Book formatting information

Ebony McKenna

Contents

1. Hi there!

2. The file itself

3. Trim sizes

4. Front Matter

5. Back Matter

6. Getting ISBNs

7. Loading up ebook files

8. Loading up your paperback files.

9. Creating your paperback book

10. Getting paid

11. Good luck

Chapter 1

Hi there!

Thanks for contacting me at Ebony’s Formatting Collective.

I’m Ebony, and I’m here to help!

I’ve created this booklet to answer the most pressing questions you probably have about what you need to do in order for me to be able to format your books.

Ready? Here we go!

Chapter 2

The file itself

- Please save the manuscript of your book as a .docx word file.

- Please also send me through the ‘high-res’ (high resolution) image of your book cover if you want that file embedded into your ebook. (Sometimes readers like to look at the cover, especially if it’s a good one. If it’s embedded into the book file, they can click on it and gaze upon its beauty.)

- Please have each new chapter begin on a new page. It doesn’t need to be numbered or named (Vellum will number chapters automatically), but it really helps if each chapter begins on a fresh page. To do this, press ‘command + return’ (on a mac) or ‘control + return’ (on a pc, I think. I use mac so I’m guessing)

Don’t worry about single spacing or double spacing, as the formatting process will take care of that.

DOUBLE CHECK

When I send you your ebook and/or print files, please have a read through (slowly and carefully) to look for typos or mistakes. It’s so much easier to fix things before they go out there into the world.

Chapter 3

Trim sizes

Let me know what ‘trim size’ format you’d like your paperback to be.

Chapter 4

Front Matter

This is text you’ll find at the front of a book, before the chapters begin.

I will automatically create the following pages:

- A title page (The title of your book, the subtitle if there is one, and your author name, plus the publishing imprint you’d like to use, if you have one.)

- Copyright for the ebook edition (where I can place your ebook ISBN if you have one.)

- Copyright for print edition (where I’ll place your print ISBN.)

Anything else you’d like at the front – such as a dedication or foreword – please add this in at the front of the book.

HOWEVER

When people are looking for books, they sometimes click the ‘look inside’ function on kindle. Or they may download a sample of the book. This is often the first 10 or so pages. If your front matter is packed with pages of other stuff that isn’t the story, then you might dissuade potential readers from purchasing.

Personally, I don’t believe many people read samples first. They buy it and move on. (And if they truly hate it, they refund it. Yes, some readers refund ebooks, even when they’re only 99c. I don’t understand this at all.)

When you do buy an ebook, it automatically opens on chapter 1 – skipping all that front matter - so the reader can get reading straight away. If the reader loves the story, they keep on reading right to the last page – which includes anything extra you put at the back.

If the front matter is truly important, and you want people to see it, consider putting it at the back.

Chapter 5

Back Matter

Add all your ‘back matter’ at the end of your manuscript’s file, as if they were extra chapters.

Backmatter includes things like:

- About The Author – an author biography and links to your social media profiles and websites.

- Also By– a list of your other titles (which can be combined into ‘About the Author’ anyway.)

IMPORTANT:

The words ‘the end’ on their own at the end of your book will result in the reader exiting your book and starting a new book.

Or switching off their device.

But there is still some information you want to give to them – like a sample chapter of another book, or links to websites etc.

So, at the end of a story I still write ‘the end’ and then I write a little more, like in this next image, to encourage people to tap onto the next page:

For paperbacks, you can write ‘The End’ at the end of the last chapter, and not have these same worries. The reader will be physically holding the book and will know there are more pages to look at.

Chapter 6

Getting ISBNs

This is really important stuff that might not make a lot of sense right now, but will save you heartache down the track.

As an Australian, you will need an Australian-sourced ISBN (International Standardised Book Number) for your printed books. If you want to get your books into Australian libraries in the future, especially if you want to claim Lending Rights, then you will need to buy your ISBNs from the official Australian ISBN supplier Thorpe Bowker.

https://www.myidentifiers.com.au

There is also a one-time set-up fee of $55.

When you have ISBNs, you will then match one with each title – and each format of your title as well. This will create your first official record of your title.

Doing this means that further down the track, you will be able to register for Lending Rights.

The order to do things:

- Sign up with Thorpe Bowker to buy ISBNs for $55.

One ISBN is $44. 10 is $88. Get the 10-pack. You will need it. No, you don’t need to buy bar codes.

- Assign one ISBN to each format of each book.

In other words, you might make an ebook and paperback of your title “My Fabbo Book”, and then you might want to make an audio version, and then a large print. It’s the same book, but now it’s four different formats. Allocate one ISBN per format. You will do this via the ‘myidentifiers.com’ page, which creates the first official record of your title against each ISBN.

Yes, it is possible to get a free ISBN from KDP, should you wish to load your paperback to sell on Amazon. However, you cannot ‘commute’ this ISBN, and it doesn’t create an official record of your print book. It also won’t list you as the publisher. When you later want to register for Lending Rights, the title and ISBN will be rejected as there will be no Australian record of the book.

It’s perhaps a little too much detail at this point, but this is just to let you know that if you do it properly from the beginning, you will save yourself heartache later on.

Chapter 7

Loading up ebook files

The easiest way to load up ebook files is either via Smashwords or Draft2Digital, and then onto Amazon directly (for Kindle sales).

Both Smashwords and Draft2Digital offer an easy way to distribute your ebook to all the major outlets including Amazon, Kobo, Apple, Barnes & Noble and a stack of library services.

- You’ll need to register with these sites – and supply either an ABN (Australian Business Number) if you have one, or your TFN (Tax File Number).

- You will also need to nominate a bank account or service for your royalties to get paid into.

However, as easy as D2D makes it to distribute everywhere, they will cream some royalties off the top, and they will take a fair few royalties from Amazon. You’re better off going with Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) directly, as for many authors this is where the majority of your royalties will come from.

You do not need to make your books exclusive to Kindle by any means, but that is something you might want to consider later. (Enrolling in Kindle Unlimited, should you choose.)

Chapter 8

Loading up your paperback files.

(If you’ve chosen to make paperbacks.)

In order to make a paperback, you’ll need an ‘interior file’ and a book cover file.

The book cover will need to be created by your book cover designer, and the spine thickness will depend on the page count.

When I send through the .pdf file of your paperback interior, I will tell you the final page count.

Then, you need to create a ‘book cover template’ to send to your designer, so the book cover fits your print book exactly.

- Go to Ingram Spark www.ingramspark.com

- Click on the ‘help’ section

- Click on Cover Template Generator

- Put in all your book’s details – starting with your ISBN

- Select format size

- Go for black and white text with crème paper for fiction

- Choose black and white text and white paper for non-fiction (it just seems to work better that way, especially as non-fiction often has extra graphics/tables etc. White paper with a novel simply feels wrong and hurts a reader’s eyes.)

- Binding type is paperback with Perfect Bound spine

- Go for Gloss Laminate (that’s the cover. Matte looks nice for about three seconds until it gets grubby)

- Page count

- The file type – this will be the software your cover creator uses. In most cases it will be InDesign CS3 and newer. InDesign is Adobe software and it’s brilliant!

- Email address – put your own email address or your cover designer’s email address

I never bother with printing the price on the book, as this limits how often I can change the price.

Now that you’ve put all this information in, including your ISBN, Ingram Spark will send you a template with the exact measurements for your book cover, and it will include an ISBN and a BAR CODE already on the back cover.

How awesome is that????

(Told you not to bother with buying a bar code.)

When your cover designer sends you the cover file - it will be a PDF - you’re ready to load both files to

Chapter 9

Creating your paperback book

Have you interior book file PDF and cover file PDF ready.

Fill in all the steps to load up a new title on Ingram Spark.

When you load it all up, you’ll receive a warning that the ‘ICC colour profiles’ are incorrect.

Ignore this.

It’s a glitch with IngramSpark. It’s frustrating, for sure. But it’s just a glitch.

Ignore it and click that you approve the file.

MONEY

You will get to a point where it will ask you for $49 US to set up a new title. That’s nearly $70 Australian!

Try these discount codes:

GETPUBLISHED

SPARKALLI

And the new title fee should drop to $0.

I have other discount codes if these don’t work. Or you can google ‘Ingram Spark discount codes’ and see what comes up.

In a few days (depending on how inundated IS is) you’ll receive an electronic proof of your book. Click on the link and read through your book.

If you want a physical print copy, now is the time to order one or two.

You’ll possibly need to approve the title at this point, but make sure the sale date is a little way off - that way, if there are any errors, they won’t get out there into the world.

Order a few print copies for yourself, and wait for them to arrive.

When your copies arrive, read through the book and jot down any typos you spot.

If you find one or two typos:

Make a note of where they are, and the sentence/s they are in. I will be able to find the typos using ‘find and replace’ and can send you a new set of files.

Don’t send me a new manuscript, as I will have to format the entire manuscript all over again, and this makes me cry.

If you find eleventy typos:

Now it’s your turn to cry.

Again, send me the list of typos and the sentences they are in. I will find them quickly using find and replace.

Again, don’t send me a whole new manuscript, as that makes a lot of extra work for me and I may have to charge you for the extra time.

Re-loading the interior print files onto Ingram Spark is considered a revision, and IS charges $25 US for this. Try your discount codes again, but it may not work.

Chapter 10

Getting paid

You’ve most likely supplied your bank account details to Amazon or Smashwords etc, but there are some other, more convenient ways, to get paid:

Paypal

Brilliant. Easy to sign up to, and easy to move money around.

Ingram Spark pay paperback royalties into Paypal, which means you can avoid bank fees and international service charges and transfer fees. Always a bonus.

Payoneer

brillianter – but more complicated. Payoneer will open a legitimate USA bank account on your behalf. You will need a stack of ID and lots of patience to get it all up and running, but the benefits are worth it, especially from your worldwide Amazon sales. Books sold on Amazon Au go to your Australian bank account each month. But other territories require your royalties to reach $100 before they’re paid into your account. And then, depending on which bank you’re with, you may be charged fees for international banking transfers. I was once charged $15 to receive $100. It broke my heart, but steeled my resolve to sign up to Payoneer.

With Payoneer, you will get all your monthly Amazon royalties from all territories at the end of each month. I often get small amounts, like $0.71c US, which has come from a single sale in Brazil, for example. No more waiting for my royalties from each territory to reach that magical $100 minimum before getting my money.

Chapter 11

Good luck

I hope this guide book has helped answer your main questions and given you guidance on what to do, once I send your formatted files back to you.

Please ask me more questions if they’re not already answered here.

Go forth and auth!

Ebony