Formatting Your Manuscript

Formatting Your Manuscript

How to Put it on the Paper

Write a short story, novel, poem, or combination (short stories, poems, and a novel). You can have as many or as few pages as you need. (From this point forward, I will refer to your work (short stories, poems, novels, etc.) as a manuscript.

When your manuscript is ready to be published, you type it into a word processing program. You may use whatever font you want. When I type in a manuscript, I often use a 12-point Book Antiqua font for the design and size of my letters. In addition, I set my default so that each line has 1.5 lines of spacing. For titles and chapter headings, I often use Arial and a slightly bigger font. For the copyright page, the font is smaller.

The pages of hardback books are divided into signatures. For this 4 5/8” x 5 7/8” book, a signature will consist of four pages that will be folded in half to form 16 sheets (a sheet is one side of a book page). The division of these pages into four-page increments that is folded is a bookmaking term called a signature. In order for page numbers to be consecutive after the paper is folded and grouped into signatures, the flat page of paper will not be consecutive.

If you have Microsoft Publisher, Adobe InDrawn, or Adobe Pagemaker, the program can format your pages for you (refer to the program’s directions). If you don’t have one of these programs, you can use a simple word processing program.

A word processing template takes more time to layout your manuscript, but it is a do-able activity. For best results, the margins (top, bottom, and both sides) of the file should have a .5” margin. Create two text boxes that are 5.5” long by 4¼” wide. (In Word, a text box can be found on the drawing toolbar. Click on “View” at the top of your screen. When a menu drops down, click on “Toolbars.” When another menu drops down, click on “Drawing.” A drawing toolbar will appear on your screen. The box with a letter in it is a text box. Click on it, and then click on the manuscript where you want it to start and end.) Width-wise, the text boxes should fill the page from edge to edge. Lengthwise, the text boxes should be slightly less than a half page. To keep your margins even, you will only use the top half of each page to set up your manuscript. Set your text box margins at .5” on either side. These text boxes each represent a single sheet of the book. Make sure the first line on each page is about ½” from the top of the page. The page number should be about ¼” from the bottom of the text box, and the text should end at least ¼” from the page number.

Because each signature is folded, the sheets (the term sheets means one side of a piece of paper) have a more complicated numbering system. The first sheet is the front of a paper, and the second sheet is the back side of that same paper. Let’s look at how you will set up the first signature, no matter how long your book is. There should be eight pages (with two text boxes on each sheet) in the word processing file for the first signature.

First sheet (right text box on the front of the first paper)
Remains blank. No page number. This sheet will be glued to the cover of your book.

Second sheet (left text box on the back of the first paper)

Remains blank. No page number. A decorative sheet will be glued to it.

Third sheet (right text box on the front of the second paper)

Remains blank. No page number.

Fourth sheet (left text box on the back of the second paper)

Remains blank. No page number.

Fifth sheet (right text box on the front of the third paper)

Type in the title of your manuscript without the author’s name or any other words. You can use a larger font or be creative with how this will look. No page number.

Sixth sheet (left text box on the back of the third paper)

Remains blank. No page number.

Seventh sheet (right text box on the front of the fourth paper)

This is the title page. Type in the title of your text with the author’s name.

Eighth sheet (left text box on the back of the fourth paper)

This is the copyright page. You should include that you hold the copyright to this material and that no one should steal it. Write ©2005 by (your full name).

Ninth sheet (right text box on the back of the fourth paper)

This is your dedication page. In the center of the page, type: “This book is dedicated to . . .” and include the name of a person. Every book can be dedicated to a different person.

Tenth sheet (left text box on the front of the fourth paper)

Remains blank. No page number.

Eleventh sheet (right text box on the back of the third paper)

This is the first page of your book. It is marked as page 1. You will begin typing your manuscript here.

Twelfth sheet (left text box on the front of the third paper)

This is the second page of your book. It is marked as page 2. You will continue typing your text from page one here.

Thirteenth sheet (right text box on the back of the second paper)

This is the third page of your book. It is marked as page 3. You will continue typing your text from page two here.

Fourteenth sheet (left text box on the front of the second paper)

This is the fourth page of your book. It is marked as page 4. You will continue typing your text from page three here.

Fifteenth sheet (right text box on the back of the first paper)

This is the fifth page of your book. It is marked as page 5. You will continue typing your text from page four here.

Sixteenth sheet (left text box on the front of the first paper)

This is the sixth page of your book. It is marked as page 6. You will continue typing your text from page five here.

You have sixteen sheets in each signature (four folded papers). Page six ends the first signature of your book. Remember that each page is only as large as the text box.

The second through 100th signatures are also four papers (sixteen sheets). I have given the page numbers below for signatures two through ten. If you need more signatures, just do the math and make up as many as you need. The first sheet refers to the first sheet in each signature. (Whichever signature ends your book is called the last signature. Directions for the last signature are in the next step.) The manuscript should be typed into the sheets as follows:

First sheet (right text box on the front side of the first paper)

This is the seventh (23, 39, 55, 71, 87, 103, 119, 135) page of your book. It is marked as page 7 (23, 39, 55, 71, 87, 103, 135). You will continue typing your text from the last page of the last signature here.

Second sheet (left text box on the back side of the first paper)

This is the eighth (24, 40, 56, 72, 88, 104, 120, 136) page of your book. It is marked as page 8 (24, 40, 56, 72, 88, 104, 120, 136). You will continue typing your text from the last page here.

Third sheet (right text box on the front side of the second paper)

This is the ninth (25, 41, 57, 73, 89, 105, 121, 137) page of your book. It is marked as page 9 (25, 41, 57, 73, 89, 105, 121, 137). You will continue typing your text from the last page here.

Fourth sheet (left text box on the back side of the second paper)

This is the tenth (26, 42, 58, 74, 90, 106, 122, 138) page of your book. It is marked as page 10 (26, 42, 58, 74, 90, 106, 122, 138). You will continue typing your text from the last page here.

Fifth sheet (right text box on the front side of the third paper)

This is the eleventh (27, 43, 59, 75, 91, 107, 123, 139) page of your book. It is marked as page 11 (27, 43, 59, 75, 91, 107, 123, 139). You will continue typing your text from the last page here.

Sixth sheet (left text box on the back side of the third paper)

This is the twelfth (28, 44, 60, 76, 92, 108, 124, 140) page of your book. It is marked as page 12 (28, 44, 60, 76, 92, 108, 124, 140). You will continue typing your text from the last page here.

Seventh sheet (right text box on the front side of the fourth paper)

This is the thirteenth (29, 45, 61, 77, 93, 109, 125, 141) page of your book. It is marked as page 13 (29, 45, 61, 77, 93, 109, 125, 141). You will continue typing your text from the last page here.

Eighth sheet (left text box on the back side of the fourth paper)

This is the fourteenth (30, 46, 62, 78, 94, 110, 126, 142) page of your book. It is marked as page 14 (30, 46, 62, 78, 94, 110, 126, 142). You will continue typing your text from the last page here.

Ninth sheet (right text box on the back side of the fourth paper)

This is the fifteenth (31, 47, 63, 79, 95, 111, 127, 143) page of your book. It is marked as page 15 (31, 47, 63, 79, 95, 111, 127, 143). You will continue typing your text from the last page here.

Tenth sheet (left text box on the front side of the fourth paper)

This is the sixteenth (32, 48, 64, 80, 96, 112, 128, 144) page of your book. It is marked as page 16 (32, 48, 64, 80, 96, 112, 128, 144). You will continue typing your text from the last page here.

Eleventh sheet (right text box on the back side of the third paper)

This is the seventeenth (33, 49, 65, 81, 97, 113, 129, 145) page of your book. It is marked as page 17 (33, 49, 65, 81, 97, 113, 129, 145). You will continue typing your text from the last page here.

Twelfth sheet (left text box on the front side of the third paper)

This is the eighteenth (34, 50, 66, 82, 98, 114, 130, 146) page of your book. It is marked as page 18 (34, 50, 66, 82, 98, 114, 130, 146). You will continue typing your text from the last page here.

Thirteenth sheet (right text box on the back side of the second paper)

This is the nineteenth (35, 51, 67, 83, 99, 115, 131, 147) page of your book. It is marked as page 19 (35, 51, 67, 83, 99, 115, 131, 147). You will continue typing your text from the last page here.

Fourteenth sheet (left text box on the front side of the second paper)

This is the twentieth (36, 52, 68, 84, 100, 116, 132, 148) page of your book. It is marked as page 20 (36, 52, 68, 84, 100, 116, 132, 148). You will continue typing your text from the last page here.

Fifteenth sheet (right text box on the back side of the first paper)

This is the twenty-first (37, 53, 69, 85, 101, 117, 133, 149) page of your book. It is marked as page 21 (37, 53, 69, 85, 101, 117, 133, 149). You will continue typing your text from the last page here.

Sixteenth sheet (left text box on the front side of the first paper)

This is the twenty-second (38, 54, 70, 86, 102, 118, 134, 150) page of your book. It is marked as page 22 (38, 54, 70, 86, 102, 118, 134, 150). You will continue typing your text from the last page here.

Your last signature, whether it’s also your first signature or your 200^th signature, will need to end like this. The sheets up to the thirteenth sheet of your final signature can have text on it (follow the steps for the second signature up to sheet thirteen). The fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth sheets must be left blank.

Thirteenth sheet (right text box on the back side of the second paper)

Information about the author goes here.

Fourteenth sheet (left text box on the front side of the second paper)

Remains blank. No page number.

Fifteenth sheet (right text box on the back side of the first paper)

Remains blank. No page number. A decorative sheet will be glued to it.

Sixteenth sheet (left text box on the front side of the first paper)

Remains blank. No page number. This sheet will be glued to the cover of your book.

When you are done typing your manuscript as defined above, you’re ready to go to the next step, “Printing Your Manuscript.”

Return to “Make Your Own Book” Introduction

Go to “Materials You Will Need”

Go to “Formatting Your Manuscript”

Go to “Printing Your Manuscript”

Go to “Cutting, Folding, and Collating”

Go to “Making Signatures into a Text Block”

Go to “Making a Fabric Cover”

Go to “Attaching the Text Block to the Cover”

Make Your Own Book. Copyright © 2005 by Sheila Seifert. Printed electronically in the United States of America. All rights reserved. No part of this lesson may be reproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means including information storage or retrieval systems without permission in writing from the author except by a review or when used for educational purposes where brief passages may be quoted.