Download Word Formatting Guidebook

Online Quick Start Guide
for Word, Pages and InDesign

In this quick start guide, we will cover the core concepts for successfully using the template to format your book.  We will discuss using the Show/Hide formatting mode of your application to see the hidden formatting marks that control the layout of the document. We will talk about copying your manuscript into the template, and applying styles to the text to format every aspect of your book. Also, we will talk about section breaking and how it impacts the running heads and organization of your book.

This is a must-read guide to getting started with your template and properly formatting your print or eBook using it.

Use Show/Hide to See Formatting Markup

The Show/Hide Formatting command will reveal hidden formatting marks in your template, like section breaks, tabs, and carriage returns. Turning on this mode to see these marks will make formatting much easier. This is essential for adding and removing Section Breaks and making sure you have the proper spacing and paragraph alignment in your book.

We advise turning this mode on during the entire process of formatting your book using the template.

Microsoft Word Instructions

On the home tab, paragraph section, click the pilcrow icon to enable or disable show/hide formatting.

Apple Pages Instructions

On the toolbar, click view, then click show invisibles.

Adobe InDesign Instructions

On the main toolbar, open the type drop down and click show hiddend characters.

Paste Your Manuscript One Chapter at a Time

To assure that each chapter is properly styled and in it's own section, you should paste each chapter of the book into the template, one at a time, until you are more comfortable with using the template.

You may copy text from almost any source, including word processors, web pages, or in some cases PDF documents. When you perform a copy function on your computer, the text of the source document is temporarily placed into your computers memory or clipboard.

The copied text can then be pasted into the template so that you may begin styling it with the styles, and adding breaks where needed.

Microsoft Word Instructions

To copy text from a Word document, simply highlight the text with your mouse pointer.

On the home tab, clipboard section, click copy.

To paste text, place the mouse cursor on the line in the template where you want the text to be pasted and click.

On the home tab, clipboard section, click paste.

After you paste the text, double check to make sure all text was pasted, and that all bold or italic text transferred over. Then apply the styles in the template to the text as appropriate.

Apple Pages Instructions

To copy text from a Pages document, simply highlight the text with your mouse pointer.

On the toolbar, click edit, then click copy.

To paste text, place the mouse cursor on the line in the template where you want the text to be pasted and click.

On the toolbar, click edit, then click paste.

After you paste the text, double check to make sure all text was pasted, and that all bold or italic text transferred over. Then apply the styles in the template to the text as appropriate.

Adobe InDesign Instructions

Copy text from a source document to your clipboard.

To paste text, place the mouse cursor on the line in the template where you want the text to be pasted and click.

On the toolbar, click file, then place.

Your mouse cursor will change to include the text placement icon.

You may then click to paste your text.  If you text that spans multiple pages, hold down the shift key on your keyboard when you click to place all of the text.

After you paste the text, double check to make sure all text was pasted, and that all bold or italic text transferred over. Then apply the styles in the template to the text as appropriate.

Apply Styles to All Text for Proper Layout

Every formatted section of the book template has a corresponding Style in Word that is pre-configured for the best layout results. You can utilize these Styles to quickly format new chapters. After pasting in your manuscript text, always apply the appropriate style to ensure proper layout. There are styles included for virtually every formatting scenario in the template, from chapter names and numbers, to the text on the title page and copyright page text.

Styles typically apply to entire paragraphs.  The pilcrow mark, which is exposed when the show hidden formatting option is enabled,  marks the end of each paragraph.  The style, once selected, will apply to all text in the paragraph, before the pilcrow mark for each paragraph. You may highlight or select multiple paragraphs and then click on the style you wish to apply to rapidly format entire chapters or sections of text.

Microsoft Word Instructions

Highlight one or more paragraphs or sections of text in Word.

On the style gallery window, click on the style you wish to apply.

(Note, the style gallery may contain more styles than shown, you may click the down arrow on the right side of the style gallery to reveal more styles.)

The text you selected will be automatically changed to the style you selected.

Apple Pages Instructions

Highlight one or more paragraphs or sections of text in Pages.

Click the format button.

Click the down arrow next to the style name in the text box to display a list of all styles. (The template styles will be listed on the bottom of the list.)

Click on the name of the style you wish to apply to the text.

The text you selected will be automatically changed to the style you selected.

Adobe InDesign Instructions

(First, make sure you are in book mode, by selecting Book from the drop down menu on the right side of the toolbar.)

Select a section of text or a paragraph you wish to style.

Click on the style name from the paragraph styles menu.

The style will then be applied to the selected text.

Use Section Breaks at the End of Chapters and other Sections

Each chapter should begin with a new section. The templates are designed so that the first page of each section has no running heads (running heads are the author name or book title at the top of the page), and in many cases, page numbering. Omitting running heads on chapter opening master pages is an industry standard.

After the last paragraph of each chapter, insert a section break to ensure that the next chapter begins in a new section, with blank running heads.

Section Breaks can also be used to add additional pages to the front-matter or back-matter of your book. Simply insert a new section break after the dedication or quotation page in the template and the next page will be ready for text.

Also, books have special page formatting requirements that call for the first chapter to begin on the right-hand, or recto page. The first page of the first chapter of your book must start on an odd-page to meet this formatting specification, so that page 1 is on a right-hand page. You may use section breaking to ensure that this page starts where it should.

Microsoft Word Instructions

Begin a new paragraph at the end of a chapter or section by pressing enter.

On the layout tab, click the breaks drop down box.

Choose the style of section break that you need.

Next page breaks will start the section on the next verso or recto page.

Odd page breaks will start the section on the next recto page, and may insert a hidden blank verso page if needed.  This is handy for making sure chapter one opens on a recto page, and for front matter or back matter pages.

Page breaks can be used to end a page within a section, and move text automatically to the next page.  This will NOT create a new section, and will not omit running heads.

Apple Pages Instructions

Begin a new paragraph at the end of a chapter or section by pressing enter.

Click the paragraph tools down box.

Click section break.

Page breaks can be used to end a page within a section, and move text automatically to the next page.  This will NOT create a new section, and will not omit running heads.

Adobe InDesign Instructions

InDesign handles section breaking through the use of master pages.

To apply the master page for a chapter opening, click on the pages tab.

Click on the C-Chapter Open master page.

Click apply master to pages.

This will apply the chapter opening master page to the chapter opener.

You may also apply the A-Text Master pages to the subsequent pages of the chapter to add the running heads and page numbering automatically.

Page Numbering and Running Heads

As previously discussed, section breaks and running heads signal to the application that the template is beginning a new chapter, front-matter page, or back-matter page.

The template’s built-in samples have pre-defined page numbering for each of these sections, with some containing page numbers, some pages that omit page numbers and others have Roman numerals. It is important to keep this in mind when creating new sections, especially chapters, to preserve the page numbering scheme of the book. If the numbering is inconsistent, you may reset the numbering of any section to assure that he book has proper and continuous numbering throughout.

You will also need to change the default running heads, the author name and book title, that are found on the pages that make up the body of the chapter. Each application has a different method for changing and maintaining these running heads, and any numbering that is associated with them.

Microsoft Word Instructions

To access the running heads and numbering, open the header and footer for the section by double-clicking on the header or footer area.

The header and footer will open with a dotted line showing the header and footer area clearly divided from the document. A gray notation under this line will show you which section of the document you are in, and if the page is a first, even or odd page.

The settings for even, odd, and first pages having different running heads and footers can be selected on the design tab in the options section. By default, all three options are checked to assure that the first page of the section, the chapter opener, has no running heads, and that the even and odd pages of each chapter have unique running heads in sequence.

You may type over the running heads to change the book title and author name as needed.

The page numbers are a live element (field code) within Word.

You may change this numbering scheme by highlighting the number and right or two-finger clicking on the number. Then click format page numbers from the list.

This will bring up the page numbering format dialog and options box. You may change the numbering format, restart the numbering, or continue the numbering from a previous section.  This gives you total flexibility to control page numbering in the book.

Apple Pages Instructions

To access the running heads and numbering, click on the document icon, and then the section tab.

The header and footer will open with a  line showing the header and footer area clearly divided from the document.

The settings for even, odd, and first pages having different running heads and footers can be selected on the headers and footers section. By default, both options are checked to assure that the first page of the section, the chapter opener, has no running heads, and that the even and odd pages of each chapter have unique running heads in sequence.

You may type over the running heads to change the book title and author name as needed.

The page numbers are a live element  within Pages.

You may change this numbering scheme by clicking on the document icon, and then the section tab.

This will bring up the page numbering format dialog and options box. You may change the numbering format, restart the numbering, or continue the numbering from a previous section.  This gives you total flexibility to control page numbering in the book.

Adobe InDesign Instructions

InDesign handles running heads and page numbering through the use of master pages.

To change the running heads and page numbering for a chapter or section, you may edit the master pages.

On the pages tab, double click on the A-Text master page to edit the running heads and page numbering for the chapter body master page.  You may also double click on the C-Chapter master page to edit it.

You may change the author name and book title as needed here.

To exit and save the changes to the master page, simply double click on one of the book's pages in the pages tab.