I have finished editing my manuscript for the fourth time, and have started to format it. I am using Adobe InDesign, but there are a number of programs you can use to format your manuscript to upload it to Amazon.
I thought I would share some resources and document my journey on my blog. I hope some of these are helpful to you if you are self-publishing.
Great InDesign Formatting Video Tutorials.
This is the video I have been using to help me to navigate Indesign. This is a tutorial for text only. Becca does a great job explaining the process!
If you are using InDesign that has images, such as a children’s book or photo book, you might want to try one of these:
Microsoft Word Book Formatting Video Tutorial
If you don’t have InDesign, you might want to check out this simple, short tutorial that uses Microsoft Word.
I prefer to use video tutorials from people who are good teachers because a) it saves time and frustration and b) every time you watch their video you are helping their Youtube business!
My Experience Formatting
Becca’s tutorial helped me understand how to use the program. Now that I’ve mastered the basics and have formatted the first couple of chapters, I should be able to finish formatting the book by the end of the week.
So far, it hasn’t taken as much time as I thought it would. Between watching the video and doing the formatting, I probably spent around an hour to an hour and a half on the first 3 chapters, the title page, etc.
I will make a post this week or next about uploading my book and how that went.
I plan to share other things I am learning in the self-publishing process, and resources you might want to look at if you are thinking about self-publishing your book, too.
At the beginning, it can seem daunting. Having spent a year learning about every aspect of self-publishing, however, I feel I am in a good place to finally take the plunge! Nothing will stop me now!
Happy self-publishing, aspiring authors!
Classic Reads 