I am trying to get my Novel ready for publishing on KPD, and Create a Space, print on demand and I am very frustrated right now. I wanted to share those frustrations with you.
I wrote my book in word, and when I previewed it in Kindle format, I was surprised at what I saw. It looked nothing like the word document I wrote. Then I did some research and found out why.
1. Page breaks must be inserted between chapters so they do not run together.
2. When wanting to move on to another line instead of pressing enter, you must press shift + enter to avoid formating problems.
3. Do not use tabs. Set the tab with the ruler at the top of the screen, or in paragraph options.
Ugh… I have to go back and do all of this. I’m just really frustrated right now, and I understand now why people get publishing companies and editors to help them with there books. It’s a very lengthy process, and I must say this is taking longer than I planned. I just had to call it a night and take one step back after this trying day of formatting and editing. I feel like I am going crazy.
I want the formatting to be close to perfect so the reader can have an enjoyable experience. I find it irritating when I am reading a book that is not formatted properly.
So here are my thoughts on this… I think I am going to write a short book of poetry so I can get the hang of this formatting stuff, and then come back to my big project, my Novel. That way hopefully the editing and formatting process will come to me more easily after I get the hang of this.
Self publishing can be such a drag. I am learning alot, even though I am very frustrated.
Sometimes I feel like just throwing in the towel, querying an agent and going with s publishing company. However I want to learn how formatting and publishing work, and I think there is alot that can be learned from taking up that challenge. I just am not sure if doing all this myself is worth the time and frustration.
So I am gonna keep it simple for now and try doing this with a short collection of poetry, and go from there.
Has anyone else had similar experiences? What are your thoughts on self-publishing?
Snapshots of a Life 
Sorry to hear about your troubles with Word and formatting issues with KDP. I don’t write in Word but when I did have to use it years ago, I went with Smashwords and used their formatting guide. When you upload the Word document to Smashwords, you get the file in all formats – mobi, epub, pdf and more. You can always use the mobi format and use that to upload to KDP.
Another option is to get someone on Fiverr to format the Word document into mobi and also for Createspace, if you’re having issues with that. If you’d like hassle-free conversion of your existing Word document, I’d suggest checking out Vellum although it’s only for Mac right now, so if you’re not a Mac user, this suggestion won’t be helpful. But with Vellum, all you have to do is import the Word document and it formats it into chapters and all you need to do is tweak it here and there and you have a digital format in mobi and epub ready to go.
Another option is Leanpub.com They just rolled out the import from Word feature and the finished product is an ebook copy of your book.
Thank you for the advice. I really appreciate it! I will have to check out those options.
Actually your best option right now would be Draft2Digital.com I forgot that they can take your Word document and convert it to epub and mobi š
I can very much relate. I bought InDesign to try to help me with this part of book design/formatting. I did so much research and formatted my book so it looked okay the Kindle Previewer. Then I left it too long and forgot it all. Argh! So I ended up going to a professional designer but within my budget through Fiverr. I definitely recommend them. Even though it may not be perfect, I still think it’s better than i could do and I’m guaranteed to have it formatted right for Kindle. Plus it takes that whole painful process away from me, so I’ll take it. Check them out if you’re interested. I figure I can start with this and maybe learn as I go and try to do it myself eventually by seeing what they do. Or maybe I’ll go with a professional every time.
Yea that’s why I am thinking about just trying to format a small collection of poetry first to get the hang of it first, and then finish formatting my novel. I also am looking at create a space. If I format it for print on demand create a space has a service that allows me to for a low cost, have them format it for Kindle Direct publishing. (KDP) and I am seriously considering that option right now.
That’s awesome. Admire you for giving it a go. Each time I’ve tried I’ve been daunted so wishing you all the best. Give me some tips – hehe. I might look into Create space too.