRL + END to highlight the manuscript (from wherever you place the cursor), go to Paragraph on the toolbar, and select single spacing. It's probably the same number of steps, but it's another option.
I love your new background, and you look stunning as usual. Thank you for this video series, it's going to be worth its weight in gold when I publish.
Love the tidbit about Draft2Digital!
Yay! I really love D2D too, there's so much value and help for indie authors there!
Thank you so much for this series. I am writing a fantasy series and thought I was doing ok, but watching this video has been so helpful.
Yay! You're so welcome, I'm so glad it's helpful!
@@BethanyAtazadeh I totally love what you do, and I am over the moon that I found your page.
Oopsies! I have done everything you suggested EXCEPT for one. My paragraph spacing is 1.5, not Single. I like it for my book, it's not a fiction, it's memoir/photo book on healing from cancer in Hawaii. It's also too late to change it as my cover design is already done (by a professional designer) who says KDP is strict about the amount of pages that will fit in a formatted cover. If I decrease the line size, it will definitely affect page count. What are your thoughts? Thanks!
This video was so helpful, thank you so much for doing this!!
Thank you so much for this series! First time self-publishing, and your videos are helping ease the stress of the whole formatting process. :)
Thank you! I'm so glad the videos are helpful! :)
Such a great video! I'm really excited to learn more in the coming videos, but I'm already smarter!! :)
Yayyy! Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for doing this, Bethany. These have been so packed with info, that it is pushing me to get this editing done!
Yay! You're so welcome, I'm so glad it's helpful!
I'm loving this! It's so helpful and fun. Thank you!!
Yay! You're so welcome, I'm so glad it's helpful!
Wow, learnt a lot. Thanks for this video, loved it.:)
On the chapter header placement, is it necessary for ebooks?
Yay I'm so glad! And that's a complicated answer, but good news, we have a whole entire video dedicated to chapter headers coming up! That video will be coming up on Feb 12th with tons of info that will answer this question! :D
@@BethanyAtazadeh Awesome, I cant wait to watch all of them. Thank you!
This is an amazing series and so helpful to first time formatters such as myself.
Yay! So glad you like them!
Just watched this, my second video so far. I've already learnt loads but my brain is kinda spinning. I guess one video a day for me will stop my brain exploding while giving me enough time to digest the info. So, until tomorrow!
Thanks for another awesome video! 😊
Yay! You're so welcome, I'm so glad it's helpful!
Thank you so much for this video🤩🥰🥰🥰
Yay! You're so welcome!
THANK YOU!
Thanks so much for creating this series! Now, I dont know if this would be included in the series, but what about using fonts. Are all MS fonts allowed to be used? And what are any POSSIBLE restrictions of using fonts and things? And again, thank you so much, I know this is going to help so much!!
Oh and also during like SCENE breaks, not chapter, I see loads of professional books with little images of like a star or heart or whatever's related to the book. I think this would come in the pictures video but I was unsure
Great questions! And yep, good news, we have a whole entire video dedicated to fonts coming up next Monday! :D
@@BethanyAtazadeh Yaaay!! That's great! Can' wait
Thank you 😊🙏
These rules apply for both Ebook format and Print, right? (P.S. I love all your vids in this series! Huge help! I'm just rewatching before diving into formatting my novel! 😊👌🧡)
Hi,
First of all, thank you for this series. It is so helpful.
I am in the UK and I wondered if formatting rules are different here because I have paperbacks from a major crime writer and the page numbers appear on the chapter page.
This is a pretty minor rule, so I could see an author breaking it. Is it just that author, or all books in the UK?
@@BethanyAtazadeh thanks for replying.I have just checked another crime writer, a psychological thriller and a book on psychology and they are all the same. If it's just a minor rule I don't suppose it will look bad but as I'm going to be using Amazon as my main distributor I should probably stick with your guidelines for all books.
Thank you.
Great video
Can you use these templates on Mac?
Love the video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi. Does the single spacing between lines also apply to MIddle reader books age 8-12? I read there is more spacing such as 1.5 and the font is larger for this age range (8 to 12) and can't find the answer anywhere. I currently have it at 12 pt and 1.5 line spacing and am going to change it down to 1 since that is industry standard. I also tried it at 1.15 which looked good. BUt if that isn't standard I am switching it. I have looked and looked for the answer. Seems like a weird category for middle reader age group. Thank you so much for the video.
Thanks so much for this series, Bethany! It's so helpful! I always do Control Enter to do page breaks. Can I still do it that way or do I need to insert a page break like you show?
Great question! I just googled it and it says that “control + enter” is a keyboard shortcut for inserting a page break. So you were already doing page breaks :)
I was also doing the same thing and the Identation did not work (I hope this is what it is called, I am from Austria so I am not sure). Had to go through my whole book, delete the Control Enter breaks and make it normal breaks :/
Thanks so much.
You're welcome!
I'm a bit confused about one thing. If I download the DIY book template, am I copy/pasting my already written novel into this template for formatting? Do I write my book someplace else? I have 5 chapters of my first book written in Docs. Should I transfer this over to Word then finish writing the book before formatting it in the DIY template? I'm sorry if this I'm not making sense, but I'm so new to this world and I want to do it right. :) Thank you for your help.
First time I used it, I copy/pasted my writing into it. Since then with all my other books I write directly in it, and prefer that.
Hi Bethany, is it always standard to go 12 point font? I see some books like James Paterson's are bigger text. Thanks
No, it really depends on the genre, there are tons of sizes used
Hi! Absolutely love this playlist! But I do have a question. In the template the line spacing is 1.4, do I change it to single spacing? Because in your video you said that it should be okay in the template. So now I don't know what to do?😂
1.4 is still under single spacing, don't worry. It's fine. You'd recognize double spacing if you saw it.
@@BethanyAtazadeh Thank you so much! And I absolutely love what you are doing. Very helpful.
Are those rules are specific to fiction or also apply to NON-fiction books ?
the new page for new chapter rule is such a big thing even as a reader! i remember when i read The Shining, I got so confused when the chapters started on the same page the last one ended. IMO it just doesn't look as good.
Yeah I agree! The standard is specific to the first chapter, but about 50% of books also do this for all chapters... Although I've noticed it's much rarer now than in the past, because every single page makes the book more expensive, so typically these days publishers just do the first chapter to save on costs.
Should I finish my book before i get the format that's been pre made?
I think it's personal preference. I really enjoy writing in the formatted template because it makes me see it more as an official book, but it's totally up to you! :)
From what I've researched, I've seen it stated that chapters should always start on the right. What are your thoughts on that?
Take a look at the books on your shelf. Some stick to that rule, some don't. I personally don't.
This series is great. Does anyone know if I could format on Draft2Digital and then download it to use with KDP for paperback? Like…for free…? :)
Thank you! For an ebook you absolutely could, but for a paperback I found that the formatting got a little weird. That said, they have recently added a beta test of paperbacks to D2D as well, so the formatting may be better now!
@@BethanyAtazadeh thanks for the reply! I think I’ll use the template you always talk about. Seems like a great way to go.
I am thoroughly confused. Everywhere else I go, there is strong emphasis on double-spacing the content in your manuscript. Can you clarify?
Everywhere else is not a published book. If you look at the published books on yourself you won’t see a single one with double spacing.
@@BethanyAtazadeh , oh, I see. I'm in the manuscript-formatting phase. I know what you mean regarding the finished product. But are you saying publishers want manuscripts single-spaced as well? I was looking for a video on formatting a manuscript, but I think I ended up in one that shows me the eventual published product. I am about one-third of the way in my manuscript, so the title of this video caught my attention. The consensus from all the writers I've researched is double-spaced, when it comes to typing up a manuscript as a Word document.
In some Wheel of Time books the new chapters don't begin on a new page.
I’ve read that when formatting the manuscript, it needs to be double spaced for beta readers and stuff. I’m confused now.
Like I said in the video, double spacing is used during editing (such as when working with betas), but you'll never see it in a finished book, just take a look at your bookshelf for proof.
the moment you realize you've been using double line spacing this whole time on your 200 page document...
does anyone have any formatting websites that work with google docs? :)
Is the formatting template available?
Hey Joyce! It's linked in the description box of each of these formatting videos!
I'm sure Penny thought that she was the TA!
If you pay a formatter will they do all of this for you
Obviously. The point of this series is formatting for free.
@@BethanyAtazadeh yes of course. I like to learn as much as possible. But I work 14 hours a day. I'm trying to release my debut novel in October. The cover art is nearly finished. I want to do like you showed with the title page. I'm not sure I'll have the time to formatted all by myself correctly.
i literally made every mistake listed! ugh!
It's too bad the book formats don't download anymore.
I just checked, and they work fine. Maybe you need to use this link: diybookformats.com/
@@BethanyAtazadeh The link works, but you never get the email of the file. I've tried several times.
plese provide free template\
Google is a she?