Preparing Your Manuscript for a Professional Reading Experience

Once your book has been fully edited and proofread, the next step is transforming your manuscript into a clean, readable, visually polished interior that feels like a professionally published book. Formatting is where your writing takes on its final form—where words become pages, chapters become a cohesive structure, and your book becomes “reader-ready.”

Good formatting is not just about making things look nice. A well-formatted book signals professionalism, builds reader trust, and reduces distractions that could otherwise lead to poor reviews. In this module, we’ll walk through the key decisions and tools that bring your manuscript to life and ensure it meets the standards of major publishers.

 

Key Interior Formatting Decisions

As the author and publisher, you’ll make several choices about how your finished book will look and feel. Each affects readability, aesthetics, and even printing costs.

Book Size & Trim (Book Dimensions)

  • Common nonfiction trim sizes: 6" x 9", 5.5" x 8.5"

  • Workbooks/manuals: 8.5" x 11" or 9" x 12"

  • Larger formats can help with worksheets, tables, diagrams, and children’s books.

Font Choices

  • Serif fonts (e.g., Garamond, Baskerville, Georgia) are standard for print.

  • Sans-serif fonts work well in workbooks and instructional books.

  • Font size influences readability and page count—important for print costs.

  • Consistency across chapters matters.

Layout Elements

  • Margins & gutters (the inner margin must be larger to allow for binding)

  • Paragraph spacing (block vs. indented style, line spacing)

  • Page numbering (roman numerals for front matter, arabic for main text)

  • Headers & footers (author name, book title, chapter title)

  • Drop caps (optional for stylistic impact)

  • Quotes, callouts, sidebars (useful for nonfiction)

  • Chapter openers (custom fonts, ornaments, simple designs)

Images, Tables & Graphics

  • Placement, alignment, captions, and spacing

  • Image resolution (must be 300 dpi for print)

  • Ensuring charts and tables are readable in both print and ebook

  • Understanding bleed vs. no-bleed pages for full-page images

Front Matter & Back Matter (often overlooked but critical for professionalism)

  • Front matter:
    Title page, copyright page, dedication, table of contents, foreword, introduction

  • Back matter:
    Acknowledgments, notes, references, index, author bio, call-to-action (CTA), other books by the author

Advanced Considerations

  • Widow and orphan control (to avoid awkward single lines at page breaks)

  • Hyphenation settings (to prevent “rivers of white space”)

  • Accessibility in ebooks (alt text, proper heading structure)

  • Color settings (CMYK for print images; RGB for ebook)

 

Formatting Options: Outsource vs. DIY

Just like editing, you can either hire a formatting professional or format the book yourself.

Hiring a Professional

Professional formatters can save time and deliver polished results.
Reputable companies include:

  • Ultimate Book Formatting

  • BookBaby

  • Damonza

  • TellWell Talent

These teams handle both print and ebook files and ensure everything meets the requirements for KDP, IngramSpark, and other platforms.

DIY Tools

If you prefer complete creative control or want to save on production costs, several strong tools are available:

  • Atticus (Mac/PC – one-time fee)
    Excellent for nonfiction and workbooks. Easy interface, cloud backups. A few limitations with tables and very complex layouts, but it is reliable and beginner-friendly. I use Atticus for all my books.

  • Vellum (Mac only – one-time fee)
    Industry-standard for beautiful, clean fiction and nonfiction interiors.

  • Adobe InDesign (Mac/PC – monthly fee)
    The most powerful formatting tool, but it comes with a learning curve. Best for highly designed books.

No matter which tool you choose, the goal is the same: a clean, professional book interior that enhances the reading experience rather than interrupting it.

 

File Formats for Publishing

Once formatting is complete, you’ll export your book in the formats required by publishing platforms:

  • Ebook → EPUB (required by most retailers), MOBI no longer needed

  • Paperback → Print-ready PDF (text in grayscale unless color is required)

  • Hardcover → Print-ready PDF with appropriate bleed and spine width

Your final files must meet the technical specs of platforms such as Amazon KDP and IngramSpark.

 

Final Thought

Formatting is one of the most satisfying steps in the publishing journey. It’s where your manuscript becomes a book—something readers can hold, annotate, or display on their shelf. With the right decisions and tools, you can create an interior that looks every bit as polished as traditionally published titles.