I wouldn't consider myself a self publishing expert by any stretch of the imagination but I have put up quite a few books in my day. All of the books I have are non-fiction and all were sold as PDF ebooks (clickbank) before getting on Kindle. If I didn't write them for selling on Clickbank I probably would have never wrote them.
Anyway I remember how hard it was the first few times I tried to format my writing for Kindle. The first book I did I spent more time formatting it then I did actually writing it. I know you can use Fiverr but in my opinion it's better to learn the process then outsource it so at least you know what's going on.
Here's how I do it.
The first thing I do is open up "Styles and Formatting" in MS Word. This allows me to see all the styles I have in the document.
Second - I set my paragraph spacing to 12 points. I do this by clicking Format > Paragraph > Spacing > then setting After to 12. This will give me a space between paragraphs without hitting Enter twice.
Third - I then go to Format > Paragraph > Indentation > Special > then select first line. Then I set that to 0.5". This will allow me to indent the first line of a paragraph without pressing tab.
Fourth - I write "Chapter 1" and set that text as Headline 1 and center it. You'll notice that you will have another style come up. It will say Headline 1 + Centered. For all of your chapters, use this style.
Fifth - I write. Every time I'm writing I make sure that I have the style "first line 0.5" set. This should also be a style for you since you set it in step 3.
Fifth - After every chapter I insert a page break. I do this by selecting Insert > Break > Page. This allows me to start the next chapter on a blank page.
Sixth - After I'm completely done with the book I go back to chapter 1 and insert a page break right next to the word "Chapter". This will create a new page.
Seventh - On the new blank page I just created I write Table Of Contents and select the Header + Centered style. Then I select Insert > Reference > Index and Tables. From that dialogue box I select Table Of Contents. I make sure that 'Show Page Numbers' is unchecked. I also make sure that I am only showing 1 level. Then I click OK and my clickable TOC is in place.
Eight - Right next to 'Table Of Contents' header on your page, I click Insert > Bookmark > and name the bookmark toc. (leave off the period) This will allow Kindle to pick up with TOC is 'Go To'. I then insert a page break at the end of the TOC.
Ninth - For your copyright and dedication just pagebreak next to the Table Of Contents header to create new blank pages.
THAT'S IT! Save your file as a DOC and then save it was a 'Web Filtered' and upload that bitch!
No need for Calibre, some dude on Fiverr, or anything else. Do this and you are DONE!
BTW, I learned how to do this by following the steps on the Kindle Publishing Guide that is free on Amazon. And I'm using Word 2003 so some of the navigation might be different for you.
I tried doing this on my Mac and it was a complete nightmare so I gave up and switched to PC and it was simple.
Anyway I remember how hard it was the first few times I tried to format my writing for Kindle. The first book I did I spent more time formatting it then I did actually writing it. I know you can use Fiverr but in my opinion it's better to learn the process then outsource it so at least you know what's going on.
Here's how I do it.
The first thing I do is open up "Styles and Formatting" in MS Word. This allows me to see all the styles I have in the document.
Second - I set my paragraph spacing to 12 points. I do this by clicking Format > Paragraph > Spacing > then setting After to 12. This will give me a space between paragraphs without hitting Enter twice.
Third - I then go to Format > Paragraph > Indentation > Special > then select first line. Then I set that to 0.5". This will allow me to indent the first line of a paragraph without pressing tab.
Fourth - I write "Chapter 1" and set that text as Headline 1 and center it. You'll notice that you will have another style come up. It will say Headline 1 + Centered. For all of your chapters, use this style.
Fifth - I write. Every time I'm writing I make sure that I have the style "first line 0.5" set. This should also be a style for you since you set it in step 3.
Fifth - After every chapter I insert a page break. I do this by selecting Insert > Break > Page. This allows me to start the next chapter on a blank page.
Sixth - After I'm completely done with the book I go back to chapter 1 and insert a page break right next to the word "Chapter". This will create a new page.
Seventh - On the new blank page I just created I write Table Of Contents and select the Header + Centered style. Then I select Insert > Reference > Index and Tables. From that dialogue box I select Table Of Contents. I make sure that 'Show Page Numbers' is unchecked. I also make sure that I am only showing 1 level. Then I click OK and my clickable TOC is in place.
Eight - Right next to 'Table Of Contents' header on your page, I click Insert > Bookmark > and name the bookmark toc. (leave off the period) This will allow Kindle to pick up with TOC is 'Go To'. I then insert a page break at the end of the TOC.
Ninth - For your copyright and dedication just pagebreak next to the Table Of Contents header to create new blank pages.
THAT'S IT! Save your file as a DOC and then save it was a 'Web Filtered' and upload that bitch!
No need for Calibre, some dude on Fiverr, or anything else. Do this and you are DONE!
BTW, I learned how to do this by following the steps on the Kindle Publishing Guide that is free on Amazon. And I'm using Word 2003 so some of the navigation might be different for you.
I tried doing this on my Mac and it was a complete nightmare so I gave up and switched to PC and it was simple.
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