Two Ways to Format Your Manuscript

Contributed by Linda Wilson

Properly formatting my MG mystery book loomed in the background during editing. The reckoning day arrived. Thanks to children's author Margot Finke, I knew who to call upon: the formatting service at Golden Box Books Publishing Services.

Margot sang the praises of Golden Box author Erika M. Szabo, who did the formatting for her young teen fantasy, Daisy and Bartholomew Q. She said, "I couldn't be happier with the results. [Erika] also educated me in the ways of correct formatting." Among Erika's many talents: a multi-genre author, publishing coach, and illustrator.

The two ways to format your book:

1. Hire someone who knows what they're doing.

I fully intended to contact Erika to help me with my formatting needs, especially after Margot's high praise, but ended up in another direction.

2. Check out YouTube tutorials.

Instead of hiring Erika, I decided to Google the subject: "How to format a fiction book,"  to see what would happen. I clicked on a YouTube tutorial by Jill Williamson, an author for adults, teens, kids, and some for the whole family. I decided to try it.

By splitting my screen with Jill's tutorial and my manuscript, I went through the steps she explained by pausing, executing, and pausing again. It took several views to fully understand how to do it all. The biggest glitch was doing the page numbering right, which Jill warned is tricky. 

At the end of the video, she invited viewers to visit her website for a more in-depth description. I found the information under, "for writers: jill's writing and publishing tutorials," and after some trial and error, solved the page numbering problem. I am proud of how my manuscript looks now and feel confident it is correct.

It's been an inspiration to discover both of these terrific authors and their websites, chock-full of helpful information for writers.

Check out Jill Williamson's video, "How to Format a Fiction Manuscript," on YouTube, and Jill's website. You'll be glad you did.

I will call on both of these resources again. The information offered is far-reaching and relevant in today's market. You will find many areas of expertise. My challenge to you? Go for it!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Linda Wilson writes stories for young children. Visit Linda at https://www.lindawilsonauthor.com. Sign up for Linda’s quarterly giveaways. Choose your prize! 

Find Linda’s books at https://www.amazon.com/author/lindawilsonchildrensauthor.

This was originally published at: 
https://www.writersonthemove.com/2017/01/two-ways-to-format-your-manuscript_28.html

I’m a working children’s ghostwriter, rewriter, and coach, and can help turn your story into a book you’ll be proud to be author of.

To discuss your project send me an email at kcioffiventrice@gmail.com. 

Let’s get your story in publishable and marketable shape today!

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