In this video, I'll be sharing how to use Google Docs to format your manuscript
These are the same formatting guidelines that have helped my clients to become published authors. Today
you're going to learn why aspiring writers are ditching
expensive writing software and using this free alternative! And a bonus tip on how to find your word count!
So make sure you stick around for that!
So I've done a previous video on formatting a book in Microsoft Word.
But I wanted to provide another option for those of you who may not have
access to Microsoft Word and are looking for a good free alternative. In this video
you will learn how to write a book in Google Docs. Once your manuscript is complete,
you'll share your formatted manuscript with your writing coach, beta readers, editors,
and for those of you who plan to
traditionally publish, you will share your manuscript first with your agent and then later with a publishing company.
So here's why I love Google Docs for new writers.
First of all...
It's entirely online which means that you can be anywhere with internet access, and have the ability to update your manuscript.
Which you guys... that is such a huge huge bonus! It also saves your manuscript automatically,
so if you've ever lost your manuscript before and didn't have a backup, then you'll understand why this is so awesome!
Okay, so let's get into the super simple way to write your book in Google Docs.
Let's start with the page setup in the menu click File then Page Setup and just confirm its set for one-inch margins on the top,
bottom, left, and right.
The page orientation should be portrait and the letter size should be 8 and a half by 11. Next is the fonts.
So the most common font for formatting a manuscript is Times New Roman.
You can also use Arial and Courier New but for the sake of this video, we're going to select Times New Roman.
The font size should be set to 12. Again
we're trying to make it as easy as possible
for the person reviewing the document. Now on to the title page on the very first line include your first and last name.
Tab over to the right and type word count.
This is an important step because your writing coach, editor, and
formatter will provide you with a quote based off of this word count. An
agent also needs to know your word count and my bonus tip -
know your word count! Go to the Tools menu and select Word Count.
This section where it says Words is where you will find your word count.
Alright on the next line type your address and on the line after that type your city, state and zip code.
Drop down a line and include your email address. Now make sure this is an email address that you check regularly!
Alright, drop down to the middle of the page and type the title of your manuscript in all capital letters.
Then drop down two more lines and type the words By and then your Author Name.
This is your title page. I told you guys this is super simple! Now
let's format the manuscript itself. Next you'll need to insert a page break. In the menu click Insert
Break, then Page Break and now you've inserted a new page. Alright, let's do your header.
Click Insert,
Header and Page Number choose Header and then enter your name and the title of your manuscript on the left and
your page number on the right. Now to insert the page number go to Insert Header and Page Number,
Page Number and then choose the second option on the top right.
Ok, so click out of the header now we're going to go to Format,
Line Spacing and then choose Double. Ok
so now we have the manuscript set up for the header and footer, we have the double spacing,
we have the Times New Roman as
well as the font size set up. And I want to show you guys up top
It says "all changes saved in drive" and this is how you know that your manuscript is constantly being backed up.
So it really gives you a peace of mind when it comes to writing and worrying about the saving of your manuscript.
Alright, so a frequently asked question I get is how do I start a new chapter?
You want to go to Insert Break, Page Break and this is going to start you off on a new chapter.
You want to center your chapter title in the middle of the page and
then once that's done
you want to drop down two lines and then left align and
then you're gonna begin typing your book. If you're interested in my Book Outline Template
It's available for download inside my video course How To Write Your First Book. The link is in the description box.
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