The moment you upload your novel to a self-publishing platform, it stops being a manuscript and becomes a product. And every product has standards it should meet. Such standards, for fiction authors include how a novel is formatted, and its layout.
Most often, for us writers, the focus is on getting the story right, and we spend months or years making sure of that. Book formatting and layout gets left for later, figured out quickly in the days before uploading, and that’s usually when the problems start. The supposedly easy stage of book publishing becomes a pull-your-hair-out experience.
Formatting a novel isn’t complicated once you know what you’re doing, but it does require knowing what you’re doing. There are specific decisions to make about page size, margins, fonts, chapter layouts, paragraph spacing, and the pages that come before and after the story itself. Each of those decisions affects how the book looks and feels to a reader.
This post covers novel formatting and layout from start to finish, to help you know the whats and whys before you hit publish.
The Difference Between Layout and Formatting
These two terms get used interchangeably a lot, but they refer to different things.
Layout is about the structure of the book as a whole. It covers how the book is organised from the first page to the last, what pages appear before the story begins, how chapters are positioned, and what comes after the final chapter. With layout, the focus is on where everything goes.
Formatting is about how the text looks on each individual page. It covers the font you choose, the size of that font, the spacing between lines, how paragraphs are indented, and how chapter headings appear. Formatting focuses on how everything looks on each page.
To explain simply: layout is the structure of the book, and formatting is the appearance of the text within that structure. Both are important and affect how professional your novel looks when it’s in a reader’s hands.
The Standard Layout of a Novel
Most novels, across both traditional and self-publishing, follow a similar structural pattern. That pattern is made up of three main sections: front matter, the body, and back matter.
Before going into the sections, it helps to know one basic printing principle. In a printed book, right-hand pages are odd-numbered and called recto pages. Left-hand pages are even-numbered and called verso pages. Most important pages in a book begin on a right-hand page. You will see this come up as we go through the layout.
Front Matter
Front matter refers to all the pages that appear before chapter one begins. These pages introduce the book and give readers and retailers the information they need about the publication.
Half Title Page (Optional) — Right Page
The half title page is usually the very first page of the book. It carries only the title of the book and nothing else. No author name or subtitles are included. It’s mainly for design and printing reasons, and not every novel includes one. If you choose to include it, it belongs on a right-hand page, and the back of it is left blank.
Title Page — Right Page
The title page is where the full official details of the book appear. This includes the full title, the subtitle if there is one, your name as the author, and your publisher name or imprint if you have one. Like the half title page, it belongs on a right-hand page.
Copyright Page — Left Page
The copyright page sits on the back of the title page, which places it on a left-hand page. This page contains the legal and publication information for the book: the copyright notice, the year of publication, the ISBN, your publisher information, and any rights statements. It is an informational page rather than part of the reading experience, so it doesn’t require a right-hand placement.
Dedication Page — Right Page
Most novels include a dedication. It is usually short, sometimes just one line, and it dedicates the book to a person or a small group of people. The dedication belongs on its own right-hand page, after the copyright page.
Acknowledgments — Right Page or Back Matter
The acknowledgments page is where you thank the people who supported the writing and publication of the book. From what I’ve seen so far, most novelists place acknowledgments in the back matter, after the final chapter. It’s less common to see them in the front matter, though some writers do prefer it there, usually on a right-hand page after the dedication. Either placement is fine. Wherever you put them, they begin on a right-hand page.
Table of Contents — Right Page
A table of contents is optional for fiction, but some novelists include one, particularly if the book has named parts or sections in addition to numbered chapters. If you include one, it belongs on a right-hand page and may continue onto the following left page if needed.
Epigraph — Right Page
An epigraph is a short quote placed at the beginning of the book, usually before chapter one. Not every novel has one, but if yours does, it belongs on its own right-hand page. It can appear either before or after the table of contents depending on your preference.
The Body
The body of the novel is where the story is, from chapter one through to the final chapter. Some layout rules apply here also.
Chapters Should Begin on a New Page
Each chapter should start on a new page. Whether that page is a right-hand or left-hand page depends on your preference and your budget. Starting every chapter on a right-hand page has a more traditionally published feel, but it also means more blank pages throughout the book, which increases your page count and therefore your printing costs. Starting chapters on either page, right or left, keeps the page count lower and is an acceptable choice for self-published novels.
Chapter Headings
Chapter headings should be formatted consistently throughout the book. You can use chapter numbers, chapter titles, or both. The heading should have a decent amount of white space below it before the text begins. It’s also best to leave some white space above the chapter title or number. This white space, is called a chapter drop, and is standard in published novels.
Scene Breaks
When a scene changes within a chapter, the break is usually marked with a visual separator. The most common choices are a blank line, three asterisks centred on the page, or a simple decorative symbol. Whatever you choose, use it consistently throughout the entire book.
First Paragraph of Each Chapter and Scene
Often, the first paragraph of a chapter or a new scene after a scene break is not indented. Every paragraph that follows is indented. You may also consider dropping the first letter of the first paragraph of each chapter. This is a drop cap. A drop cap is when the first letter of the opening paragraph is enlarged and dropped down to align with several lines of text below it
Back Matter
Back matter appears after the final chapter. It is where you include additional pages that give readers information or help them connect with you as an author.
Acknowledgments (Optional) — Right Page
If you’re placing your acknowledgments in the back matter rather than the front, they go here first, immediately after the final chapter. This is actually where most fiction writers put them. It actually makes sense why some authors prefer to put them in the back matter, as most readers usually scroll past them at the start. The acknowledgments page should begin on a right-hand page.
About the Author
An author bio belongs in the back matter of every novel. It is usually has short paragraphs covering who you are as a writer and what you write. You can also include your website and social media handles here so readers who enjoyed the book can find more of your work. It’s also on a right hand page.
Also By
If you have published other books, listing them in the back matter is great way to direct readers to your other work. There is no strict rule about whether it falls on a left or right page.
A Note to Readers or Call to Action
Some authors include a short note at the end of the book asking readers to leave a review. For self-published authors especially, reviews on platforms like Amazon and Goodreads make a significant difference to visibility. A short note asking readers to share their thoughts if they enjoyed the book is worth including. Again, there is no strict rule about whether it falls on a left or right page.
How to Format a Novel
Once you are clear about your book’s layout, the next step is formatting the actual text. This part will affect how every page of your novel looks.
Choosing Your Font
When choosing a font for the body text of your novel, a serif font is often a better option. Serif fonts have small strokes at the ends of the letters, and they are easier to read in print over long stretches of text. Common choices for novel formatting include Garamond, Times New Roman, Palatino, and Baskerville. Font size for body text is typically between 10 and 12 points, with 11 or 11.5 being a common choice that balances readability with page count.
Avoid using decorative or display fonts for body text. They might look striking as a heading or on a cover, but reading them across hundreds of pages is tiring. Such fonts slow the eye down instead of letting it move through the text naturally.
Line Spacing
Line spacing in a novel is typically set to between 1.1 and 1.5. Single spacing makes text feel cramped and difficult to read. Double spacing leaves too much white space. A setting around 1.2 to 1.3 tends to work well for most novels. The aim is text that looks and feels comfortable to read without looking crowded.
Paragraph Indentation
Apart from the very first paragraph of a chapter, paragraphs in fiction are indented at the first line rather than separated by a blank line between them. The indent is usually around 0.3 to 0.5 inches. Using a blank line between paragraphs instead of an indent is common in web writing and emails but looks off in a printed novel. Set your paragraph indent using your formatting software’s paragraph settings rather than using the tab key, which can create inconsistent spacing.
Justified Text
Most novels use justified text alignment, which means the text lines up along both the left and right margins. Justified alignment makes your text look neat on the page. If your formatting software produces awkward gaps between words when text is justified, a hyphenation setting can help. Turning it on usually helps distribute the spacing more evenly.
Headers and Footers
If you’ve ever picked up a printed novel and noticed the author’s name or book title at the top of each page, that’s a running header. The footer is the same idea but at the bottom of the page, and it’s usually where page numbers are placed.
The header typically appears at the top of each page and usually shows the author’s name on the left page and the book title on the right page, or just the book title across both. Page numbers can appear in the header alongside this information or in the footer at the bottom of the page.
Not every page in your book should have a running header. Chapter opening pages, the title page, copyright page, and any other front or back matter pages should not have running headers. Most formatting software lets you suppress headers on specific pages.
Choosing Your Page Size and Margins
Trim Size
The trim size is the final printed dimensions of your book. For novels, the most common trim sizes are:
- 5 x 8 inches — a compact choice for fiction
- 5.5 x 8.5 inches — slightly larger choice that is common
- 6 x 9 inches — the most poular size used in fiction
Margins
Margins are the blank spaces around the edges of each page. They frame the text, keep it away from the edges of the paper, and prevent it from disappearing into the binding. Getting margins wrong is one of the most common formatting mistakes in self-published books.
The inside margin, also called the gutter, needs to be slightly wider than the outside margin because part of it disappears into the binding when the book is printed. The exact minimum margins required depend on your trim size and page count. Amazon KDP provides a margin guide that gives you the minimum measurements for your specific book, and it is worth checking this before you finalise your file.
A good practice is to add about 0.25 inches beyond the minimum on the inside margin to ensure text isn’t too close to the binding. Margins that are too narrow are one of the first things a reader notices in a poorly formatted book.
Always Order a Proof Copy
Before you make your novel available to the public, order a printed proof copy.
What looks good on a screen often reveals problems in print. A proof copy lets you check whether the margins give the text enough room, whether the chapter headings look the way you intended, whether any text is too close to the binding, and whether the book is comfortable to read. Small formatting issues that are not visible on screen become obvious the moment you hold the physical book.
Many self-publishing platforms allow you to order a proof copy at cost price before approving the book for sale.
The File You Upload Tells a Reader Everything
When a reader opens your novel, if the margins are too tight, or the font looks off or the chapter headings are inconsistent, they are able to tell right away that the book was poorly formatted.
Proper book formatting and layout can feel like a lot of work when you’re eager to get the book out, but a reader who opens a well-formatted novel is more likely to read, finish, and come back for your next one.
