Tips for Formatting Your Book Correctly in Microsoft Word

Caleb Clayton book formattingGuest Post
by Caleb Clayton

One of the first questions authors ask after finishing their book manuscript is, “How do I format my book?” It can be confusing, especially if you’ve never done it before. I started doing eBook and paperback formatting for a small publishing company a couple of years ago and now I also have my own formatting company. I’ve discovered there are a number of things that authors are struggling with when it comes to formatting, so I thought I would share with you some of the questions I see most often asked. Whether you decide to format your book yourself, or to send it to a formatter, the following tips will help ensure you get the results you want.

1.  Why do I have an extra space between my paragraphs? Continue reading “Tips for Formatting Your Book Correctly in Microsoft Word”

How to Add a Clickable Link to Your Book Trailer

YouTube_FINALSo, you have a trailer for your book on YouTube. Wouldn’t it be nice if viewers could click on the video screen and be taken to a page with more information on your book? Well, they can. And you can make it happen with the YouTube Video Manager (you need to be logged in for that link to work). All you need is a video on your YouTube channel (it doesn’t have to have been created in the YouTube editor, just be uploaded to your channel).

While it’s great to be able to add a link, the ability comes with restrictions. Continue reading “How to Add a Clickable Link to Your Book Trailer”

Reaching New Readers With SoundCloud

soundcloud-iconIndie musicians and their fans might already know about SoundCloud, an online audio distribution platform that launched in 2007. You can listen to and share tracks on their website or with the free app version for mobile devices. What’s in it for indie authors, you might ask? How about a chance to reach new readers?

After I heard a Mash Stories podcast featuring a reading of a brilliant short story by former IU staffer David Antrobus, I stole — well, borrowed — the idea to share audio recordings of my flash fiction. But I don’t have high-tech sound editing skills or expensive equipment, so I came up with a way to make and post recordings on my own. Continue reading “Reaching New Readers With SoundCloud”

Amazon’s New ‘Look Inside’ Feature for Blogs and Websites [Part Two]

Look Inside VoktahLast week, we talked about the functionality enhancements by Amazon so that folks can install a ‘Look Inside’ preview directly onto their blogs. This week, I’m going to show you how to do that.

Before I begin, a disclaimer: this tutorial will only work on WordPress blogs that include sidebars and have the option to display images. [Sidebars are narrow columns that can appear on either side of the main posting area]. I have used my own blog for the screenshots and it has two sidebars with pictures of my books displayed in the second sidebar [see below]:

Continue reading “Amazon’s New ‘Look Inside’ Feature for Blogs and Websites [Part Two]”