How to Format Your Manuscript for Publishing

You've written the book. Now you need to turn your manuscript into something that looks like an actual published novel. Formatting is the bridge between "I wrote a book" and "I published a book."

Choose Your Trim Size

Trim size is the physical dimensions of your book. The most common sizes for fiction:

• 5" x 8" — Compact mass-market feel. Good for genre fiction, thrillers, romance.
• 5.25" x 8" — Slightly wider. Popular for commercial fiction.
• 5.5" x 8.5" — The most common trade paperback size. Works for everything.
• 6" x 9" — Spacious, literary feel. Good for literary fiction, non-fiction, longer works.

When in doubt, go with 5.5" x 8.5". It's the publishing industry's default for a reason.

Set Your Margins

Margins aren't just about aesthetics — they affect readability and printing requirements.

• Inside margin (gutter): 0.75" - 0.875" — needs to be wider because pages curve into the spine
• Outside margin: 0.5" - 0.75"
• Top margin: 0.5" - 0.75"
• Bottom margin: 0.625" - 0.875"

KDP and IngramSpark have minimum margin requirements. Always check their current specifications before finalizing.

Choose Your Fonts

For body text, stick with classic serif fonts designed for sustained reading:

• Garamond — The publishing industry standard. Elegant, readable, compact.
• Palatino — Slightly wider than Garamond. Warm and inviting.
• Caslon — Traditional and distinguished. Great for literary fiction.
• Georgia — Designed for screens but works beautifully in print.

Font size: 11-12pt for most trim sizes. Line spacing: 1.3-1.5x.

Front and Back Matter

Professional books include specific pages before and after the story:

Front matter (in order):

1. Half title page (just the title, no author)
2. Title page (title + author name)
3. Copyright page
4. Dedication (optional)
5. Epigraph (optional)
6. Table of contents (optional for fiction)

Back matter (in order):

1. Acknowledgments
2. About the Author
3. Also By (other books)
4. Reading group guide (optional)

Export Formats

• PDF — For print (KDP paperback, IngramSpark). Must be print-ready with correct trim size, bleed, and margins.
• EPUB — For e-books (Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo). EPUB3 is the current standard. Reflowable text, no fixed layout.
• DOCX — For editors and beta readers. Universal compatibility.

Common Formatting Mistakes

• Using tab for paragraph indent — Use first-line indent in your paragraph style instead.
• Double-spacing after periods — Single space is the modern standard.
• Inconsistent scene breaks — Pick one style (three asterisks, a blank line, or a symbol) and use it everywhere.
• Forgetting the gutter — Inside margins that are too narrow make the book hard to read near the spine.
• No page numbers — Readers need them. Put them in the header or footer.

Scriblio handles all of this automatically. Set your trim size, font, and margins in the Format tab, add your front and back matter in the Complete tab, and export to PDF, EPUB, or DOCX with one click. Try it free.