BRIEF DESCRIPTION: This is a highly detailed guide with several step-by-step instructions for how to format and publish your book both as a paperback book with Amazon (and other major online booksellers) and as an eBook with Kindle (and a variety of other eReaders).

The book is both highly informative (like describing how to set the margins with bleed, including the gutter, and listing the pixel sizes of different brands of eReaders), yet also focused on useful formatting and publishing skills.

With this reference as a guide, you can self-publish a quality manuscript with ease.

The paperback edition includes a comprehensive, 18-page index to help you quickly find information.

AUTHOR: Chris McMullen has written and self-published over a dozen paperback books and eBooks. This book also was self-published using the same techniques that are described here. Chris McMullen shares numerous useful formatting tips in clear language with precise, detailed instructions.

NOTES: The formatting instructions of Volume 1 are geared specifically toward using Microsoft Word 2010 (which is similar to Word 2007 and 2013) for Windows. In contrast, Volume 2--sold separately--on marketing and marketability has very little to do with Microsoft Word. The paperback instructions are largely geared toward CreateSpace, while the eBook instructions accommodate Kindle and other eReaders.

DESCRIPTION: Find highly detailed try-it-yourself, walk-you-through-it tutorials for how to use Microsoft Word 2010 (which is similar to Word 2007 and 2013) specifically with Windows to publish your book both as a paperback book and as an eBook. This includes:

• How to use numerous formatting features (like page borders and bookmark hyperlinks). (A couple of more subtle formatting tips, like using different page headers or page numbering styles or how to avoid widows and orphans, are described in Volume 2--sold separately.)
• How to convert the content file for your paperback book into an eBook. (A couple of subtle formatting tips, like applying Word's Styles to achieve more reliable formatting or using very basic HTML to perfect the eBook, are described in Volume 2--sold separately.)
• How to format pictures and equations in an eBook with a variety of eReaders in mind.
• How to minimize the eBook's file size.
• How to draw your own pictures from scratch
• How to create your own cover. (Volume 1 discusses how to make the cover, while Volume 2--sold separately--discusses the art of cover design and its impact on marketability at length. Volume 2 also discusses the pros and cons of hiring a cover designer, including tips for doing so.)
• How to insert and format equations.

VOLUME 1 CONTENTS:

1. Choosing a Publishing Service
2. Formatting Your Book Interior
3. Creating a Book Cover
4. Self-Publishing Your Book.

Volume 2 (sold separately) covers editing your proof, marketability tips, cover design, creating author pages, useful tips about Amazon and other booksellers, and marketing strategies.

Updated September 28, 2014.