How to Write a Book Using Microsoft Word
by Sarah Gribble | 0 comments
If you want to write a book, you'll need book writing software that's up to the task. Yes, you can invest in dedicated book writing programs. But you don't have to: a great writing tool is likely already at your fingertips, if you know how to write a book using Microsoft Word.
There's a lot of book writing software out there. Many of these programs claim to offer intuitive use, help with organization, and even say they’ll keep you from distraction. The options can be overwhelming.
There’s still one tried and true option if you’re not interested in all that (or can’t afford the fancier programs): Microsoft Word.
I write most of my books in Microsoft Word , not to mention short stories. Here’s the rundown of how to write a book using Microsoft Word, and why that might be your best choice.
The Benefits of Microsoft Word for Book Writing
You most likely already have it. And so does everybody else. Word is the standard, accepted across platforms, and is easy to access for non-writers (your beta readers). It’s been around forever, so most people know how to use it.
There are book formatting templates. A ton of them. They have them for short story format and for manuscript format. Personally, I don’t use those templates, but they’re a nice baseline for beginners, or even old hats that just want to hurry up and write without setting up their document first.
It’s simple and uncluttered. There are a ton of apps and programs out there that will allow you to keep your plot structure notes close at hand, to rearrange your chapters with the click of a button, and to keep detailed character profiles right in the program. That’s all a little too much for me. I prefer handwritten notes and nothing else blocking my screen while I’m typing and Word gives me that.
It is worth noting that if all that sounds appealing to you, you can do those things in Word as well, it just won’t be as fancy as other programs.
How to Navigate Your Book in Microsoft Word
When you have a 90,000-word manuscript, navigating becomes daunting . Luckily there are ways to do it in Word that make it easier if you know where to look.
Chapter Headings
Word doesn’t divide your book into chapters for you like some other programs. There will be no easy way to click and drag to rearrange chapters.
What I recommend is using headings. On Word’s Home page, there are already standard headings listed. Definitely mess with them and change their formatting to something simple.
No one needs giant blue words as their chapter headings. (You can set your simpler formatting as your default style as well, so you don’t have to change it every time.)
Make the title or number of each chapter a heading. Then you can easily bounce around to different chapters through the navigation pane (check the Navigation Pane box under the View menu).
These basically work the same way as headings, but they’re for anywhere in your document. Have a specific scene you need to do more research on? You can bookmark it and jump back to it later.
Bookmark by going to the Insert menu and clicking Bookmark. Name your bookmark and voilà. You can delete them easily from the popup menu as well.
Find and Replace
CTRL+F brings up a simple search option to find words and phrases in your document. CTRL+H brings up the full gambit. From that dialogue box, you can search, replace certain words with others (i.e. Jennifer now becomes Julia all through the manuscript), and go to any page, section, heading, bookmark, etc. that you need to go to.
Microsoft Word is Great for Editing Your Book
Word has a ton of options for editing your story , including comments, tracking changes, and comparing documents. All of these are under the Review menu.
I use the comments feature to make notes to myself where I need to recheck facts or add description later. It’s easy to navigate through the comments with the search feature or the buttons under the Review menu. Don’t forget to remove them all before saving your document as a PDF or sending it off to an editor.
Tracking changes is awesome and a lot of editors (for short stories anyway) will use this feature to collaborate with you during the editing process. You can accept or reject changes or even revert back to the original.
Finally, make sure you have grammar and spellcheck on! Grammar check even allows you to check style issues (like how to use an ellipsis correctly ) and passive voice . It’s invaluable.
Pro tip: To keep you on track while you’re writing, turn off some of the more fine-tuning features of grammar check. There’s nothing that will ruin your flow more than a bunch of underlining you feel like you need to take care of immediately. I recommend running the full check when you’re done (or at least done for the day).
Formatting Your Book in Microsoft Word
Make sure you’re familiar with standard manuscript format for novels and formatting short stories . Take a look at those links and follow their instructions. You don’t want to get rejected out of hand because you tried some weird formatting that’s hard to look at.
One of the biggest gripes I see from editors is writers using spaces to indent paragraphs. Don’t do this. It makes it super hard on them when they’re putting a book together. Instead, use the ruler in Word (under the View menu) or the paragraph settings (under the Home menu) to adjust your tabs. A half inch is standard.
Despite what most of us were taught in school, the standard is now one space after periods, not two. This is another sticking point with editors, so don’t do it. If you’re used to two, there’s a grammar check feature in Word you can turn on to highlight every time you use two spaces.
Finally, use the page break option to break for a new chapter, not enter or a million spaces. You can find the page break under the Insert menu.
Pro tip: When in doubt about your formatting, you can turn on the Show/Hide option under the Home menu (looks like a paragraph symbol) to see all your formatting symbols.
Now That You've Mastered Microsoft Word, Go Write Your Book
Don’t let choosing writing software stagnant your writing. Don’t overthink it. You don’t need to keep up with the Joneses with the latest writing technology that’s trotted out on tech forums and in writing chats.
The important thing about writing a book is actually writing it . No fancy book writing software is going to help you with that.
So get writing!
Ever used Word to write a book? Do you have any more tips for how to write a book using Word? Let me know in the comments !
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Take fifteen minutes to write. Just write. Don’t worry about page setup, formatting, or which program you’re going to use. Open up Word or get out a pen and paper if you’d like!
When you’re done, share your writing in the comments . Don’t forget to comment on your fellow writers’ work!
Sarah Gribble
Sarah Gribble is the author of dozens of short stories that explore uncomfortable situations, basic fears, and the general awe and fascination of the unknown. She just released Surviving Death , her first novel, and is currently working on her next book.
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How to Create a Book in Microsoft Word
Marshall is a writer with experience in the data storage industry. He worked at Synology, and most recently as CMO and technical staff writer at StorageReview. He's currently an API/Software Technical Writer based in Tokyo, Japan, runs VGKAMI and ITEnterpriser, and spends what little free time he has learning Japanese. Read more...
Microsoft Word comes with pre-built page settings for creating books. Whether you’re creating a memoir or event guide, these settings let you create a beautiful book or booklet, from start to finish.
Create a Book or Booklet
First, go ahead and open Word. It’s recommended that you adjust these setting before writing the content of your book to prevent formatting issues late on.
Once you’re in Word, head over to the “Layout” tab. In the “Page Setup” group, click the small arrow at the bottom-right.
This opens the “Page Setup” window, where you will automatically be on the “Margin” tab. In the “Margins” group, you’re able to set the margins of the page. By default, the “Gutter” margin will be set to 0. This could cause issues further on, as the gutter margin is the amount of space between the content of your book and the fold where the pages of the book will be bound together. That said, go ahead and give the gutter a 1” margin, so the content of your book doesn’t get lost in the fold.
Next, select the arrow next to “Multiple Pages” in the “Pages” group, then select “Book Fold” from the drop-down menu. Once selected, you’ll notice your page orientation automatically changes from “Portrait” to “Landscape.”
Tip: You may notice a “Reverse Book Fold” option. This is for content that reads from right to left, such as Japanese-style books.
Once you’ve adjusted the settings, click “OK.”
The page setup for creating a book or booklet is now complete. There’s a ton of stuff you can do from here depending on what you require for your book. You may want to add a header or footer , create a table of contents, or give your book page numbers for easier navigation. We’ll leave the content and add-ons to you—we’re just here to show you how to create the setup.
It’s also worth noting that, depending on the length of your document, you may need to split it up into multiple booklets due to the sheer size of the document. That’s fine—you can bind them into one book later.
RELATED: How to Reduce the Size of a Microsoft Word Document
Print Your Book or Booklet
Once you’ve finished composing your book, it’s time for printing. Select the “File” tab, then select “Print” found in the left-hand pane.
Next, select the second option in the “Settings” group.
A drop-down menu will appear, presenting a few different printing-style options. If you have a duplex printer, select (1) “Print on Both Sides” (and whether or not to flip the page on the long or short edge). If your printer doesn’t have this functionality, you’ll need to select the (2) “Manually Print on Both Sides” option.
All that’s left to do now is select Print, and you’re good to go!
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Home / Book Writing / How to Write a Book Using Microsoft Word
How to Write a Book Using Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word has been a go-to tool for authors for nearly forty years. Not only is it the industry standard for editors and agents, but it can also be used to format your book (although I wouldn't advise it).
And since most people already have Word on their computers, it's often the first stop on the book-writing journey. So read on as we explore how to write a book using Microsoft Word.
- Pros and cons of using Word.
- Basics for writing using Word
- Advanced features for using Word
- Whether Word is the best book writing tool
The Tool Built for Writing Books
As you’ll see in this article, Word is adequate for writing books. But for indie authors, it’s certainly not the best tool. Even after you write your book in Word, you’ll need to format it before you sell any copies. And formatting requires either a separate tool or a professional (and expensive) formatter.
This is why we created Atticus as a better alternative to Word and other basic tools like it. Atticus is a word-processor, formatter, simple design tool, and a goal-tracker all at once. It’s a powerful but easy-to-use tool that can allow you to see how your finished book will look as you write it! These are just a few of the features Atticus offers. Plus, we’re working on a ton of new features like collaboration and editing that will be out soon.
There’s no subscription. Just a one-time price that includes all future updates.
If you want to see Atticus in action, check out this article . And if you want to see how to write a book using Word, keep on reading!
Pros and Cons of Writing With Word
There are a lot of word processors out there designed for book-writing. With all these options, how does Word measure up? Well, there are some definite pros and cons that will help you decide.
- Often included with your computer.
- Plenty of options for a tailored writing experience.
- Provides an auto-save function you can use.
- Has a good grammar and spelling tool included.
- Track Changes is used by most editors.
- Expensive if you have to buy it.
- Can be distracting with all the options.
- Not ideal for ebook or print book formatting.
- Long documents can get cumbersome.
Video: How to Write a Book in Word
For a nice summary of this article, along with a few of my own personal thoughts on the subject, be sure to check out this video on how to write a book in Microsoft Word.
Want more videos like this? Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for weekly videos!
The Basics of Book Writing in Word
MS Word has a ton of features. This is good because it gives you options, allowing you to choose how best to build your writing experience . But there's such a thing as too many options, and it's easy to get bogged down in them.
Luckily, you don't need to familiarize yourself with many Word features to get started. In fact, you can get by just fine with the basics.
For those who crave a simple, uncluttered writing process, the basics will be more than enough.
Font Size and Style
When you open a new Word document, you'll see a default font style and size on the Home tab. Usually, this is Calibri or Times New Roman for the style, and 11 for the font size. Feel free to change these. Times New Roman and 12-point font are the widely accepted standard manuscript format.
If you are querying a literary agent or sending the document to an editor, they may have their submission guidelines, so remember to check.
If you're going to self-publish (and you totally should), then simply choose a font size and style that you like. You'll likely change it during formatting, anyway.
Chapter Headings
You'll want a way to navigate easily through your document when the word count gets high. To do this, use the Styles option on the Home toolbar in Word.
You can highlight your chapter heading or number, which will bring up a toolbar with the Styles option in it. Or you can simply place your cursor in or next to your heading and then select the Styles option from the toolbar near the top of your screen.
I'd suggest using the Header 1 option for chapter headings . This way, you can use Header 2 for subheadings or scene breaks.
You can also pick “Create a Style” and make your own headings, using a color and font of your choice if you don't like the defaults. But since you'll likely end up changing the chapter styles later anyway, it's not necessary.
Once you start using Headings, you'll want to activate the Navigation Pane so you can click around your book easily. When you're working on a long document, this is a massive time-saver.
To do this, click on the View tab from the top toolbar. Just left of center, you'll see an option that says “Navigation Pane Show.” Simply click the box. If you don't have any headings yet, they'll automatically populate there once you do.
If you don't want to have the Navigation Pane up while you write, simply click it off and click it back on whenever you want to use it!
Find and Replace
Using the Find or Find and Replace feature in Microsoft Word can make your life easier when editing or trying to remember what color a certain character's eyes were. (If you’re not using character profiles , that is.)
On the Home toolbar, you'll see the Editing feature next to the Styles feature. Click on this to use the Find or Find and Replace tool, depending on what you need.
If you're writing to meet daily goals (which you totally should!), then it's important to know your word count. Luckily, Word makes this easy by automatically displaying the word count at the bottom left corner of the window. (It displays the page number, as well.)
If you want to know how many words are in a certain section, you can highlight that section, and the program will automatically count them and display them in the bottom left corner. Easy!
That's it for the basics! Using those four basic tools, you'll be able to write your book in Word. But what if you're a plotter or you want to get a jump on formatting? Or maybe you just want to know about some other features you can use. Well, read on for some advanced tips!
(If you're writing a book for something like National Novel Writing Month , I'd stick with the basics above. NaNoWriMo is all about getting the words down. You can worry about prettying them up later!)
Advanced Word Book Writing
MS Word is a word processor. It's a powerful one, but it's still mainly a word processor. Now, that doesn't mean you can't do other things with it, like format for submission to a publishing house. You can.
But if you're mainly concerned with formatting your manuscript for submission to traditional publishing channels, check out our in-depth article on manuscript formatting . In it, we cover things like title page creation, margins, and headers and footers.
If you want to know a bit more about Microsoft Word features that can help you write your book, read on!
When ending a chapter, it's a good idea to use the Page Break feature instead of hitting enter a bunch of times to get to the next page.
To do this, click on the Insert tab on the top toolbar. On the very left-hand side of the bar, you'll see the Page Break option at the bottom. Just make sure your cursor is beyond the last character at the end of the chapter!
Using a Template
There are plenty of templates you can use with your Microsoft Word document. When you first open the word processor, you'll see some Word templates offered next to the basic Blank Document option. You'll also see a More Templates option so you can search for a specific type of Word template.
Most of these aren't great for books, although you can likely find one or two with most (if not all) of the standard manuscript formatting in place. But if you're making a booklet or you know there's a book template available online, feel free to use them.
Just be aware that your Word document will probably still require you to use a book formatting software if you want a professional-looking book for self-publishing.
The Layout Tab
The default page size in Word is 8.5 by 11 inches. Most books are much smaller than this. So if you want to change your document to reflect the smaller page size, you can do so in the Layout Tab.
This is also the place to change your margins with the Margins tab located in the Page Setup section. You'll also see options to change the paragraph indents and spacing if you want.
Editing Your Word Document
Word has a built-in spelling and grammar checker under the Review tab. It's a good idea to do at least one pass with this. You can also access the Editor at the right side of the Home tab. It's also worth doing another pass with a proofreading tool like ProWritingAid , Grammarly, or one of the many other options available.
The Review tab has a lot of useful stuff for editing. You can use the Read Aloud feature to help you find awkward sentences or minor mistakes you didn't see on other editing passes. After sending your polished manuscript off to an editor (every writer should hire an editor!) you'll likely use the Review tab to accept or decline changes made to the document.
Should You Use Word for Book Writing?
If you're planning on self-publishing your book, Word is an adequate option. But if you want to make things (a lot) easier, we recommend using a writing tool that's designed for writing books.
As mentioned above, we recommend Atticus . It is an all-in-one writing and formatting software made by yours truly with help from some truly awesome developers. With Atticus, you don't have to worry about setting margins or page size — or even font type. This is all stuff that you can do with a few clicks of the mouse when you're ready to export your finished product.
It includes a bunch of templates that will automatically format your book with the click of a button. And you can export it as a PDF file, a DOCX document for use in Word, or the industry-standard EPUB file for selling your book through online retailers.
Essentially, it's like Word but without all the unneeded options — and a bunch of other options that you’ll actually use! It's easy to use and makes everything from writing and editing to formatting and exporting a breeze.
But we know Atticus might not be ideal for everyone. You can check out our article on the best book writing software here for more options.
If you're writing a blog post or a short story for online publication, Microsoft Word is a pretty great option. But things start to get a little unwieldy when you're working on a long document. Plus, you'll need to use a book formatting software for a professionally formatted book.
But if Word is what you're comfortable with and you just want to get the words on the page, why wait!? Use the basics above and get to writing today!
Dave Chesson
When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.
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Using Microsoft Word For Your Book Writing And Formatting
Ah, Microsoft Word. Every aspiring author who even imagines writing and publishing has, in one way or another, experienced MS Word. Microsoft Office introduced Word back in 1983 , making it close to 40 years old! During its long tenure, Word has set the bar for word processing, editing, and page layout for millions of authors.
Bookmakers from traditional publishers to self-publishers use Word as their book writing software and primary editing tool. And for its time, Word offered the best way to write. Today, Word is a bit out-moded by some newer tools, but it’s still a standard for authors.
So let’s take a deeper look at what Microsoft Word offers authors.
Writing With Word
Microsoft Word, at its core, is a formatting and editing tool. Over the years they have added hundreds of Microsoft Word templates to help you create a resume, business letters, and research papers. Oddly enough, there isn’t a built-in template for a book. Though one could argue that a blank MS Word document is already perfectly suited for the writing process.
Using style-based formatting to create different ‘sets’ of text , Word makes simple formatting easy. Style principles are common now and using them when writing has always made sense to organize chapters and sections within a larger piece. If you applied styles from the moment you started writing your book, searching and organizing during the editing process will be easy.
Here’s a blank, open page ready for your creative writing. Or nonfiction. Or whatever. Word is is an impressive writing space and with their rich style options, you can do a fair amount of basic design.
That said, there is an overwhelming amount of options. And unlike some other writing tools , Word doesn’t have a focus mode (that I’m aware of).
Writing, once you’ve got your features set up to your liking, is just fine with Word. I find the speed of characters displaying to be quick enough that it keeps pace with my typing, but not jumbled or distracting. One feature I would love to see is a ‘typewriter’ mode that binds my cursor to the middle of the screen. But no writing tool is ever 100% perfect.
Editing With Word
I generally find Word to be fine, but lackluster as a writing tool. That said, it’s superior as an editor. Yes, if you’re using the desktop version of Word, you must literally share the file. Archaic. But the upside is the delightful ‘Track Changes’ tool under the Review menu.
Track Changes create a column on the right side of the document, organizing and listing any edits. This includes deleting or adding text, updating any existing text, new formatting, and providing the opportunity for in-document notation.
The notes (called ‘Comments’) allow you and your editors/proofreaders to make changes and have a conversation within the document, making nothing permanent. The file will be a true living document, and the flow of ideas can run back and forth until you settle on phrasing, organization, and other elements of the design of the manuscript. If you like a change or have acted on a comment, they can be ‘Accepted’ to remove them from the running list of Track Changes and keep the interface nice and clean.
Other writing tools have document sharing and editing options, but Word wins out for clarity and simplicity.
Going Beyond The Basic
You can build in a lot of advanced formatting into your Microsoft Word document. In fact, I wrote an entire post about this very subject. While I don’t recommend using Word to layout your book, you can achieve a very nice final design.
Without digging into the details, the Formatting panels in Word offer a ton of ways to customize your DOCX file and control the style and layout of your pages.
Even just this one Paragraph Format window offers a variety of options for your text. This isn’t even getting into things like drop caps, section and page breaks, and header/footer layout.
The last piece of formatting I want to touch on is page numbering . Again, I’ve written in-depth about this, but it needs to be mentioned that while Word can handle page numbering, it’s a pain in the ass. If there’s one reason to use a dedicated layout tool to create your book file, the challenge of page numbering would be it.
Laying Out Your Book With Word
Finally, the manuscript is done and edited. Now you can start playing with all those options Word offers in their ribbon. If you’re creating a novel with limited graphics, Word is fine for your book’s layout. Anything involving a lot of graphics, charts, or tables and think about a dedicated layout tool like InDesign .
The first step in laying out a file to print and publish a book is setting up the page.
Word handles that nicely with the ‘Layout’ menu to set the page size for the entire document. While they do pre-load common page sizes, they do not include the standard Trade 6 x 9. So you would need to create a custom size, also easy to do in the Layout menu.
Along with the critical layout and design tools, Word can manipulate the content on the page. Breaks (both Page and Section) give you control over the positioning of content, and images can be in line with the text, behind the text, or nested with the text through Word’s ‘Picture’ menu.
Once you’ve got your page all laid out, you must export from DOCX to PDF so the file is ready to be sent to a printer. Some printers may accept a variety of file types, but most require PDF. Regardless, take the time to create a PDF. It’s the only way to ensure printers keep your formatting and will streamline any troubleshooting if a problem arises.
Microsoft Word, At A Price
If you’re PC or laptop came with the basic Office Suite built-in (so Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) you may not know that Microsoft’s products are actually pretty expensive. Particularly when you consider you can do almost all the writing, styling, collaborating, and editing for free with Google Docs .
If your machine did not come with Office installed (or if you’re still running Office 2013) you can purchase the Suite directly from Microsoft. They offer three options to get access to Word:
- Microsoft 365 Family – $99.99/year
- Microsoft 365 Personal – $69.99/year
- Office Home & Student – $149.99 (one-time)
Office 365 Vs. Office Suite
Like many software creators, Microsoft is moving to a subscription model. At first glance, this might seem like a shameless cash grab. You can buy the basic Office Suite for less than just two years of their 365 service! Who would ever do this?
First, we have to acknowledge that most, if not all, paid software is going to shift to subscription models. Because maintaining and updating software takes a lot of time and resources, these software companies need a steady, reliable income to stay in business.
What’s more, while Word 2013 might be fine for writing and editing, it’s outdated. And eventually, it won’t be supported any longer. Once that happens, file standards and new features won’t be available.
So the benefit of the subscription is that you’re always lined up for the newest features and fixes. The downside is that you’re paying for a tool readily available in other (arguably better) forms.
I also want to note that, if you’re considering subscribing to Office 365, there is a free version (for 1 month) to try it out. And you do get access to a TON of tools from Microsoft with this subscription.
Microsoft Word: The Bottom Line
Word is a powerful writing tool. And it has amazing in-line editing options. If you write novels or memoirs, it’s probably all you’ll ever need to create, edit, and design your book files. But it does come at a price—either annually or in purchasing a version that will eventually be outdated.
Paul is the Content Marketing Manager at Lulu. When he's not entrenched in the publishing and print-on-demand world, he likes to hike the scenic North Carolina landscape, read, sample the fanciest micro-brewed beer, and collect fountain pens. Paul is a dog person but considers himself cat tolerant.
Just referring to my comment below:
The PDF document does tell me that there is Times New Roman PS (3 variations – bold, italics, and regular). I have downloaded this font and installed it on my computer. Then, I saved the file as a PDF again, but the font doesnt embed no matter what i do. I have gone through the word doc many times, manually checking font everywhere to find elements that use the font to delete them, but no results. I have tried searching for the font, but still nothing. The doc doesnt seem to ACTUALLY have it, yet the PDF registers it as such. What more can be done? I really don’t know how to fix this
Hi Valentin, Well, you’ve done everything right as far as I can tell! I see that you submitted a support case a couple of days ago. I just checked in with one of our print support agents, and she thinks she might be able to help with embedding the font’s using Adobe Distiller. She’s got the case now and said she should get back to you in the next day or two. Sorry for the inconvenience!
have 4 questions:
1) I am writing a novel without any images (US trade, 6 x 9). Do i need to add bleed? Your guide says that there is no need to add bleed, but the pricing calculator lists bleed as a requirement (6.25 x 9.25 instead). Which one is correct?
2) That also relates to the spine width – the guide provides the same number for a given range (say 306 – 330 pages) while the pricing calculator provides a specific width for each page count (306 would have a different spine width compared to 330)? Which one is more accurate?
3) In case bleed is indeed needed, how does that affect the margin on the side that will be cut off? In other words, do i need to add more margin to the side opposite of the spine relative to the side next to the spine, or should both sides have equal margin?
4) When I upload the interior, I receive an error that some fonts are not embedded, even though i have done many different things to ensure that all fonts have been embedded. How can I solve this problem?
Appreciate the answers.
Hi Valentin,
Happy to help!
- The print file will always need bleed. If you’re using Word to layout your book, I strongly recommend using our template – found on this page .
- The calculator is more precise because you provide us the exact page count.
- Bleed applies to all 4 sides of the page. You would want to allow for this when preparing your margins, as Word doesn’t have any automated ways to apply bleed.
- You’ll want to open the PDF in Adobe Reader, go to Files > Properties > Fonts. Look for fonts that don’t have the (embedded subset) beside them. Often, you’ll find a line break or some similar formatting element has the offending font assigned to it.
CANNOT UPLOAD LARGE 2.5GB PDF FILE TO LULU. TOO BIG? CAN I SEND BOOK IN PARTS? 96 PAGES OF PICTURES
Hi Bill, Our uploader doesn’t have a file size restriction (it did in years past). The only limitation will be your internet speed. You may need to plug into your modem or find a faster service to connect to for the upload.
I have been using Microsoft since the 1987 and have no complaints I have published two poetry books and a how to book. I love their features that makes writing and publishing simplistic. I am presently working with Microsoft on two novels This the best product for writers.
My apologies for this is not about the subject at hand.
I recently commented to you through your last blog post.
Taking your advice, I sent a message to lulu support with another account explaining the situation I was facing – about my inability to access my pre-update account – but the message I received as an auto-reply that addressed nothing.
When will lulu be up to speed so that they can assist me in my situation?
I understand that with the new updates everyone is working around the clock and do not have time to properly assist customers.
Will things be ready by the end of the year?
Regards, Jackson
Hi Jackson,
My understanding is that the auto-reply always gets sent when the case is created. It’s true that our support staff is working through a backlog of support cases, so response times from a real person are slower than we’d like.
I’ll ping someone in our support team to see if we can get you some help.
I developed some fairly robust 6×9 book templates for Word in 2012, in cooperation with a publisher’s book designer, when I wrote The Librarian’s Guide to Micropublishing (which used Lulu as the illustrative method for micropublishing–the hardback was published via Lulu and may still be available). The templates are freely available: see waltcrawford.name/lgm.htm for details and links. (By the way, LibreOffice works very nearly as well as Word and is free: the site also has LibreOffice templates.) I’ve been publishing books using modified forms of these templates for years.
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Here’s the rundown of how to write a book using Microsoft Word, and why that might be your best choice. Want to learn how to write a book from start to finish? Check out How to Write a Novel: The Complete Guide , or for you nonfiction writers, How to Write a Book: The Complete Guide .
Create a Book or Booklet. First, go ahead and open Word. It’s recommended that you adjust these setting before writing the content of your book to prevent formatting issues late on. Once you’re in Word, head over to the “Layout” tab. In the “Page Setup” group, click the small arrow at the bottom-right.
The Basics of Book Writing in Word Font Size and Style. When you open a new Word document, you'll see a default font style and size on the Home tab. Chapter Headings. You'll want a way to navigate easily through your document when the word count gets high. To do this,... Navigation. Once you start ...
Bookmakers from traditional publishers to self-publishers use Word as their book writing software and primary editing tool. And for its time, Word offered the best way to write. Today, Word is a bit out-moded by some newer tools, but it’s still a standard for authors. So let’s take a deeper look at what Microsoft Word offers authors.
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