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Formatting E-Books for Writers
2016 AWSA Silver Scroll Non-fiction Merit Award winner
Updated for 2017
"As a former Microsoft Word instructor and a current book designer and consultant, this is my go-to reference for clients who desire to format their own book. Susan is very thorough and covers all the bases for DIY Word-to-Kindle formatting."
Melinda Martin, MartinPublishingServices.com
While you are writing your book, you think about how it's going to be published. Many writers are now going directly to Kindle or other e-books. The first problem is how to format it easily without spending a great deal of money. The second problem is how to format it without technical know-how. If you know how to use Microsoft Word, you can format your manuscript for e-publishing. Susan K. Stewart is a writer, not a programmer. She has written, formatted, and published her own e-books. Formatting e-Books for Writers is written on practical experience and offers step-by-step instructions for taking your manuscript from a Word document to a published Kindle book. The content is based on classes Susan has taught for more than five years for writers and editors. You will find steps for how to format your manuscript while you are writing, create links and clickable table of contents, insert images, how to format your e-book for a good reader experience, how to avoid annoying errors, troubleshooting tips, Dozens of resources, marketing tips, "Formatting e-Books for Writers" includes instructions for Windows and Mac OS platforms.
Updated for 2017
"As a former Microsoft Word instructor and a current book designer and consultant, this is my go-to reference for clients who desire to format their own book. Susan is very thorough and covers all the bases for DIY Word-to-Kindle formatting."
Melinda Martin, MartinPublishingServices.com
While you are writing your book, you think about how it's going to be published. Many writers are now going directly to Kindle or other e-books. The first problem is how to format it easily without spending a great deal of money. The second problem is how to format it without technical know-how. If you know how to use Microsoft Word, you can format your manuscript for e-publishing. Susan K. Stewart is a writer, not a programmer. She has written, formatted, and published her own e-books. Formatting e-Books for Writers is written on practical experience and offers step-by-step instructions for taking your manuscript from a Word document to a published Kindle book. The content is based on classes Susan has taught for more than five years for writers and editors. You will find steps for how to format your manuscript while you are writing, create links and clickable table of contents, insert images, how to format your e-book for a good reader experience, how to avoid annoying errors, troubleshooting tips, Dozens of resources, marketing tips, "Formatting e-Books for Writers" includes instructions for Windows and Mac OS platforms.
192 pages, Paperback
First published April 11, 2011
About the author
Susan K. Stewart
6 books16 followersSusan’s trademark is inspiring practical solutions. She brings her experience and openness to each topic. Inspire your audience with Susan’s practical and encouraging message.
Susan's writing career began with a neighborhood newspaper, drawn and written by hand. Her first published work was a poem in her elementary school "literary" booklet.
Since these humble beginnings, she has written for newspapers and magazines. Her articles have also appeared in The Teaching Home, Tehachapi News, and Sacramento Bee, and she has contributed to several projects. With her husband Bob, Susan self-published "Y2K in the City." Her most recent books are "Science in the Kitchen" and "Preschool: At What Cost?". The 2025 update of "Formatting eBooks for Writers: Convert Your Word File to Kindle" was released at the end of 2025. Susan is also Editor Emeritus with Elk Lake Publishing Inc.
Since 1985, Susan has been bringing her realistic, yet encouraging messages to conferences, retreats, and small groups.
Susan's writing career began with a neighborhood newspaper, drawn and written by hand. Her first published work was a poem in her elementary school "literary" booklet.
Since these humble beginnings, she has written for newspapers and magazines. Her articles have also appeared in The Teaching Home, Tehachapi News, and Sacramento Bee, and she has contributed to several projects. With her husband Bob, Susan self-published "Y2K in the City." Her most recent books are "Science in the Kitchen" and "Preschool: At What Cost?". The 2025 update of "Formatting eBooks for Writers: Convert Your Word File to Kindle" was released at the end of 2025. Susan is also Editor Emeritus with Elk Lake Publishing Inc.
Since 1985, Susan has been bringing her realistic, yet encouraging messages to conferences, retreats, and small groups.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 22, 2017
After reading Susan Stewart's book I do not feel qualified to format an e-book but I sure know what I need to look for when I hire a formatter. Excellent, practical, and easy to understand. Thank you Susan!
September 25, 2017
In a way, this book’s title is misleading. It covers a LOT more than formatting. “Everything you need to know about publishing e-books” is closer. For example, title, cover, marketing, and pricing are essential considerations for any book. Susan Stewart gives advice on each.
This is not a book to read, but an instruction manual to use, a cookbook for self-publishing if you like. Susan has been running courses on this topic, and the book is obviously a distillation of her notes to students.
All the same, it is readable, clear in most places, and concise. I found a few places too dense, but I took a breath, and re-read the passages. In a cookbook, this is acceptable.
I’ve “been there, done that, got the T-shirt” for the content of this book, but all the same, learned several tricks and techniques, so I am glad I decided to review it.
This is not a book to read, but an instruction manual to use, a cookbook for self-publishing if you like. Susan has been running courses on this topic, and the book is obviously a distillation of her notes to students.
All the same, it is readable, clear in most places, and concise. I found a few places too dense, but I took a breath, and re-read the passages. In a cookbook, this is acceptable.
I’ve “been there, done that, got the T-shirt” for the content of this book, but all the same, learned several tricks and techniques, so I am glad I decided to review it.
November 23, 2016
Deb’s Dozen: Formatting e-Books for Writers Made Easy and Understandable–A Must-Have for Writers
Susan K. Stewart’s Formatting e-Books for Writers is a study in simplicity. Susan has taken a complicated topic and made the steps of formatting books for electronic publication easy to understand. First, we are told the difference between e-Books and print books–very important for the person who hopes to self-publish (and should be better understood by many micro-publishers).
Obviously, you’re not going to have a sterling e-Book unless what you’ve written is excellent. Susan advises authors to make their books as good as possible and then to hire a professional editor to put the polish on the prose. The next step is a great cover. Readers spend an average of twenty seconds deciding whether to purchase a book–the spine text and the front cover must attract them or the book won’t come off the shelves. Cover design is both an art and a science–if you’re not skilled in graphic arts, hire a good cover designer.
Throughout the book, Susan discusses the areas you need to know to publish a good e-Book. Not only does she cover technical details in a manner a neophyte can understand, she touches on marketing and websites and promotion and setting up the necessary accounts. Once she gets into the technical aspects of creation, she shines. After reading Formatting e-Books for Writers, I felt I’d be able to do one myself. I also knew that if I decided to publish an e-Book, I’d hire someone skilled in the techniques to do it for me. Producing a quality product for an unskilled writer takes almost as much time as writing the book in the first place.
Well done, Susan! Four stars.
Susan K. Stewart is not only a fine author, she is an excellent editor as well. Formatting e-Books for Writers won the Silver Scroll Merit Award for Nonfiction from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association) at the International Christian Retail Show. I asked her why the book. She replied she wanted to make the technology understandable to writers who use Microsoft Word. Her expertise was hard won. She couldn’t afford a formatter for her second e-Book, so she learned and did the publishing herself. She relates she took twelve tries to get the book up, but she learned from her mistakes. She teaches classes now on formatting to help other writers handle the process more easily. She feels if you understand the process, you can help others not to make the mistakes. Her sales are going well–a testimony to the quality of the book. Her beta readers got the buzz going and others who have purchased the book are enthusiastically endorsing her work. She touts the simplicity of the process and says writers should not be afraid–they can format their books BUT they should work with an editor and cover designer.
Susan provided me a copy of Formatting e-Books for Writers, but I was under no obligation to write a favorable review.
Susan K. Stewart’s Formatting e-Books for Writers is a study in simplicity. Susan has taken a complicated topic and made the steps of formatting books for electronic publication easy to understand. First, we are told the difference between e-Books and print books–very important for the person who hopes to self-publish (and should be better understood by many micro-publishers).
Obviously, you’re not going to have a sterling e-Book unless what you’ve written is excellent. Susan advises authors to make their books as good as possible and then to hire a professional editor to put the polish on the prose. The next step is a great cover. Readers spend an average of twenty seconds deciding whether to purchase a book–the spine text and the front cover must attract them or the book won’t come off the shelves. Cover design is both an art and a science–if you’re not skilled in graphic arts, hire a good cover designer.
Throughout the book, Susan discusses the areas you need to know to publish a good e-Book. Not only does she cover technical details in a manner a neophyte can understand, she touches on marketing and websites and promotion and setting up the necessary accounts. Once she gets into the technical aspects of creation, she shines. After reading Formatting e-Books for Writers, I felt I’d be able to do one myself. I also knew that if I decided to publish an e-Book, I’d hire someone skilled in the techniques to do it for me. Producing a quality product for an unskilled writer takes almost as much time as writing the book in the first place.
Well done, Susan! Four stars.
Susan K. Stewart is not only a fine author, she is an excellent editor as well. Formatting e-Books for Writers won the Silver Scroll Merit Award for Nonfiction from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association) at the International Christian Retail Show. I asked her why the book. She replied she wanted to make the technology understandable to writers who use Microsoft Word. Her expertise was hard won. She couldn’t afford a formatter for her second e-Book, so she learned and did the publishing herself. She relates she took twelve tries to get the book up, but she learned from her mistakes. She teaches classes now on formatting to help other writers handle the process more easily. She feels if you understand the process, you can help others not to make the mistakes. Her sales are going well–a testimony to the quality of the book. Her beta readers got the buzz going and others who have purchased the book are enthusiastically endorsing her work. She touts the simplicity of the process and says writers should not be afraid–they can format their books BUT they should work with an editor and cover designer.
Susan provided me a copy of Formatting e-Books for Writers, but I was under no obligation to write a favorable review.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews