On Saturday, April 10th, I ran a workshop on how to format your novel and it was so much fun! Aside from reminding me how much I enjoy teaching others how to do something, it warmed my heart to get so many compliments from my job well done! Unfortunately, the workshop lasted 1hr and I was not able to get to the very last part! Which was the step-by-step process for putting together the PDF!
If formatting your novel is something you've been interested in trying out but have felt it might be just a bit too daunting or overwhelming, allow me to ease your mind. I will admit that it can seem overwhelming at first, but the bulk of the heavy lifting needed to format your novel is done literally just one time and you never have to do it again! So you'll only break a sweat that first time, otherwise, the process is pretty straightforward and probably even repetitive.
You can watch my workshop here: It's just 1hr and I walk you through what I do, using Microsoft Word. But you can use this process with any word processing program you use (including Google Docs). The only program where this would not really be helpful is Scrivener, but I'm working on a workshop geared specifically for that.
Along with the walk-through, I also have this FREE TO DOWNLOAD Checklist you should use when formatting your novel. This is something I use every single time I start to format and I've done this dozens of times before. It's always good to have a checklist because no matter how many times you've done something and how well you think you may know how to do it (with your eyes closed and hands tied behind your back) it's better to be safe than sorry. Here is a link to the checklist. Make sure you download a copy and just SAVE AS every time you go to use it so you can check off as you go and then have a fresh version the next time.
As a side note: This workshop is for those looking to format a PRINT book and may not have the finances to hire someone to format their book for them or can't afford Vellum (or other PRINT formatting software program). At the end of the day, if you can afford to hire someone, I would recommend doing that as you should always be more focused on the quality of your story and spend less time on other things. But if you are tight on cash and looking to put whatever money you have towards editors and cover artists, then taking the time out to learn how to format your book using the tools you already have doesn't hurt and really don't take all that much time once you get the hang of it.
And if you're looking for someone to hire to format your print book, might I offer my services. I have flat and reasonable rates for assisting indie authors by formatting their PRINT book and I will even provide you with ebook files for FREE if that is all you want. Check out my blog post on why I feel releasing an ebook before you release a PRINT book is preferable. And if you should decide you want to hire me, you can check out my rates HERE.