How to Design and Format an Ebook Using Google Docs
Writing an ebook can be a scary affair. Many individuals know nothing about formatting, book cover design, or publishing. Hiring specialists for every stage of the process might be time-consuming and costly, but you can publish your own ebook using a free, convenient platform that many authors already use… Google Drive!
In this post, we will demonstrate how to write, format, and design an ebook using Google Docs. Let’s dive in.
Inserting a Cover Page
To begin writing in Google Docs, open a new, blank document. Many authors find the blank page intimidating, but you’re going to learn how to create magic on it.
Because people do, in fact, judge a book by its cover, it is crucial to design a captivating cover for your ebook. You can create an attractive design in Google Docs with only text or an image.
To design a cover page, select Insert > Drawing > New from the Insert menu. You can add lines, shapes, text boxes, and photos from the menu.
Remember to maintain a sense of equilibrium, as a cluttered cover with too many features may deter readers from becoming interested in your book. You only need the book’s title, an image representation, and the author’s name.
When you have completed the design, click Save and Close. Your design will be uploaded to the Google Docs page you are currently editing.
Creating a Title Page
Add a Title Page to a document page that is blank. Type the title, then click the Styles button and select Title from the menu.
The Center Align option in the menu bar can be used to centre the title. To do so, simply press Ctrl + Shift + E (on Windows PC) or Command + E (on Mac).
After typing the title, you can continue writing your book on the following page. Insert a page break to reduce scrolling time with Insert > Break > Page Break.
Apply the same strategy to introductions, prefaces, and other introductory text. You can enhance the style of your text by using hanging indents, or you can make it more readable by including double spacing.
Adjusting the Page Setup
Some authors choose to align their book text with the left margin, while others prefer to center it. File > Page Setup allows you to change the page text orientation in any case.
The default margins for a page are 2.54 cm on all sides. If you wish to alter it, ensure that all sides are altered so that the writing does not appear unbalanced.
To justify the text on a webpage, press Ctrl + Shift + J. This will align text with the left and right margins and eliminate awkward white space.
You can also choose the page size and format for which you wish to optimize your text, as well as the background color for the page.
Adding Page Numbers
Insert page numbers by selecting Insert > Page Numbers. You have four alternatives for the positioning of the numbers, from which you can choose the one that you prefer.
Additionally, you can modify the placement by choosing More Options and entering your choices.
Creating a Table of Contents
Create a Table of Contents to assist readers in locating each subject/chapter in your ebook. It is possible to automatically construct a Table of Contents in Google Docs, similar to the method in Microsoft Word.
Simply select Insert > Table of Contents from the Insert menu. You currently have two choices. The first is a table of contents in plain text with numbers on the right. The second option omits page numbers and generates hyperlinks that lead directly to the referenced area.
Since you’re producing an ebook, it is advisable to make a clickable Table of Contents so that readers can instantly navigate to any part without having to scroll.
In order for this functionality to function properly, it is necessary to format according to Google Docs’ predefined heading styles. Google Docs populates the Table of Contents with Heading 1 as the item at the top level, so you may wish to utilize this for chapter titles. Heading 2 is a subsection of Heading 1, Heading 3 is a subsection of Heading 2, etc.
If you make any changes to your headers, you may update your table of contents by clicking the Update Table of Contents button, which resembles the Refresh button.
To delete a Table of Contents, pick Delete Table of Contents from the menu after left-clicking on the table.
You Now Have the Framework of Your Ebook
And there you have it: the Google Docs-organized structure of an ebook. Now, presuming you haven’t already done so, you only need to compose the actual content and you’ll be finished.
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