Most authors don’t notice formatting until something feels wrong. The page looks crowded. Chapter titles jump around. The ebook shows a weird blank space. The table of contents won’t click. Then suddenly you’re deep in a rabbit hole, trying to decide if you should wrestle it yourself or pay someone. This is the real comparison between DIY and book formatting services. Not the...

Publishing a book is a major achievement. For many authors, the journey starts with a simple idea and develops into months or even years of writing, editing and rewriting. But finishing the manuscript is only one part of becoming a published author. A book also needs to look professional when it reaches readers. The interior layout, typography, spacing, page size, illustrations, cover and...

All writers come to that point where their manuscript is finally completed, and the rush of accomplishment that comes from "I've written a book" becomes the more difficult "is it really finished?" The sad truth is that very few manuscripts are because the problem is not in their lack of story, but in editing errors that exist right under your nose. Typos, pacing issues, inconsistencies within...

The experience of seeing your book published is exciting, but taking a manuscript through to a well-developed, marketable, and successful book is much more complicated than simply writing "The End." There is an assumption among many new writers that if there is a good story, that will be all that is needed to get readers and sales and recognition. The great news is that you don’t have to...