How to Format a Book in Microsoft Word

Set up your document before you write

Open a blank document in Microsoft Word and go to the Layout tab at the top. Before you write a single word, set your margins, page size, and line spacing — changing these after you have written 50,000 words means reformatting everything at once.

Click Margins and choose Custom Margins. For a printed book, use 1 inch on all sides as a starting point, though some genres use 0.75 inches on left and right to fit more text per page. For a book you plan to print yourself or send to a print-on-demand service, check their specifications first — they often have exact margin requirements.

Set your page size by clicking Size on the Layout tab. Standard book sizes are 6 by 9 inches (common for novels) or 8.5 by 11 inches (common for non-fiction and textbooks). If you are self-publishing through a service like Amazon KDP or IngramSpark, their website lists the exact dimensions they accept.

Go to the Home tab and set your line spacing to 1.5 or double-spaced before you begin writing. Single spacing looks cramped in a printed book and makes the text harder to read. Select all text later with Ctrl+A if you need to change it, but starting with the right spacing saves you from forgetting.

Key Takeaways

Set margins, page size, and line spacing in the Layout tab before you write, because changing them afterward reformats your entire document.
Use a consistent font like Calibri or Times New Roman at 11 or 12 points throughout your book, and never use multiple fonts for emphasis — use bold or italics instead.
Create a paragraph style for your body text and explore it to every paragraph so that spacing and indentation stay consistent across all pages.
Add page numbers, headers, and footers through the Insert tab, and set them to start on page 2 or 3 so your title page and copyright page remain blank.
Export your finished document as a PDF before sending it to a printer or print-on-demand service, because PDF preserves your formatting exactly as it appears on screen.

Choose a single font and stick with it

Pick one font for your entire book and do not change it. Calibri, Times New Roman, and Garamond are all readable in print. Avoid decorative fonts like Comic Sans or script fonts — they tire the reader's eye and look unprofessional in a book-length document.

Set your font size to 11 or 12 points. Anything smaller than 11 points becomes hard to read in print, especially for readers over 40. Anything larger than 12 points makes your book look like a children's book or a document written for someone with vision problems, which may not be your intent.

If you need to emphasize a word or phrase, use bold or italics — never change the font itself. Readers expect bold and italics; they do not expect the font to suddenly shift mid-sentence. Select the word, then press Ctrl+B for bold or Ctrl+I for italics.

Create a paragraph style for consistent spacing

Word's paragraph styles let you set indentation, spacing, and alignment once and explore them to every paragraph at once. This keeps your book looking uniform from page 1 to page 300.

Go to the Home tab and right-click on Normal in the Styles panel on the right side of the screen. Click Modify. In the dialog box, set your font to your chosen font and size, then click the Format button at the bottom and select Paragraph.

In the Paragraph dialog, set Indentation to 0.5 inches for the first line — this indents the first line of every paragraph so readers can see where paragraphs begin. Set Spacing Before and Spacing After to 0 points so paragraphs sit directly below each other with no extra gap. Set Line Spacing to 1.5 or double, whichever you chose earlier. Click OK twice to save your style.

Now select all the body text in your document (Ctrl+A) and click the Normal style in the Styles panel. Every paragraph will when ready format the same way. If you add new paragraphs later, they will automatically use the Normal style.

Add page numbers and headers

Go to the Insert tab and click Page Number. Choose where you want the number to appear — most books put page numbers at the bottom center or bottom outside corner of the page. Click your choice.

A dialog box will ask where to start numbering. Choose Start at and enter the number where you want page numbering to begin. If your book has a title page and a copyright page, you might want numbering to start at page 3 (the first page of actual content). Click OK.

If you want a header with your book title or author name, click Header on the Insert tab and choose a header style. Type your text. Headers and footers appear on every page automatically, so you only type them once.

To remove the page number or header from your title page, double-click in the header area of your title page, then check the box that says Different First Page. The title page header will now be blank while the rest of your book keeps its header.

Format chapter breaks and headings

Each chapter should start on a new page. Place your cursor at the beginning of the chapter title and go to the Layout tab. Click Breaks and choose Page. Word will push that chapter to a new page automatically.

Create a separate style for chapter headings so they look different from body text. Right-click in the Styles panel and select New Style. Name it "Chapter Heading". Set the font size larger than your body text — 18 or 20 points works well — and make it bold. You can also center it or change the color. Click OK.

Select each chapter title in your document and click the Chapter Heading style. All your chapter titles will now format the same way when ready. If you later decide chapter titles should be 22 points instead of 18, you can modify the Chapter Heading style once and every chapter title updates automatically.

Handle special formatting for quotes and lists

If your book contains block quotes, indented passages, or lists, format them differently from body text so readers can see they are separate. Select a block quote and go to the Home tab. Click the small arrow next to Increase Indent and drag the indent slider to the right. This indents the entire quote from both left and right margins.

For numbered or bulleted lists, select the text and click Numbering or Bullets on the Home tab. Word will automatically number or bullet each line. If you need to add a line to your list later, press Enter at the end of a line and Word will create the next number or bullet for you.

If you use footnotes or endnotes, go to the References tab and click Insert Footnote or Insert Endnote. Word will automatically number them and place them at the bottom of the page (footnotes) or end of the document (endnotes). If you delete a footnote, Word renumbers the rest automatically.

Export to PDF before printing or uploading

When your book is finished and formatted, save it as a PDF file. PDF preserves your exact formatting so that margins, fonts, spacing, and page breaks look the same on every device and printer. Go to File and click Save As. In the dialog, change the file type from "Word Document" to "PDF". Choose where to save it and click Save.

Open the PDF file in Adobe Reader or your browser to check that everything looks correct. Scroll through several pages to make sure page numbers appear where you expect, chapter breaks happen on new pages, and no text is cut off at the margins. If you find a problem, close the PDF, fix it in Word, and export to PDF again.

If you are sending your book to a print-on-demand service like Amazon KDP or IngramSpark, upload the PDF file, not the Word document. The service will use the PDF to print your book, so the PDF is your final product. If you are printing at home, print from the PDF file as well — it ensures consistent output across different computers and printers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use different fonts for different chapters?

You can, but you should not. A single font throughout your book looks professional and helps readers focus on your words rather than the design. If you want visual variety, use bold or italics for emphasis, or make chapter titles larger and centered instead of changing the font itself.

What if my book has images or illustrations?

Insert images by going to the Insert tab and clicking Pictures. Select your image file and click Insert. Right-click the image and choose Wrap Text to decide whether text flows around it or stops at it. Resize the image by dragging its corners. For a printed book, make sure images are at least 300 DPI (dots per inch) so they print clearly — low-resolution images will look blurry.

How do I create a table of contents?

Word can generate a table of contents automatically if you use heading styles for your chapter titles. Go to the References tab and click Table of Contents. Choose a style. Word will scan your document for all text formatted as Chapter Heading and list them with page numbers. If you add or delete chapters later, right-click the table of contents and click Update Field to refresh it.

What margin size do print-on-demand services require?

Requirements vary by service. Amazon KDP requires 0.5-inch margins on all sides for paperbacks. IngramSpark requires 0.5 inches on left and right, 0.75 inches on top and bottom. Check your service's specifications before you start formatting — they usually have a PDF guide you can read that shows exact requirements.

Should I use single or double spacing for my final book?

Use 1.5 spacing for your final printed book. Double spacing is standard for manuscript submissions to publishers and agents, but it makes printed books look sparse and wastes paper. 1.5 spacing is readable, professional, and economical for self-published books.

This guide is for general information only and is not medical, financial, legal, or other professional advice. For decisions specific to your situation, consult a qualified professional. See our Editorial Policy.