How do I format my manuscript into a real book?

There is a full walkthrough of formatting your book in Week 11 of the program, but here are some additional details for your clarification.

Reedsy Book Editor is what I recommend using for formatting your book. You don’t need to download an app — everything can be done on Reedsy.com! 

After creating an account (or logging into your existing account), you will see a section on the left-hand side of your screen that says “my books.” From there, you can create and format your book.

If you choose to hire help rather than doing everything yourself, I would recommend working with anyone on the Reedsy Marketplace — as they have strict vetting standards and should all be of high quality. Just search for someone whose profile you resonate with!

Fiverr is another option, but their low-cost freelancers likely won't do a better job than you can do on your own, using the Reedsy Book Editor.

The Reedsy Book Editor uses standard book indentations and formatting. I would not recommend using other formats, as it will look less professional. I would also not recommend using other programs here! Some people ask if they can just use Amazon KDP at this stage, but KDP is not a formatting software. Reedsy is by far the best free one, unless you have deep design knowledge.

You can add images by simply clicking the "image" button in Reedsy.

Bulleted lists, tables, charts, text boxes, different-sized fonts, bold letters, italics, block-style paragraphs. You can do all of those things in Reedsy! 

For tables and charts, note that you will want to create them in an external program, save them as images — and insert those images into Reedsy. It should be quite simple and effective to do so.

In regards to sizing — 6x9 is okay for both your paperback and your e-book! The standard is either 5.5x8.5 or 6x9. It doesn’t matter which you choose, it’s just personal preference. The smaller option will mean your book is more pages long — and the larger means it will be fewer.

If you’re having other trouble while formatting, there is a “help” button in Reedsy’s book editor that will contact their support team.

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