Word processor with book page templates. Or a program that can convert works’ documents?
Hi,
I am currently writing a novel on Microsoft Works Word Processor and im just wondering whether there is a program that I can perhaps download that allows me to write in a book template design so it would be easier to print and so I can get a better idea regarding page numbers and font sizes. Or is there a program available that will allow me to input my word document so that it will show it on a book-sized template?
Thanks in advance.
Paul, I don’t know of such a program–and there’s a good reason they may not exist.
The author doesn’t use how a book will look in print to determine how to write it. Publishers, even the kind you pay (usually a bad idea, especially for fiction) don’t want authors to submit their work looking like the book will. Instead, they have their own format requirements.
Find the submission guidelines on the publisher’s or agent’s website and follow them exactly, including not sending a manuscript unless it’s requested (which you get them to do by sending a query letter). When the guidelines are not specific about format details, stick with:
Courier 12 (or Times New Roman 12, for some publishers–but I’d go with Courier to be safe)
One-inch margins on all four sides, producing 25 lines per page
Double spacing
Indent paragraphs 1/2 inch using the tab, not spaces
No extra blank lines between paragraphs
Underline text which would be italicized in the printed book
Ragged right margin (not justified)
Turn off hyphenation
Turn off widow and orphan protection
Slugline, upper right corner: Surname/ONEWORDTITLE/# (example: Dickens/CITIES/75)
Start chapters 1/3 of the way down the page
You can probably do just fine with Works, with no need for a template. If you want something more advanced, get OpenOffice, which is free and legal and includes a decent word processing program.
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