Your manuscript is written and edited.
You had beta readers or critique partners greenlight the story.
You have a great cover.
What's next?
Before you upload your beautiful book to Amazon, Kobo, Apple, etc., you have to format it.
A lot of authors hire someone to format for them. Purchasing formatting software and hiring a professional can be around the same cost depending on the formatter you hire. However, if you will be publishing multiple books, learning how to format yourself will save you a decent chunk of change in the long run.
What are your options for formatting yourself?
If you have an apple computer, I hear that the Vellum program is fantastic for formatting. While I have zero experience with it, I've heard enough praise for it that I think it's probably a great option if you can get it.
Apple computers can use more than Vellum, but if you have a PC, you can't.
I used Atticus. There are other options, but I'm pretty happy with Atticus and it's the only one I know how to use.
I encourage you to look at other formatting software to see what you like. While I wish I could provide a better overview of all the options, I really don't know enough to do that WELL.
Formatting with Atticus
Formatting is best taught with a video so you can see what in the world I'm talking about.
I hope this introduction helps you feel more comfortable attempting formatting if that's something you'd like to learn. (And considering that you're reading this, I bet you are seriously considering it.)
Are you thinking about self-publishing? Check out the rest of this series, starting with the Master Checklist.
Comments