Wednesday, September 14, 2011

How to Format for Kindle Part II

Last week I set about to show you How To Format Your Manuscript for Kindle and Agents. I talked about the right formatting tricks on your computer to get your manuscript in professional order. This week, I'm giving you links. (Because quite frankly the task is so daunting I couldn't do it.)

Here is a link for a checklist posted by April L. Hamilton on what you need to do for uploading to Kindle.

Also, my friend and Primary Reader, J.Bridget Chicoine, has also posted two important posts on formatting, and I would like to highlight those as well. Anything that makes writing easier should be looked at.

The first post shows you, with simple step by step instructions, ways to improve how you navigate through your manuscript. In revisions I'm sure you'd all love to be able to find just exactly what you're looking for without going through tons of notes written on scrap paper (like I do).

The second post shows how you can format your scene headers, which then allows them to automatically appear in the correct order. (And let me tell you how many Chapter Fourteens I had for one manuscript.) **** This is a godsend, I suggest you memorize this, as at some point you will need to use this tool when you have to upload a hyperlinked table of contents.

Hope you take a moment and give these links a look- see.

21 comments:

Elliot Grace said...

...formatting for Kindle can indeed be a monumental task if not fully prepared. Thanks for the links, Anne. Will hop on over...

El

Writer Pat Newcombe said...

Yes - formatting can be quite a headache when you are self publishing. I think I just stumbled through it - kind of...

Laura Pauling said...

Great, thanks. I'll check them out!

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

So, whattaya charge to format for us? (HA!)

J.B. Chicoine said...

I'm not doing Kindle right now, but I love the idea of knowing how--just for fun! Sick, I know...

Stina said...

I'll be linking this post and last weeks on Friday's post. :)

Linda G. said...

Some of the formatting stuff makes my head spin! Thanks for linking to some clarifying posts. :)

mooderino said...

Do you know of any place that tells you how to add page numbers? Now that Kindle (sort of) does that I assume there must be a way to do it yourself.

mood
Moody Writing
@mooderino

Patti said...

Great links Anne, I'll definitely be bookmarking them.

Matthew MacNish said...

Bookmarked, STAT!

Sarah Ahiers said...

you're like a kindle formatting expert!

Unspoken said...

I am so amazed you did this. Really! Impressive! (My boyfriend is craving a Kindle. It seems it might be a good purchase??)

Unspoken said...

PS Heading over to the new blogs you shouted out here.

Unspoken said...

Anne, one link goes nowhere and the other goes to a very odd 07 post of a religious man? Huh??

BUT I did get to Bridget's. Is it just me?

Anne R. Allen said...

Thanks for all this important info, Anne! I'll check the links later. Sounds like they're having a little bit of a hissy fit.

Anne Gallagher said...

Amy -- Thanks for the head's up about the link. I don't know what happened or who that guy is. I am working my way to rectify the situation. Sorry about the inconvenience.

WritingNut said...

Thanks so much for sharing - I'm bookmarking this!

Jennifer Hillier said...

Wow, what a helpful post! I had no idea formatting for the Kindle was so involved. I am so NOT tech-savvy. Good stuff, Anne!

Hannah said...

Again, crazy loads of information!

Angela Ackerman said...

Will check this out--thanks for putting it together!

Angela @ The Bookshelf Muse

J.L. Campbell said...

This is very useful info. Will try and visit those blogs tomorrow. I read through the manual for Smashwords and gave up before I even tried. :)