How to Write a Book in Word

Writing a book in Microsoft Word is a task that can be accomplished with a little bit of planning and a lot of typing. All you need is a computer with Word installed, and you’re ready to go. In a nutshell, you’ll set up your document, start typing, format your text, add any necessary elements like a table of contents or images, and finally, save and export your work.

The Basic Steps to Write a Book in Word

Set up your document

Open Microsoft Word and create a new document. This will be the foundation of your book.

Setting up your document correctly is crucial. Consider the size of your book, as this will affect the page setup. Standard sizes include 6"x9" for trade paperbacks and 8.5"x11" for textbooks or workbooks. Go to the ‘Layout’ tab and select ‘Size’ to choose your desired page size. Then, set your margins by going to ‘Margins’ and selecting ‘Custom Margins.’ A one-inch margin on all sides is a good place to start.

Begin typing your content

Start typing your book, chapter by chapter. Don’t worry about formatting yet; just focus on getting your words down. To track progress toward a chapter or manuscript goal, keep the live word count on Word’s status bar and select a chapter to see its own total.

The most important part of writing a book is, well, the writing. Don’t get too hung up on making everything perfect on the first go. The priority here is to get your thoughts and ideas onto the page. You can always come back and edit later. Remember to save your work regularly to avoid losing any of your precious words.

Format your text

Once your content is in, go back and format your text. Use the ‘Home’ tab to adjust the font type, size, and paragraph spacing.

Consistency is key when formatting your book. Choose a clear, readable font like Times New Roman or Arial, and stick with a font size of 11 or 12 for the main text. For paragraph spacing, setting it to 1.15 or 1.5 will make your text easier to read. Headings for chapters should be larger and may be bolded to stand out.

Add a table of contents and images

Insert a table of contents by going to the ‘References’ tab and selecting ‘Table of Contents.’ Add images by clicking ‘Insert’ and then ‘Pictures.’

A table of contents adds a professional touch and helps readers navigate your book. Word can automatically create one based on the headings you’ve used in your document. If you have images to add, make sure they’re high resolution and positioned where you want them. Be mindful of copyright when using images that aren’t your own.

Save and export your book

Save your document regularly as you write. Once finished, export your book as a PDF or Word document for publishing.

Your book is now written, but there’s one last step before it’s ready to be shared with the world. Saving your document as a PDF will ensure the formatting stays intact no matter where it’s opened. If you’re planning to self-publish, check the requirements of the platform you’re using, as they may have specific file type or formatting guidelines.

After completing these steps, your book should be ready for the next stage, whether that’s sending it off to an editor, self-publishing, or submitting it to literary agents and publishers.

Plan Your Book’s Structure With Headings

Before writing much, set up Word so each chapter is easy to find and move.

1. Type each chapter title on its own line and apply the Heading 1 style from Home > Styles. Use Heading 2 for scenes or sections within chapters. The Ctrl + Alt + 1 and 2 shortcuts in our guide to making text a heading in Word speed this up for a long manuscript.
2. Turn on View > Navigation Pane. Every heading appears in a clickable outline on the left.
3. Drag a heading in the Navigation Pane to move the whole chapter, text and all, to a new position.
4. Use View > Outline when you want to see only chapter titles and rearrange the book’s structure.

Headings also power the automatic table of contents, so they pay off again when you add a table of contents in Word.

Set Up Body Text Styles Once

Rather than formatting paragraphs one at a time, change the Normal style so the whole manuscript updates together. Right-click Normal in the Styles gallery, choose Modify, and set:

• Font: a readable serif such as Garamond, Georgia, or Times New Roman at 11 to 12 pt for print; Times New Roman 12 pt is standard for manuscripts sent to agents.
• Line spacing: double-spacing for submissions; 1.15 to 1.3 for print layouts.
• Indentation: under Format > Paragraph, set a first-line indent of about 0.3 to 0.5 inches and zero spacing after paragraphs. Do not use the Tab key to indent.

Start Each Chapter on a New Page

Place the cursor before a chapter heading and choose Layout > Breaks > Next Page section break, or Odd Page if chapters must start on a right-hand page in print. Section breaks also let each chapter have its own headers (more on adding a section break in Word). A faster option is to open the Heading 1 style’s Paragraph settings and check Page break before on the Line and Page Breaks tab.

Set the Trim Size and Margins for Print

If you plan to print or self-publish, set the page size early so the page count and layout are accurate:

1. Go to Layout > Size > More Paper Sizes and enter your trim size, such as 6 x 9 inches or 5.5 x 8.5 inches.
2. Go to Layout > Margins > Custom Margins, set Multiple pages to Mirror margins, and add a Gutter of around 0.2 to 0.5 inches so text is not lost in the binding. Thicker books need larger gutters.

For the exact settings, follow formatting a 6 x 9 book in Word. To print booklets at home, read printing a book in Word.

Add Headers and Page Numbers

• Double-click the top margin to open the header. In Header & Footer, check Different Odd & Even Pages to put the book title on left pages and the author or chapter name on right pages.
• Check Different First Page so chapter opening pages have no header.
• Insert page numbers with Insert > Page Number. To start numbering at 1 on the first chapter instead of the title page, use Page Number > Format Page Numbers > Start at in that section. You can also restart page numbering in Word per section and make different headers in Word for each chapter.

Useful Writing Tools in Word

• Focus mode: View > Focus hides the ribbon and other distractions.
• Dictate: Home > Dictate lets you speak your draft in Microsoft 365.
• Read Aloud: Review > Read Aloud reads text back, which is one of the best ways to catch awkward sentences.
• Word count: the status bar shows the running total; select a chapter to see its count, and use Review > Word Count for details.
• Editor: Home > Editor flags spelling, grammar, clarity, and conciseness issues.
• Use the ‘Comments’ feature to make notes or reminders for yourself as you write.
• Track Changes and comments: share the file with an editor or beta reader and review their edits one by one with Track Changes in Word.
• Copilot: in Microsoft 365 with Copilot in Word, you can ask for summaries of chapters or rewrite suggestions.

Protect Your Manuscript

• Save the book to OneDrive and keep AutoSave on; File > Info > Version History lets you restore earlier drafts.
• Keep a second backup on an external drive or another cloud service.
• For very long books with many images, consider one file per chapter during drafting, then combine them with Insert > Object > Text from File at the end.

Export Your Book

• PDF for print: File > Save As > PDF. In Options, choose ISO 19005-1 compliant (PDF/A) to embed fonts, which many printers and print-on-demand services require.
• Ebook: many ebook platforms accept a .docx file directly. Use Heading styles and real page breaks so the chapters convert cleanly, and remove page numbers and headers, which ebooks do not use.
• Manuscript submissions: send the .docx in the format the agent or publisher requests.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I write a book in Word on a Mac?

Yes, you can write a book in Word on a Mac. The process is similar to using Word on a Windows PC.

What’s the best way to proofread my book in Word?

Use Word’s built-in ‘Spelling & Grammar’ checker, and consider reading your book aloud to catch any errors.