Formatting Your Book: Why It’s More Important Than You Think

You’ve written your book. Amazing! You’ve probably gone through rounds of editing and you’ve got a beautiful new cover. But don’t let it down now by compromising on your formatting. If you think formatting is just about clicking “justify” on your Word document, you’re in for a surprise.

Formatting is often overlooked by new authors, but it plays a crucial role in how your book is perceived. Readers might forgive a typo or two, but poor formatting is different. It could be the difference between a five star and one star review.

Why Does Formatting Matter?

Have you ever opened a book and noticed:

Strange spacing
Enormous or inconsistent indents
Pages that end mid-sentence
Chapters that end with one word on a page
Chapter headings that don’t stand out
Or text that just feels hard to read

These are all formatting issues. They’re all the silent killers of a reader’s trust.

Professional formatting ensures that your book is not just readable, but enjoyable and visually cohesive. It also signals to readers that you’ve taken the publishing process seriously. This is why it’s so important.

After all, if you haven’t formatted it properly, then why should readers believe it’s written properly?

Common Mistakes

Many new authors attempt to format their own books. While this is absolutely possible and a large number of authors do this successfully, it’s also easy to slip up. Here are the most common mistakes we see:

Using tabs instead of styles for indentation
Incorrect page size or margins for print
Failure to insert section breaks correctly
No clickable table of contents in ebook
Inconsistent font usage

These may sound small, but they affect the flow and polish of your book.

Did you know that…

You need to format your ebook in a completely different way to your print book
Ebook formatting is responsive, meaning it adapts to the reader’s screen size. This means you have to get the basic set up right
Print formatting is fixed and must consider margins, bleed, pagination and trim sizes. What looks good on Kindle may fall apart in paperback

That’s why books formatted for one version must be reworked for the other. It’s not one file fits all. It takes a lot of time, and it can be a headache. But every second of work is absolutely worth it.

Should You Hire a Formatter?

There is no right or wrong answer here. It’s simply your preference, and many authors choose to hire someone to help them get the formatting right.

However, you must also think about the costs involved. You won’t make a lot of money for each book you sell, so it will take time to see a real return on investment if you pay a lot for help upfront.

That’s where Lindie offers more cost effective support. We not only detail exactly how to format your ebook and print books in our Self-Publishing Guide, but you also get access to consultancy sessions where you can ask questions with an expert as well. So even if you do hit a few obstacles, you’ve got a real person to support you who has been there and done it.

We’ve helped many authors turn rough drafts into polished products with formatting that reflects the quality of the writing itself.

Formatting may not be as glamorous as writing or as visible as your cover, but it’s just as essential. A professionally formatted book removes distractions, supports your story and makes you look like a pro.

Want your book to look as good as it reads? Check out our Self-Publishing support.