Book Formatting

 Book Formatting Services
Contact Me at elizabethkirke@gmail
Paperbacks, eBooks, and Smashwords

Utopia 2018 Award Winner – Best Interior Formatting – Rise of the Sea Witch
Smashwords Formatting
What I Do For You:
  • I will format your manuscript so that it meets the requirements to be published on Smashwords and entered in their premium catalog*
  • I will include a working Table of Contents
  • If I spot any minor errors, I will correct them. I am not an editor and will not edit your manuscript. Basically, if it gets underscored by Word as a grammatical or a spelling error, I might fix it, if I see it and know 100% that it should be fixed. Do not expect me to make a lot of major changes and do not expect an edited document back. I am formatting your work, any fixed errors are just a bonus.
  • I will get your manuscript accepted by the Smashwords Premium Catalog. If your work is rejected from the catalog (unless the error is related to the cover) I will re-format it, free of charge, until it is accepted.

*The Smashwords Premium Catalog is their list of “premium” works. If you are in the premium catalog then you have the option of distributing your published work to Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo, and many other outlets, through Smashwords. If your book is not in the premium catalog, then it is only available from Smashwords.

Cost:

$0.50/1000 words
This includes formatting your entire manuscript to meet Smashwords Premium Guidelines. As well as re-formatting (if necessary) if it is rejected from Smashwords. You are free to take the finished, formatted document and use it for any other purpose – it’s yours.

Extra Costs:

  • If the chapters have actual names, such as The Boy Who Lived or Keni’s Turn, it’s an extra $0.05 per chapter
  • If your book has more than 30 chapters, it is an extra $0.05 per chapter
  • And if there are major formatting issues, it’s an extra $20 per 100k words – If you have a major formatting issue, I will contact you ahead of time to explain it and work things out with you.
Amazon eBook Formatting
What I do For You:
  • I will do everything I offer for Smashwords to make your book eligible to be published on Amazon Kindle.

Please be aware, Amazon and Smashwords formatting requirements are different. If you request one and attempt to use it for the other format, it will fail.

Cost: $0.50/1,000 words

Both Amazon and Smashwords Formatting
If you want both Amazon and Smashwords formatting, you will only be charged for one format, plus $10, and any additional fees for extra chapters or formatting issues.
This means: If you have a book which is 100k and want Smashwords and Amazon formatting, it will be $50 for one format, plus $10, additional chapters fees, if any, for the both. Your total would be $60.  If your book is 200k words, it would be $100 for the first format, plus $10, for a total of $110.
Important Information About eBooks
An eBook is very different from a paperback book. This may seem like a silly thing to point out, but many authors are surprised when they see eBook formatting or request things that just won’t work for an ebook.
Please remember, with eBooks, the reader controls the settings. Any of your preferences for font type, size, spacing, and even color are different on every device. An eBook will be very simple and plain. The plainer it is, the better you can be assured it will look across multiple devices.
Another thing to keep in mind is there is no such thing as pages. Your eBook will not have page numbers. The size of each eReader and the user settings will drastically change your book. Look at your finished book in Word with the page size set to 8.5×11. Now change it to 3.5×5, like a small cell phone and see just how different it is. The only “pages” you can control is by adding page breaks at the end of chapters. Something else to note – Smashwords does not allow page breaks, so you won’t even have those with a Smashwords document!
Paperback Formatting
What I do For You:
  • I will do everything I offer for my other formats to make your book ready to publish in paperback.
  • I will provide you with a .pdf to upload to Amazon Createspace.
  • In addition, I can include several add-ons, such as fancier fonts for chapter titles, images at the start of each chapter and/or between scene breaks, and fancy fonts inside the book (such as for letters or text messages). Please specify if you want extras before I begin formatting!

Please be aware, paperback formats and Amazon and Smashwords are different. If you request one and attempt to use it for the other format, it will fail.

Basic Formatting Cost:$1/1000 words, plus $.05 per chapter over 20

Basic Formatting includes setting up your manuscript for paperback publishing. Your chapter headers will be set apart from the main text. This includes re-sizing, re-locating, or changing the font.

For an added cost per chapter, I offer add-ons to the basic formatting:
  • Font Matching (Cost Varies)

When I format a paperback book you have the choice between a Chapter Header font that grabs the feel of your book, or using the same font that appears on the cover. I can use any of the fonts in my library for no added cost (except any outlined below if you choose those options). If I have to purchase the font, the cost will be added to your total. I will never buy a font and charge you without your permission. I will never knowingly use or purchase a font that does not allow commericial use.

  • Single Image: .10 cents per chapter
I will include a single image on your title page and at the start of each chapter. You can provide this image or I can find one for you.
If I am required to purchase the image, it will be an additional $2 if purchased from Deposit Photos. If you want the image from somewhere else, the cost will depend on what the site charges.
Optional: I can also use a smaller version of this image throughout your chapters as a scene break.
  • Multiple Images and/or random placement: .50 cents per chapter
I will add up to three different images throughout your book. This includes rotating between different images at the start of the chapter, having a separate title page image, and/or changing the location of each image on the starting page.
In this example every chapter had butterflies of different sizes, shades, and positions on the first page
Each Chapter Title was designed to incorporate the swooshes you see in the upper corners. It’s not an “image” but required additional work by me for each one.
This book had a new skyline postcard every time the characters went to a new location. The author was only charged for each chapter which included an image
  • Separate Chapter Page: .10 cents per chapter
Each chapter page will start on it’s own page, without the body text. You have the option of having each chapter start on the right-hand side.

  • Multiple Fonts or Drop Caps: .10 cents per chapter
I can mix and match fonts and/or make the first letter of each chapter stand out.
The lowercase letters are a different font than the squared off capital ones. This one also includes drop caps. This example would be $.20 per chapter, for both the drop caps and the mixed fonts. Some previous images also include the drop cap style chapter start.
  • Extra Interior Formatting: cost varies by task
The sky is the limit! I can put in special fonts for text messages between characters, ‘hand-written’ notes, or any other text that needs to be different. Want to go nuts? I can even take your text and put a note or text message box into your book. I can add tear-drops or coffee stains. Anything you like!
Each of these books has a full page image at the beginning.
  • Custom Images or Photoshop: Cost Negotiable
In addition to purchasing images, I can also made adjustments to them, including graphic design and some photo manipulation. Depending on your needs the price will vary.
Before:          After:
For something like this the author would be charged for 4 images (original girl, ocean background, wand, and stake),  for the image to appear in the chapter opening, and for the (far upper right) image that appears on every page beneath the book title. Sidenote: Your title and name appearing at the top of each page is included in the basic cost.
This was originally a single swoosh I purchased for the author. I manipulated it to make into a corner design, a scene break image, and also incorporated it into each chapter header. This author has also opted for drop caps.
The Fine Print: I charge half upfront, and the rest after I have sent you the finished document.
Depending on when you catch me and how long/complicated your document is, my turnaround time can be anywhere from three to seven days, from the time you send me your document until I send it back, ready for publishing!

Get Paperback Formatting from me and get any other format for just $10!

Why Me?: I have an odd (possibly masochistic) enjoyment of formatting. When my publisher was getting frustrated working on Smashwords formatting, I offered to do it for her. I began to do all of the Smashwords formatting. Several months later I was officially hired as a formatter for Smashwords, Kindle, and print books. I stumbled onto an opportunity to do some outside formatting and decided that I might as well turn my little hobby into a side job. I know what it’s like to be an indie author and all of the red tape you have to go through. You wrote the book, let me help you get it to the world =)

Since starting my freelance formatting I have formatted for dozens of different authors, including non-fiction, books in other languages, and the autobiography for the band Smash Mouth!).

Check out my Portfolio

If I have formatted for you and you would like some images to appear in my portfolio, with buy links for your books, please contact me

 

Coming Soon: Premade Chapter Headers and Matching Page Breaks!

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