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How to Lay Out a Book Manuscript in Microsoft Word By Karen Silvestri, an eHow Contributing Writer
When you have written a novel, short story, or non-fiction book and are ready to have it printed, you need to know the basics of laying out the book on a word processor. Some self-publishing companies will do this job for you for a fee. However, you can do it yourself, if you know your way around MS Word. Depending on the version of MS Word that you have, navigating your way around may be a bit different but the tools are basically the same. Difficulty: Moderately Challenging Things You'll Need: Manuscript Microsoft Word Instructions 1. Choose the size that you want your book. Typical sizes for a book are 8.5 x 11 and 6 x 9. 6 x 9. These are the standard size for most self-published books. The larger size of the two is used for picture books, textbooks, and other non-fiction manuscripts. 2. Use the “Page Setup” feature to set your book size. Click on “File” and then “Page Setup”. From there go to “Paper Size” and choose your book size. Be sure to click “Apply to Whole Document”. 3. Set your margins to at least .75 on all sides. Click the box that asks if you want “Mirror Margins”. Mirror margins will set your manuscript up to be viewed like book pages. While in the “Page Setup” feature, set your gutter to at least 0.1. The gutter is the crease in the middle of the book, where the spine of the book is. 4. Move from page to page within your document by breaking pages, not by hitting the "Enter" key until you come to a new page. This is important when your document gets converted to PDF (which it will have to be before being printed). Go to “Insert”, then “Break”. Once there, hit “Page Break”. 5. Separate your front matter, body of your manuscript, and your back matter with Section breaks. This is important when you go to create your headers and footers. Following the steps in Step 4, navigate to the “Break” feature. Once there, hit “Section Break, Next Page”. You can also use Section Breaks to separate chapters if you want. 6. Create a header and footer, if desired. Typically, the header of a manuscript will list the title of the book and the author’s name. You can put the title on every even page (left) and the author on every odd page (right). Navigate to the “View” feature and click on “Header and Footer”. A little box should pop up and your page should go dim, showing the header at the top of the page. Type directly into the header. You can format the text to the size you want. 7. Insert page numbers into your footer. Once you pull up the header and footer, you can switch back and forth between them by clicking on the “Switch between header and footer button”. Hover the arrow over the buttons located on the toolbar that pops up so that you can see what each button does. Click on the “Insert Page Numbers” to insert your page numbering feature. 8. Specify section breaks within your headers and footers. You typically do not want the title and author or page numbers to appear on the front and back matter pages. This is why you made section breaks. Navigate to the first page of your body text (where you want the title, etc. to appear) and double click on your header (this is just another way to open the header/ footer toolbox window). You should have already created Section breaks. Your front matter will be Section 1. Your body text will be Section 2. When in the body text header, click the box on the floating toolbar that says “Same as Previous”. You do not want this header to be "Same as Previous". Tips & Warnings The header and footers can get tricky depending on the version of Word that you are using. Consult your manual or Help feature for more tips. Learn the basics of writing Front Matter and Back Matter. Don’t forget to save your work frequently. visit:
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How to be a Nigerian writer BLOG | AUGUST 30, 2012 - 8:38AM | BY ELNATHAN JOHN You know the value of books. The process of making them intrigues you. You want your name on the front cover of a book and, like an earthworm inches through dirt into the ground, you want to make your way into people’s homes, heads and hearts. I am here to help you achieve that. First, you must look the part. It is important to look like an African writer. Find multi-coloured kampala fabric and use it to sew shirts which you’ll wear to all writers’ events. Or an old t-shirt. You shouldn’t look like a model or banker. Your precious time is spent thinking of plot and theme and words, not on dress and grooming. Your hair needs to be unkempt. However, nothing says authentic-tortured- African-writer like dreadlocks. Please, note that in Nigeria there is a difference between dreadlocks and ‘dada’. Dada is less refined, naturally matted coils of hair due to superstitious neglect. Dada is uncool. Dreadlocks are deliberate. They are cool. They make you look wildly creative. If someone asks; no, you are not a Rastafarian. You are an African writer. As a writer, you must flaunt your vices. You need to show that you are a flawed character. If you drink, drink too much. If you smoke, do it at inappropriate times. Show up at an event reeking of booze. People will understand. Vices are a tool of the trade. Now, you have the basic tools: a multi- coloured kampala shirt, cool dreadlocks, and vices. You must set about the business of writing. You do not need to read a lot to be a Nigerian writer. In fact, as a Nigerian writer you can make shameless statements like “I don’t really read much”, in public. All you need is a burning desire to write. It is sufficient to have read Shakespeare and Achebe, and maybe a little of Chimamanda Adichie for contemporary reading. The only thing you need to really study is a dictionary or thesaurus. Please, note that all Nigerian characters are Africans who act the same: children are respectful of elders; parents are always responsible, wise individuals teaching children valuable lessons of life. Characters do not use cuss words or talk about sex, even when in the company of peers. Nobody’s mother smokes and we have no homosexuals in Nigeria. Use big words instead of small words; ‘Discombobulate’ instead of ‘confuse’. How can you write like a layman when you are an African writer? It doesn’t matter how many people read or understand you. What matters is that you impress those who do. Use many words. It is always better to err on the side of verbosity than to err on the side of brevity. Protect your work fiercely and always insist that people give you constructive criticism. Anyone who points out, rightly or otherwise, that your writing isn’t quite there yet, is evil and an enemy of your hustle. You must believe that there is nothing like bad writing. After all, you were inspired by the spirits before you began writing – what do critics know? Do not waste your time or money on editors. Editors are failed writers whose life ambition is to frustrate the hustle of real writers like you. Show your friends your work. But only the ones who are not jealous of your hustle, and who remind you that your writing is the best thing since point-and-kill. Find some popular person from your village who will write you a foreword without actually reading your book. Then, go to press. A book is not complete without a book launch. In Nigeria, a book launch is a fund- raising ceremony. It is not important to have writers at this event. Well, maybe the book reviewer. You need your state governor (who may not come but will send a representative with a cheque or a pledge) ; your Local Government chairman; your Pastor or Imam to bless the event; and any minister, senator or rich person that you know. It is important to find a Chief Launcher who will encourage others to donate to your hustle. Do not leave it to chance or the discretion of the Chief Launcher, unless you are sure of his capabilities. In Nigeria, nobody is allowed to embarrass the Chief Launcher by giving more money. So, if you can, gently hint that you know he will set the bar high for others to follow. That is the job of the Chief Launcher – setting the bar as high as possible. You do not need a marketer, publicist or publisher. These people eat into your profit margin. If you have a car, carry a few hundred copies in the trunk at all times. Be your own marketer. Steer conversation toward your book and tell them you have written this really cool book. Someone will ask for it and you will tell them to hold on for a minute while you get it from your car. If you don’t have a car, have a big bag that can carry at least 10 copies. Do not be ashamed to carry your books to public gatherings. Book by book, God blessing your hustle, you may end up selling off the 1,000 copies your printer produced, and maybe even go for a reprint. Get an award. It doesn’t matter what. It may be from your church bulletin which you have been writing for since you were in secondary school or your old boy’s association newsletter. You can even have friends get together to organise and award you the ‘Roforofo Prize for African Fiction’. Then, you can have on your book, ‘Award Winning Author’. No need to state what award it is. An award- winning writer is a good writer. It is my hope that you make it as a writer and have many successful books in the market.

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I did observed that there are good Publisher willing to help authors get their books published. On the other hand, there are authors searching for good publishers to publish their work. Hence, this thread is to create a platform whereby authors can get good publishers and vice versa.


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#PDF Academy invites you to its One Day Free Seminar in Lagos, Nigeria. Theme: How To Become A Best Selling Author. Date: Saturday 13th July, 2013. Time: 9:00am. Seminar Fee: Free Venue: Masterbuilder Hall, 20/21, Adebiyi Ayopo Str., Off Union Rd, Cement b/s, Lagos (Please note that this is a pre-registered conference. To register, send your (1) Name (2) Sex (3) Age and (4) State of residence to pdfacademylagos @gmail.com and your RIN (Registration Identification Number) will be forwarded to you as confirmation of your registration. Only 100 seats available. Enquiries – 08093415875.

#PDF Academy invites you to its One Day Free Seminar in Lagos, Nigeria. Theme: How To Become A Best Selling Author. Date: Saturday 13th July, 2013. Time: 9:00am. Seminar Fee: Free Venue: Masterbuilder Hall, 20/21, Adebiyi Ayopo Str., Off Union Rd, Cement b/s, Lagos (Please note that this is a pre-registered conference. To register, send your (1) Name (2) Sex (3) Age and (4) State of residence to pdfacademylagos @gmail.com and your RIN (Registration Identification Number) will be forwarded to you as confirmation of your registration. Only 100 seats available. Enquiries – 08093415875.

Good job bro.... We seems to be in same boat. I'm an author too. I'm working on a book titled 'UNLEASH YOUR POTENTIAL-A Motivational Book' written by Abegunde Sunday Olaoluwa which is to be published soon. I need you to be part of the success story. I need your comments, suggestions, quality posts, constructive criticism, encouragement, and to keep the group growing by helping to add friends to the group as often as you can. Will you do a brother this great favour? Click on this link below: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=157411970987632&refid=17