How To Format Your Manuscript For Free, Using Free Software

If you've been following my 'Write the damn book' blog posts, you'll know I love free stuff. Open Office is a free word processor that does everything Microsoft Word does and even comes with the other programmes for presentation and finance. I'm going to give you step by step instructions to set up a 5"x8" manuscript using this software, but if you have Microsoft Word I can imagine it's just as easy.The entire process below took me approximately two hours (because I watched the videos a few times). With practice, you could probably set this up in under an hour.Click here to download Open Office.A quick note, I used the videos below to learn how to do this myself, so full credit for these notes goes to the creator of that content.Video One (watch me first)Video Two (watch me second)You will notice I have tweaked the settings in these videos to suit my own needs. They cover a 6x9" manuscript file, but it's fairly easy to set it up for a different book - if you need help, just ask. Also, If you need to print or bookmark this page to follow the instructions, please feel free to do so and let me know how it works out.Step OneFigure out your book's size in cm (UK) or inches (US), because Open Office will change the format of the figures according to where you live. In the UK, the setting seems to be cm, so my book is a 12.7x20.32cm (5x8") paperback with black and white, cream paged interior.You can amend the template to include hyperlinks when you're done if you need to adapt the manuscript for an e-book.You may also want to find out what your book will cost to print when it's completed. Based on a 600 page book, through Createspace you're looking at $8.05 for printing and $4.88 for shipping if you're just ordering one. If you want to convert dollars to pounds, type in google 'dollars to pounds' and you will get a handy calculator up on screen.Step TwoStart a new document and open up the Styles and Formatting window. You need to look at page formats first, because you're going to have to set up two different styles. The first is called 'Blank' which will be used for titles and copyright, and the second is called 'Basic' which is used for everything else.Now you need to right click and create a new page style - give it the relevant title and then follow the settings below for each one.Title "Blank"PortraitMirrored PagesMargins - inner .75" and Outer, Top & Bottom - .5"Title "Basic"PortraitMirrored PagesMargins (same as above)Header OnTurn same content left and right option off (take out the tick)Header spacing - .10"Header height - .50"Do the same for your footerNOTE: You can add an additional option for your header and footer where you can outline or create a border around them. I use a black 1.10pt option for both, which appears as two thin lines. You will see on the little image to the left that you can click the section you want to outline. Ensure you select the footer or header when you do this, or you may change the wrong setting by mistake!Step ThreeNow we need to create our paragraph styles and formatting, which should be in that same section somewhere. You're going to modify the below styles according to these settings. To mofidy them, right click and select "Modify".TitleIndents and spacing 2" above and .8" belowCentre alignment24pt Constantia font (or whichever you would like to choose) - no bold, italics etc. I like to use caps for titles, though.SubtitleIndents and spacing 1.0cm above and 0.20cm belowCentre alignmentThe same font as the title but use size 18pt instead.SignatureIndents and spacing is the same as the titleCentre alignmentFont is the same as the title but use size 14pt instead.Text BodyIndentation to the first line should be .5"Justified alignmentYou can change the font, but I like to stick to size 10pt or 12pt Times New RomanHeading 1Indents are 1" below and .2" aboveFont should be 18pt (same as your title and subtitle) with no bold or italics (I do not use caps for headings)Centre justified.NOTE: I like to use my character map to spruce up my chapter headings, but be sure to check which are accepted when the file is converted by your publisher. Alternatively you could use something like ~ Chapter One ~ to make the header look nice.Header Left10pt font sizeLeft alignmentHeader right10pt font sizeRight alignmentStep FourYou now need to create two new paragraph styles. Right click and select 'new' to do this, and give each one a title as follows:CopyrightLinked with -none-Indents 1cm aboveLeft alignmentTimes New Roman font in size 12pt, no bold or italicsText Body FirstLinked With -text body-Indents back to zero (o.oo)Justified alignmentNOTE: this is for the very first paragraph at the beginning of a chapter, so you can do some lovely drop caps here if you want. To add a drop cap, go to the drop cap tab and turn them on (tick). The number of characters should be 1 and the lines should be 3; this means when you write 3 lines, the first letter in that paragraph will become larger and fit across all three lines (there should be an image example when you set this up). Character style - select drop caps.Step FiveEither start writing or copy and paste your information in, then double click the paragraph style relevant to that page.Note, however, when adding another page where there is a new heading etc and not just continuing text in that chapter, use Insert, Page Break and select whether you want it to be blank or basic (as per your creations). This will determine what the page looks like. If you select the Basic option, you can also tell the document when to start counting your pages. You don't want page one to be the title page, so wait until you actually begin your Prologue or Chapter One before you use this, and of course, begin at page one!Click into the footer and go to Insert, Fields, Page Number.Click into the header on the left page and, in capitals, write your author name, E. RACHAEL HARDCASTLE. Do the same on the right but write the book's title, FINDING PANDORA. Change accordingly to your own details, of course.You can also use a basic copyright template so the page looks professional and accurate. I usedthis resource hereto copy a free template and then filled in the details.I Googles 'copyright page of a book' to find this.And that's it!As always, if you need help or clarification and the original videos are of no help, get in touch and I will do my utmost to assist you.E. Rachael HardcastleIf you would like to download my free novel, Finding Pandora: World, please go towww.books2read.com/findingpandora.