Paragraph spacing question

[David]

I usually double space between paragraphs to create separation between the text.

Like this.

However, it seems every book I've looked at on line excludes the extra spacing.
Like this.
Is this standard? I just want to be sure.

Thank you.

[[deleted user]]

I don't really like extra spacing between paragraphs in a standard fiction book. I find it distracting. You don't see it in printed books, so most of us aren't accustomed to it. The normal indent of the first word in each paragraph should be enough to show that it's a new paragraph, and extra spacing usually indicates the start of a new scene.

[Robert]

Extra spacing is best reserved for non-fiction. In fiction, where you will nearly always have dialogue and consequently lots of very short, even single-line paragraphs, extra spacing will look quite out of place.

[Joe]

And for what it's worth, if you publish something with a lot of extra spacing through Createspace or such, the book gets priced by the page, so it'll end up costing a lot more than it needs to.

[Martin]

I use no extra spacing between paragraphs.

Also use a .3 indent. I got dinged for my first novel for a .6 indent that was the default in the copy of Word i was using.

Between scenes I use a centered:

***

That's my $.02, YMMV

[C.B., Beach Body Moderator]

I find a full extra line distracting. You can set the 'Space before' to be subtle, like .25 of a line, and that tends to be enough. I use that a lot, but mostly for things like menus and brochures. It can mess with your page justification though, so be mindful.

I think a full space might be a little jarring (and expensive) in a printed fiction book, at least as a full space, but part of the experience of a book is what it looks like. If the narrative makes it feel better with an extra space, then that is what there needs to be!

Otherwise an indent should be enough. :D

[Christina]

A full space is typically a soft break, meaning the action within the chapter is changing, but the scene isn't shifting in such a way that requires a triple space or asterisk break. I've seen books that use a space instead of an indention and although I was able to get past it, it was jarring to see in a novel.

[[deleted user]]

Whatever you do don't try to inject your breaks by hitting (enter). Use paragraph breaks. You'll have to insert two of them from the last sentence of the previous sentence.

Trying to use the return key to make paragraph breaks causes formatting issues later when you make a Create Space document.

[[deleted user]]

I actually do use the return key for paragraphs, but I insert spacing of .01 top and bottom into the paragraph format, and have no problems, either with the ebook or the paperback.

[Bill]

Ken wrote: "I actually do use the return key for paragraphs, but I insert spacing of .01 top and bottom into the paragraph format, and have no problems, either with the ebook or the paperback."

Yep, I do something similar.

Bill

[Micah]

Christina wrote: "A full space is typically a soft break, meaning the action within the chapter is changing, but the scene isn't shifting in such a way that requires a triple space or asterisk break..."

Exactly. The trouble with putting a full line between each paragraph is that it makes those soft breaks almost impossible to use (or they at least become very ugly):

"Paragraph text."
__[Extra Space]
__[Soft Break]
__[Extra Space]
"Paragraph text."

It ends up looking really awkward.

Martin wrote: "I use no extra spacing between paragraphs. Also use a .3 indent."

I believe that's what I've used in my eBooks, although I may have added a bit of top space as others have suggested.

I've noticed that in eBooks the formatting of space between paragraphs is all over the place even in traditionally published works. some use none (which is traditional in printed books), others use a little, some use way too much.

I think the addition of extra space is being favored a bit now because more and more people are reading on phones and other small format devices where the paragraph breaks are harder to parse, so a little extra space could be justified. But a full line of space, I think, is too much.

[David]

Thank you all for the excellent feedback, I'm reformatting everything to make sure it's up to par.

[David]

I've completely re-formatted my book for mobi, but I don't have any devices to test it on, so I'm not sure what people expect when they load a book into a device.

Does anyone have interest in loading it up and checking it out to make sure everything works as expected? Of special note are the table of contents and a few pictures of text (notes) that are here and there.

If so, please message me via goodreads.

Thank you.
David.

[[deleted user]]

Send it to me and i will look at it for you... morris(dot)graham@sbcglobal.net.

[Micah]

David wrote: "I've completely re-formatted my book for mobi, but I don't have any devices to test it on..."

You can preview it on your computer or smartphone or tablet using the appropriate Kindle reading app, or use Kindle Previewer (http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html...).

I'd suggest doing both. The Kindle reading app will let you more easily check the whole book, while Previewer will let you select between various Kindle Device formats which you can then check for errors and oddities.

Make sure you also check the Table of Contents (both from the html links imbedded in your book and the Kindle's GoTo ToC).

[David]

Yes, I have definitely run it through both the online and downloadable apps and it looks good to me (or I wouldn't ask others to look). But I don't have and have never used a kindle or other reading device (besides a book lol), so I don't know what I don't know when it comes to making the reading experience seamless and enjoyable. Or at least not dreadful and painful.

I figure someone who actually has the hardware will be able to quickly point out that I'm missing something or messed up something that I'm blind to due to my lack of experience with the devices.

[G.G.]

I still don't know how to send a mobi file directly to my Kindle. I know it has something to do with emailing but to be honest, I never use my Kindle.. I haven't read anything on it since last summer. Anyways, to read it on iPad I just open the file directly in my email and choose the program to read it. The only thing about that is if I get out of the book I need to find the message back. It doesn't stick in the library.

That said, if you want me to check it, I can, but I have a beta to read, and I'm dizzy from medicine so while I can check if it looks ok on the iPad's Kindle app, I won't be reading and reviewing. So it's up to you. if you want me to check it out, send me a PM and I'll give you my email address.

[[deleted user]]

That's easy. I do it all the time. By default, on the registered user account can email a file, MOBI, PDF, WORD Doc to their own device. Each device has a different email address. You can even add someone else as an "approved sender," so they can send you a file.
Here are the instructions:

Dear Customer,

The sender xxxxxxxxxxx@gmail.com tried to send document(s) to your Kindle. Any document, sent to you by xxxxxxcccc@gmail.com will not be delivered to your Kindle because the sender is not in your Kindle approved e-mail list.

To approve the sender's e-mail address:
1. Visit Manage Your Content and Devices page.
2. Sign-in to Amazon account.
3. Go to "Personal Document Settings" under "Manage Your Content and Devices".
4. Under "Approved Personal Document E-mail List" click "Add a new approved e-mail address".
5. Enter the e-mail address to approve and select "Add Address."
6. Instruct the sender to resend the document(s).

Please note that you will receive this notification only once. In the future, only documents sent from approved e-mail addresses will be delivered to you.

You can learn more about transferring personal documents to your Kindle in our help pages:
http://www.amazon.com/kindlepersonald...

[Micah]

G.G. wrote: "I still don't know how to send a mobi file directly to my Kindle. I know it has something to do with emailing..."

You can also do it by connecting your Kindle to computer via USB and dragging the file from your computer to the Documents folder (your Kindle will show up as a disk drive in your file browser, just like a USB memory stick).

[Gaines]

Semi-related question: For a novel (fiction), should one always use 12pt font for the body text? Is 14pt too big? I'm considering something like Zapfellipt.

[[deleted user]]

For the ebook it doesn't matter, since the reader can choose his own font. For paperbacks and hardcover I find that 11pt Cambria pretty well matches the trad pubs I've seen.

[G.G.]

Thank you Morris and Micah. I think my problem is simply that I don't like using my Kindle. It has no back light so it's as hard to read if not harder than to read a paperback. So maybe if one day I get one that has a light I'll change my mind and learn how to use it. :P

[Gaines]

Ken wrote: "For the ebook it doesn't matter, since the reader can choose his own font. For paperbacks and hardcover I find that 11pt Cambria pretty well matches the trad pubs I've seen."

Thanks!

[Micah]

Ken wrote: "For the ebook it doesn't matter, since the reader can choose his own font. For paperbacks and hardcover I find that 11pt Cambria pretty well matches the trad pubs I've seen."

Yep. For eBooks it's inadvisable to force the font type or size. It can be done if you're formatting the eBook in HTML, but you're just asking for problems since different eReaders handle fonts differently and a lot of people read on smartphones and small tablets. So it's best to let the eReader and the person using it set those things.

I haven't published in print yet, but I have done some formatting for it already and Ken's conclusion is what I came up with myself. That being said, font type and size in print books is not a set thing: there is no universally agreed upon standard and if you look you'll find all kinds of different set ups. So do what you want but don't go too crazy ... and realize that Print On Demand services like Createspace price books by the page count so larger fonts and more open spacing will force higher prices (and they're already too high, IMHO).