You can format your books yourself, but it’s almost always a better idea to hire someone to help. On this page I’m going to list some resources of people who can help convert your ebooks or layout your manuscript for print. Also watch this video before you choose…
Ebook formatters and designers
★★ Ebook Launch (recommended) ★★
Nina Walker
Kim Last
Book Formatting software
- Vellum is the gold standard and it’s awesome. If you’re a mac user, just get that.
- Formatting on PC is harder, but you can try Jutoh or get started with my package of book design templates.
Other options
- Draft2digital and Reedsy have free book formatting tools. PressBooks is another option.
- I just format in Word and use the conversion tool at www.publishxpress.com
1 Comment
JoAnna
July 29, 2018Hello Derek, I wished I had found your website many many months ago.
My brother wrote a book a decade ago, he is a very good writer, unlike me, he sees it happening in his head. He gave it to me to make into an ebook. He gave it to me on a floppy disk, that is how old it is. 🙂
We are retired and I want to help him see his book published as he has Parkinsons Disease and cannot write nor bearly type anymore. It has been a labour of love, especially with my shoulder problem and my lack of experience with technology but I am determined he will see his ebook published this year.
I am overwhelmed. It took me over a year to get the book formatted. But the cover has taken me months to match a picture to it. I was going to send it off to Fiverr or Upworks. We are on a budget, being retired and all. When it is my turn to write my book, I will do the cover first. lol
You mentioned fonts were not as important for ebooks but to gage it with the cover, should I request the artist to do a specific font that I can use for the body of the book? I did not see any in your suggestions for detective stories, crime-related, mafia in your article. Can you make a suggestion as to the font styles we should choose? I don’t mind paying $20.00 or so, but free would be nice.
I am not looking for big rewards here as to sales, but it would be nice to see my brother’s dream come true and with family alone, I think we can get enough sales to make him happy.
I have formatted… incorrectly so, his book in Microsoft Word, 10 chapters. I was directed to your free templates and to download them into Calibre and make my book from there if we want to put it on Amazon. I will read your instructions as to cover and ebook starting tomorrow as I just downloaded them.
I cannot believe you give this information for free… you are a true angel. Thank you so much for all the information.
If you don’t respond, no problem, I am sure you get hundreds if not thousands of thank yous and questions and the freebies you have given are more than enough.
I will definitely be mentioning you to my two writers groups on FB, who knows, maybe in the acknowledgements of out boo? 🙂
Blessings friend,
JoAnna
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