Lesson 1 | How to Write a Book and Make Money — Organizing Files and Formatting Microsoft Word

Lesson 1 – How to Write a Book and Make Money – Organizing Files and Formatting Microsoft Word

Follow Author Jonathan David’s workflow for organizing book files and setting up a manuscript in Microsoft Word. This lesson demonstrates how to create consistent styles, organize chapters, insert a table of contents, and prepare headers and footers for a printed book.

Step-by-Step – Organize Your Files and Format Your Manuscript

The instructions below follow the demonstration. Jonathan’s font choices and printing settings are personal preferences; menu names may differ between versions of Word.

1. Create a dedicated folder for the book.

   Create a project folder named after your book or working title. Move related documents, images, PDFs, and notes into this folder. In Finder, organize the files by name and kind so you can locate different file types more easily.

2. Create and save the primary Word document.

   Open Microsoft Word and create a blank document. Save it inside the project folder. Jonathan uses a numbered prefix such as 0.0_PRIMARY to identify the main manuscript and keep it near the beginning of the file list. Use a consistent naming system for additional sections and editions.

3. Set the initial paper size.

   Open the page layout settings and choose 8.5 × 11 inches for the textbook-sized edition demonstrated. Jonathan begins with this size while determining the book’s length, then plans separate handheld, tiny-book, and digital editions.

4. Set the margins for your intended printing method.

   Open Layout → Margins → Custom Margins. For his own handcrafted printing process, Jonathan sets the top, bottom, left, and right margins to 0.75 inches. If using a printing company, choose margins, gutter, and mirrored-page settings that meet that company’s requirements for your book size and page count.

5. Modify the Normal style for body text.

   Locate Normal in the Styles controls and select Modify. Jonathan chooses Palatino Linotype, with body text at 11 or 13 points depending on the edition, and justified alignment. He also reduces paragraph spacing to give himself more control over the layout. Apply these choices through the style rather than formatting each paragraph separately.

6. Format the title and subtitle styles.

   Modify the Title style to use Palatino Linotype. Jonathan selects 41-point text for the title in this demonstration. Apply the Subtitle style to the subtitle, use the same font family, and center it. Choose a subtitle size that fits the page; the transcript does not specify its final size.

7. Build the title page.

   Enter the book title and subtitle, followed by the author and publishing information. In the demonstration, Jonathan adds Created by Author Jonathan David and his publishing imprint. He also saves a separate copy of the front page for use as an individual project component.

8. Insert pages for the copyright information and preface.

   Use Insert → Page Break to move to a new page. Create a copyright page and then a preface page. If an unexpected blank page appears, check for extra paragraph marks or breaks and remove the unwanted ones. Keep intentional page breaks instead of using repeated blank lines to push text onto another page.

9. Set Heading 1 for chapter-level headings.

   Modify Heading 1 to use Palatino Linotype, black text, 17-point size, and centered alignment. Adjust its paragraph spacing to suit your layout. Apply this style consistently to the chapter-level headings that you want Word to recognize.

10. Set Heading 2 for sections.

    Modify Heading 2 to use Palatino Linotype, black text, 13-point size, bold formatting, and left alignment. Apply it to sections within a chapter. Jonathan discusses numbering such as 1, 1.0, and 1.0.0; choose a hierarchy and use it consistently.

11. Set Heading 3 for subsections.

    Modify Heading 3 to use Palatino Linotype, black text, 13-point size, italic formatting, and left alignment. Apply it to subsections. The different heading appearances make the document’s structure easier to recognize.

12. Insert an automatic table of contents.

    Create a dedicated contents page, then select References → Table of Contents and insert an automatic table. Word uses the heading styles to build its entries. Update the table as the manuscript changes, and check its fonts, colors, and page numbers before publishing. Jonathan demonstrates that direct formatting changes may be lost when the table is updated.

13. Add outside page numbers for the print edition.

    Use the page-number controls to place numbers at the bottom of the pages. For facing print pages, position even-page numbers on the left and odd-page numbers on the right. Enable Different First Page if you want to hide the number on the title page.

14. Configure different odd and even headers and footers.

    Open the header or footer and enable Different Odd & Even Pages. Left-align the information on even pages and right-align it on odd pages. Jonathan uses book-title, author, store, and publishing information, arranging it to suit the facing-page layout.

15. Keep recurring page information discreet.

    Jonathan formats the header and footer information in gray at 11 points. Add your copyright year and publishing details, then review both odd and even pages to ensure the information is readable and aligned correctly.

16. Start each new chapter with a page break.

    Insert a page break before each new chapter. This keeps the chapter starting on a new page as earlier text grows or the document’s paper size changes. A different page size can still change line wrapping, page count, and other layout details, so review each edition afterward.

17. Save separate files for different editions.

    Keep the primary manuscript, then save clearly named copies for each print size and digital format. Adjust each copy’s page dimensions, typography, headers, footers, and other settings for its intended use. Jonathan notes that he would center recurring page information in his digital version.

18. Check the manuscript before publishing.

    Review the title page, chapter starts, heading hierarchy, table of contents, page numbers, and headers and footers. Check for unwanted blank pages and formatting changes. Treat the setup as a starting document that still needs a final review after the book is written.

19. Organize the accompanying videos on your website.

    Jonathan groups lessons and podcasts into website categories so visitors can find related content. His approach alternates free videos with member videos and connects the course library to his book store.

20. Test your website and store links.

    Click your navigation and store links after making changes. Confirm that each link reaches the intended destination and that external links open in a new tab when that is your chosen setting. Jonathan identifies a store-link setting that needs correction during the demonstration.

Disclaimer: My videos and podcasts share personal experiences and opinions and are intended for entertainment. Commentary may include speculation, hearsay, satire, or fiction and should not be treated as verified fact or professional advice. No income is guaranteed. Fiction may contain mature themes; ages 18+ recommended.