How do authors format manuscripts for publishing?
- Ebook and print need two different formatted outputs from the same manuscript.
- Ebook output is a reflowable EPUB; print output is a fixed PDF at a set trim size.
- Common trim sizes: 5x8, 5.5x8.5, and 6x9 inches for fiction.
- Vellum, Atticus, and Adobe InDesign are the standard formatting tools.
- Print layout requires correct margins, gutter, and a calculated spine width.
Authors format manuscripts into two outputs from one clean source: a reflowable EPUB for ebooks and a fixed, print-ready PDF sized to a trim such as 5x8 or 6x9. Tools like Vellum, Atticus, or Adobe InDesign apply chapter styling, front and back matter, and correct print margins and gutter. The print cover’s spine width is calculated from final page count, so layout comes before cover finalization.
Chapter i·Why it matters
Formatting is where a clean manuscript becomes a book that reads professionally — or one that screams self-published with bad widows, wrong margins, and broken chapter breaks. Because ebook and print have opposite requirements (reflowable versus fixed), authors who try to use one file for both produce two mediocre results instead of two correct ones.
Chapter ii·What to include
- A clean, styles-based source document (consistent heading and body styles).
- A reflowable EPUB output tested on multiple devices.
- A print PDF at a chosen trim size with correct margins and gutter.
- Front and back matter: title page, copyright, dedication, about-the-author.
- A spine width calculated from final page count before cover finalization.
- A formatting tool: Vellum, Atticus, or InDesign.
Chapter iii·Example
An author finishes revisions and formats once in Vellum: she exports a reflowable EPUB and a 6x9 print PDF in a few clicks, with matching front matter in both. The print PDF reports a final page count of 312, which she hands to her cover designer so the spine width is exact. Both files look professionally typeset, and neither required a second tool.
WriteLoom keeps a clean, styles-based manuscript ready to export, so the handoff to your formatting tool starts from a consistent source instead of a messy document.
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