Do you work with self-publishing authors? Are you interested in offering ebook formatting services as part of your editing business? As an editor, you probably know more than you think about getting manuscripts into publishable form. With a bit of additional knowledge, you can also learn the basics of ebook formatting, beginning with the tool you already use: Microsoft Word.

1. Ebook Formatting for
Beginners
Editorial Freelancers Association
Instructor: Corina Koch MacLeod
Beyond Paper Editing
All images from Microsoft.com, used with permission

2. What You’ll Need
O Microsoft Word (course
instructions are written for Word
2010)
O A sense of humor and a tolerance
for lots of great interaction and
hands-on exploration

3. Who This Course is For
I’ve designed this course with a range
of learners in mind:
O Are you tech-savvy? I’ve built lots of
extras into the course to allow you to
work to your strengths
O Do you describe yourself as a
luddite? I’ve provided you with lots of
basic options, and additional
resources that can address gaps in
your knowledge

4. 1. Building an Ebook With
Word
Learning Goals
O To identify common ebook formatting
issues
O To try a new tool or technique that
can help you clean up formatting
issues
O To create a clean source document in
Word 2010

5. 2. Styling an Ebook
Learning Goals
O To discover the formatting limitations
of ebooks
O To use Word Styles to apply
formatting to the body text of an
ebook
O To create a linked TOC and Guide
Items

6. 3. Uploading and Checking an
Ebook
Learning Goals
O To upload an ebook file to the Kindle
publishing platform
O To become familiar with common
ebook formatting issues and e-
reader limitations
O To check ebook formatting on a
variety of ebook platforms

7. 4. Troubleshooting Formatting
Problems
Learning Goals
O To fix formatting problems using
troubleshooting tips
O To explore advanced options for
ebook formatting

8. Ebook Extras
O Options for building epubs
O What about PDFs?
O Print on Demand (POD)