How to Format a Book in 2024: The Ultimate Guide for Print and Ebook

Knowing how to format a book for publication is crucial to your success as an author.

Up until now, your goal has been writing the best book you can. Now that it’s finished, you’re ready to take the next step toward publication.

So, how do you make a book look like a book and not a 5th-grade creative writing assignment?

Some people hire professional designers to do it for them. While this can save time, it’s also expensive. If you have the time, you can do it yourself and save money.

With the help of this article, you can cut costs and design your book on your own. You’ll learn a new skill and still end up with a professional-looking book.

The Importance of Book Formatting

Before diving into the details of book formatting, it's essential to understand the significance of proper formatting for authors. Formatting is more than just making your book look good; it plays a crucial role in several aspects, including the following:

• Readability: Enhances the reader's experience by ensuring easy navigation and understanding.
• Aesthetics: Creates a visually appealing and professional-looking book.
• Professionalism: Demonstrates commitment to quality, attracting readers, reviewers, and publishers.
• Consistency: Ensures a smooth and cohesive reading experience throughout the book.
• Meeting Publishing Requirements: Adheres to technical requirements of various publishing platforms.
• Accessibility: Makes the book more inclusive for readers with disabilities.
• Branding and Author Identity: Establishes a unique style and recognition across all your books.

With that knowledge in mind, let's talk about how to make the best formatted book possible.

Why You Should Trust Me

So I've been writing and formatting books for a long time. 10+ years as of this writing.

But I actually found formatting to be a huge pain, which is why I actually created my own formatting software that solved all my problems. I called it Atticus.

But this isn't meant to be a sales pitch. I just want to make sure it's clear that I know what I'm talking about. The amount of research that went into not only formatting my own books, but also creating a formatting software is huge.

I researched everything, from tiny margin requirements, to the specific type of quotes to use (curly or straight, it makes a difference).

So if all that makes sense, hopefully you'll come along with me as show you everything I've learned.

To make your life easier, I created a table of all the major publishing platforms and the file formats they accept.

If looking at this table makes your head spin, don’t worry. The primary columns you need to pay attention to are EPUB and PDF.

I've got a whole article on this for you to check out. But the bottom line is this:

• If you’re creating an ebook, then an EPUB will be your go-to.
• For print, you’ll notice that every print-on-demand platform accepts one file format: PDF.

For more information about the different file types, read EPUB vs. MOBI vs. PDF: Which Book Format Should You Use?

Use the graph below to find the e-book and paperback formatting guidelines for each of the major publishing marketplaces.

What program should you use to format a book? Try these:

For most authors, I recommend Atticus as the go-to software for formatting. It does everything that a program like Vellum does, plus it's cheaper and available on Windows and virtually all other platforms.

I've got a whole article on the different formatting software and their best uses. Check that out here.

Additionally, here are some additional tips on how to format using each individual software:

• Atticus
• Microsoft Word
• Scrivener
• Vellum

Front Matter

The front matter consists of the very first pages, like a title page and table of contents.

Some books have just a few pages, while others have substantial front matter that requires a separate numbering system (usually roman numerals).

You’ll have to decide how much front matter to include. It will depend on the type of book you wrote and your personal preference. Nonfiction often has more than fiction, and most books have a minimum of a title page and a copyright page.

Front matter can include any (or all) of the following:

• Half-title (optional)
• List of your other books (optional)
• Title page
• Dedication page
• Praise or accolades (optional)
• Table of contents
• Maps or illustrations
• Epigraph
• Foreword
• Preface
• Prologue

Back Matter

The back matter makes up the final pages, such as the acknowledgments and an about the author page. Once again, you have some flexibility on what to include. The type of book you wrote will also factor into how much back matter you need. At a minimum, you should have an “Acknowledgments” page and an “About the Author” page.

Here are some things you’ll find in the back matter:

• Acknowledgments
• About the author
• Afterword
• Appendix
• Note from the author (optional)
• Discussion questions (optional)
• Glossary (optional)
• Indexes
• Copyright permissions
• Bibliography
• Sneak peaks
• Other books by the author

Formatting ebooks is a relatively simple process with the right software. There are many aspects of formatting that you don't have to worry about with ebooks, such as fonts (since ereaders have their own fonts), trim sizes, margins, etc.

That said, there are a few things to keep in mind when formatting for ebook. Here are a few:

• Page Breaks: Ensure that page breaks are strategically placed to enhance readability, such as between chapters or distinct sections within your ebook. This will help to create the Table of Contents later.
• Chapter Heading Fonts: These are a chance to use unique and stylish fonts to set the tone for your scenes. They should be distinctive and easily recognizable, helping readers navigate through the book with ease. The same font should be used for all chapter headings to ensure consistency.
• In-text formatting: Careful formatting within the text for things like headings, bulleted lists, etc. improves readability and helps to clearly convey information, particularly in non-fiction works.
• Indented or Spaced Paragraphs: Decide on a consistent style for your paragraphs – either use indentation for the first line, or space between paragraphs – and stick with it throughout the book.
• Curly Quotes vs Straight Quotes: While curly quotes (“smart quotes”) are often seen as more professional, ensure you choose one style and use it consistently.
• Adding Links: Consider adding hyperlinks in your text, either to external sources or internal references within your book, to create an interactive reading experience. Links are not possible in print books, and so it's something ebooks can really take advantage of.
• A Digital Table of Contents: This is an essential feature that allows readers to navigate easily to different sections of the ebook, especially in lengthy works or textbooks. Each line on the digital Table of Contents, instead of showing a page number, should link to the appropriate chapter.
• Scene Break Ornaments: This is an essential feature that allows readers to navigate easily to different sections of the book, especially in lengthy works or textbooks. A good formatting program (like Atticus) will give you full control over the design of these breaks.
• Endnotes: If your ebook contains references or additional information, using endnotes can keep the main text uncluttered while providing readers the option to delve deeper into the subject matter. Note that only endnotes (and not footnotes) are possible in an ebook format. You can position them at the end of each chapter or all together at the end of the book.

That might sound like a lot, but it's also easy to do with a formatting tool like Atticus, which makes all of that possible with just a few clicks. That can be a HUGE time saver for some of these, especially aspects like the digital Table of Contents or setting up Endnotes.

Open up your book formatting software, start a new document and let’s get going.

1. Set the margins and bleeds.

Margins: Margins are the blank areas around the edges of the page. For most books, a 1” margin works best. It gives you enough room to add page numbers and a header without the page getting crowded. It’s also essential to have enough white space on the page so that your reader’s eyes don’t get tired as quickly.

Bleeds: If you have any image or color that extends to the edge of the page, you need to add a bleed. It is a small border that stretches past the edge of your document.

When your book gets manufactured, the printer lays out several pages on one large sheet of paper and then trims them down to the finished size. Having a bleed prevents printing and trimming errors that result in unexpected white lines along the edge of your page.

Set your bleeds to 0.125”.

2. How to use headers, footers, and page numbers.

Next, you need to set up your headers, footers, and page numbers. Once again, there are numerous options, and it’s up to you to decide how you want to use them.
Headers go in the top margin of your book. Some things that can go here are:

• Page numbers
• Book title
• Author name
• Chapter title
• Point of view – If your book has multiple points of view, some authors like to include which character is currently narrating in the header.

Footers go in the bottom margin of your book and usually only include the page number. With nonfiction, footers can also include footnotes.

Page numbers go in either the header or footer, but not both. They are only included in the body of the book, not in the front matter or back-matter.

Some authors use roman numerals in their foreword or introduction. This practice identifies lengthy font matter as separate from the main body text.

3. Choose the best font for your book.

Now that you have your file set up, you’re ready to choose a font for your book.

Resist the urge to use an unconventional font for the body text. Your goal is to create a comfortable reading experience, so choose a font that’s easy to read. It may not be exciting, but your reader will thank you.

Save the fun and fancy fonts for chapter headings and elements like handwritten notes.

Here are some fonts that are great for body text:

• Joanna MT
• Garamond
• Baskerville
• Cochin
• Arial
• Times New Roman
• Georgia
• Verdana
• Set your font size to 11 or 12

With children’s books, you can get away with larger font sizes. Large print books need a font size of at least 14.

Nonfiction books can have a font size of 10 or 11. Any smaller than that, and it will be too hard to read.

Tip: Be sure to examine the copyright on your fonts before you use them. Many fonts require that you buy a commercial license before you can use the font in a digital or physical product.

4. Indents, spaces, and rags.

The next thing you need to do is style your pages to make them look professional. You can do this by formatting your indents and spaces while avoiding rags.

If you’re using a tool like Atticus, the settings are already in place, and you won’t need to do anything. But with some programs, you’ll need to set them yourself.

Indents: In fiction or narrative nonfiction, always indent the first line of a paragraph. The first paragraph of a chapter or after scene breaks are the only times you shouldn’t indent.

Pressing the tab key will usually result in an indent that's too large. You can fix this by setting your indent to 0.3” or 0.5”.

Line Spacing: Set your line spacing to 1.3.

You need enough space between lines so that your reader can keep their place. You can go a little smaller (1.2) for nonfiction and a little bigger (1.5) for children’s books.

Tip: While we’re talking about space on the page, it’s time to ditch the double space after a period. Just use one.

Rags: Rags happen when you use a left or right alignment, resulting in an uneven margin or “rag” on the side of the page. Instead, use the justify alignment for the body text. It will add hyphens to some of your long words and make them fit nicely within the margins.

5. Watch out for widows and orphans.

Widows and orphans are words that become detached from their paragraph or page. Where possible, try to avoid these. By making very slight adjustments to your margins, line height, or letter-spacing, you can keep your paragraphs looking clean and professional.

Tip: This only applies to printed books. There is no way to control widows and orphans in ebooks since every reader’s device settings will affect how paragraphs appear.

Check out my dedicated article to widows and orphans here.

6. Use Page Breaks Correctly

Rather than hit enter multiple times between chapters, you'll want to use a page break instead. This will cut the chapter off so that the next chapter will always start on the next page.

Software like Atticus and Vellum will do this for you automatically. If you are using Word, you can click “Insert > Break > Page Break” to get the appropriate effect.

7. Use Footnotes and Endnotes If Needed

In print book formatting, the use of endnotes and footnotes is essential for providing auxiliary information without distracting from the main text. Both serve as annotation tools, with footnotes appearing at the bottom of the page where the reference occurs, and endnotes listed at the end of a chapter or the book itself. They are particularly crucial in academic, scientific, or research-oriented texts where referencing external sources or providing additional clarification is needed.

When formatted well, footnotes and endnotes can increase a book's credibility and make it a more valuable resource for readers.

However, formatting these notes can be challenging, especially for indie authors or small-scale publishers looking for cost-effective solutions.

So far, Atticus is the only low-cost formatting program that can handle the formatting of footnotes, making it a preferred choice for many self-publishers. It simplifies the process, saving time and ensuring a professional appearance in the final print book.

A smaller trim size can result in a higher page count, so you’ll need to consider that when you’re setting up your book. If you wrote a long book and want to lower your page count, choose a larger trim size (and vice versa).

This chart can help you decide which trim size is best for your project.

Most companies will offer more trim sizes than the ones listed here. If you’re not sure what size is best for your project, grab a ruler and head to your bookshelf. Measure some books that are similar to yours, and pick a comparable book template.

And check out my comprehensive article on trim sizes.

If you're using a program like Atticus, you'll have access to a wide variety of trim sizes at the touch of a button, with sizes for both Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and IngramSpark.

At a minimum, you should include the following on your chapter pages:

• The chapter number.
• Chapter title (if applicable).
• The subtitle or Epigraph (if applicable).

It might be tempting to add a bunch of embellishments to your chapter pages. But don’t go overboard. When it comes to design, less is more. Try to balance something ornate with something simple.

Here are some guidelines for designing chapter pages:

1. Start your body text about halfway down the page.
2. Center the chapter heading in the top half of the page.
3. Don’t indent the first paragraph.
4. You can use a drop cap or make the first line all caps, but it’s not required.
5. Omit headers and footers.
6. Page numbers are optional.
7. Use the same font for your chapter headings that you used on the cover unless it’s too difficult to read. If that’s the case, find one that’s easy to read but different from the body text.
8. For children’s and young adult novels, you can get more creative with chapter pages. Add illustrations, a frame around the chapter heading, or a design element in the background.
9. For adult novels and nonfiction books, keep it simple. A small embellishment or a drop cap will add some flair, but don’t go crazy with the design elements.

Tip: Except for children’s and young adult novels, you should balance something ornate with something simple. If you use a fancy font for your chapter heading, skip the drop cap. If you have an illustration, keep the rest of the page simple.

Here are some examples of well-designed chapter pages.

Keep in mind that these are just two examples of chapter pages. You have a lot of options when it comes to designing these pages, so feel free to experiment. Just remember to keep them simple. You want them to add to your story, not distract from it.

That said, you can have more extensive chapter themes with background images and different fonts to set the tone of the book. See this chapter theme as a great example of what's possible with a program like Atticus:

Remember, the cost of hiring a graphic designer will vary significantly depending on a variety of factors, including:

• Manuscript length
• Book genre
• Type of file formats
• Turnaround time
• Designer’s level of experience

With that in mind, this table will give you a quick snapshot of what to expect in terms of the price range, turnaround time, and file formats. I’ll go over each one in more depth later.

When hiring a graphic designer, make sure that he/she understands industry standards and can meet your personal design preferences and timeline. If you can, include your turnaround time requirements in the contract. I've compiled a list of even more formatting services below. Please keep in mind, I have not used any of them personally.

If you want more information to help you choose between formatting the book yourself or hiring it out, then check out this post.

Then I've got a whole article on how to hire the best formatting service. Check it out here!

Back Matter: Everything that comes after the main body text of the book, including an about the author page, discussion questions, bibliography, etc.

Bleed: Imagery that extends beyond the edge of the paper.

Font: The style or appearance of text.

Footer: Anything that gets printed in the bottom margin (like page numbers).

Front Matter: Everything that comes before the main body text of the book, including the title page, copyright page, foreword, etc.

Header: Anything that gets printed in the top margin (like the book title or author name).

Line spacing: The space between lines of text.

Margin: The blank space around the edge of the page.

Orphans: A word that gets separated from its paragraph and appears alone on the next page.

Rag: An uneven margin on one side of the page.

Trim size: The finished size of a book.

Verso: The back-side of a page. For example, the copyright page goes on the verso of the title page.

Widows: A word that dangles alone at the bottom of a paragraph.

Frequently Asked Questions

What program should I use to format a book?

I recommend Atticus as the best formatting software on the market. It has everything you need to format beautiful books, from creating a PDF file for your print book, to creating lightning-fast ebooks. And Atticus is available on all platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chromebook, unlike the leading competitors.

What is the standard book format?

The standard book format varies from one publisher to another, based on your preferences and the genre. But they usually range from 5 x 8 to 6 x 9. Other popular sizes include 4.25 x 6.87 (mass market paperback), 5.5 x 8.5, 5.25 x 8, 7 x 10, and 6.625 x 10.187 (comic books).

What format is best for self-publishing?

The best ebook format to use in publishing is the EPUB. It is accepted in virtually all ebook marketplaces and is a highly standardized format that you can create in most formatting programs. When formatting a book for print, the best format is a print-ready PDF.

What font do publishers prefer?

When submitting your novel manuscript to a publisher, the best font to use is 12 point Times New Roman. Some agents and editors may have different preferences, so it is important to check with their guidelines before submitting a manuscript to anyone. Fonts for self-published manuscript should be professional and match the genre.

Is formatting a book hard?

No, with the right software formatting a book is not as hard as you think. A program like Atticus lets you create a book ready to publish on Amazon within minutes. All you have to worry about is writing the book, and Atticus will take care of the rest.

How long does formatting a book take?

With the right software, book formatting can take you 30 minutes or less. Atticus is one example of a piece of software that will make this process seamless. If you are using other software such as MS Word or Scrivener, this process will take longer.

How long is a book, usually?

Most novels come in between 50,000 and 110,000 words. However, this depends on the genre you are writing. Some, such as romance, can be shorter. Others, like epic fantasy, tend to be much longer. Technically anything over 40,000 words is considered a novel. It depends on your audience or your publisher.

Should chapters always start on the right?

Yes. In standardized publishing, chapters always begin on the right. While there are no hard and fast rules in this area, it will seem incredibly jarring to your readers if you choose to format your chapter on the left. Doing otherwise could lead to poor reviews.

How many pages should a book be?

The average book length has between 200-400 pages. However, this will depend on a number of factors, including: the size of your font, the line spacing, the genre you're writing in, etc. I recommend focusing more on recommended word count instead of page count when determining your length.

How many pages should a chapter be?

There are no rules on chapter length. Most will typically fall between 1500 (approximately 6 pages) and 8000 words (approximately 32 pages). But there is flexibility even in this. Terry Pratchett, for example, had no chapters in his books, just scene breaks. So find what works for you and your genre.

How much does it cost to format a book?

If you are formatting a book yourself, you only have the cost of the formatting software. If you are hiring someone to format a book, it will cost anywhere from $30-200 for standard prose books, and potentially hundreds more if you have special formatting needs such as a cookbook, children's book, photography book, etc.