Step Away from the Tab Key and No One Will Get Hurt

Microsoft Word is a wonderful program. I use it myself and it's pretty much the standard for authors and writers. It has many good features and I love the editing tools. However, one has has to take the good with the bad, and Word is not without its problems.

One of the more common mistakes I'm finding in the Word files people are sending to me is treating the software like a typewriter. Microsoft Word, however, is not a typewriter, and it should never be used like a typewriter. Doing so can corrupt your files and create all kinds of problems.

One of the biggest no-nos for Word users is using the tab key to indent the first line of a new paragraph.  NEVER, NEVER USE THE TAB KEY TO CREATE  A PARAGRAPH INDENT IN MICROSOFT WORD! It will cause all kinds of issues that will come back and bite you in the fanny, big time, if you attempt to publish your manuscript as an ebook with either Amazon Kindle or Smashwords. It will also create a nightmare for whoever is formatting the print version of your manuscript in Adobe InDesign.

It's very simple to create paragraph indents in Microsoft Word.  Simply go to the "Format" menu and select, "Paragraph." When the new window opens, go to the "Indents" section, and select the words, "First Line" from the pull-down menu underneath the word, "Special."  Once you've select it, type "0.25" in the box underneath the word, "By." Click on "OK" to close the window and you're done.  Your manuscript will automatically indent the first line of your paragraphs by one-quarter inch.  Again, never, never, never use the tab key to indent the first lines of your paragraphs, unless of course you want to pay someone by the hour to manually delete the tabs for you.

My tip for the day.

GM

Introducing Good Oak Press

Those of you who are regulars to this blog have, undoubtedly, noticed that it has had a face lift.  That's because I've decided to make, From the Writer's Desk, the official blog for my new publishing company, Good Oak Press.

They say necessity is the mother of invention.  As a graphic designer with many years of experience, I've been doing book design for sometime now, and people have asked if I would include book printing as well.  In the past I referred authors to Five Star Publications, who published my Luke and Jenny books.  They do outstanding work.  I've always been confident that they would take good care of anyone I sent their way, which they have.  I'd also planned to have Five Star publish my latest novel, The Reunion, (which I've written as Marina Martindale.)  However, once the time came to go to press, I learned that Five Star has raised their prices considerably, and, alas, they are simply no longer in my budget.

They say things happen for a reason, so the situation being what it was, I decided to go ahead and take the next step and offer POD, (print on demand) publishing services for my book design clients, along with distribution through Ingram.  I think this is going to be one of the best decisions I have ever made.  My goal is simple.  I want to help  other authors publish books that they can be proud of, and make it affordable.

For more information about the different publishing options available to today's authors please refer to my Publishing Options page at the top of this blog.  To find out how Good Oak Press can help you publish your next book please visit our website at www.GoodOakPress.com, or you may contact us directly for a no-obligation quote. 

Please let me know how Good Oak Press can help you turn your manuscript into a book that you can be proud of. 

GM