3 Important Pieces to Include When Formatting Your Book

When formatting your book for publication, it’s important to include an author section, a call to action for reviews, and bonus content

There are more indie authors tackling the publishing process than ever these days.

When it comes to the formatting process of your book, there are so many things to consider when compiling it all into a proper publication file. In addition to paying attention to mistakes, odd indentations, and blank pages, there are three other things that add to the reader’s experience.

As in additional details that could make the book overall more special than it already is.

Author Section

Every reader wants to know about the author to some extent.

They first and foremost want to know if they’ve written any other books because if they loved the one they just read, they will be eager to jump into another book. Second, they could be interested in what details you can add about yourself. And lastly, they may look for links to your website or other goodies.

In addition to this, make sure you have a more professional photo attached to the author section will prove you are all professional.

Here is mine:

I format my book using Reedsy.com and it allows you to add in this little section and provides spaces for you to add your chosen links.

Call to Action for Reviews

It is surprising the amount of readers who either forget to leave a review for the book or just don’t leave one altogether.

As a gentle reminder, many authors will leave a small page after the ending to leave a review where they bought it or on Goodreads. Sometimes this is just the nudge people need to leave a review after all.

You can do so by politely asking, ‘If you loved (insert book name) please leave what you thought in the form of a review on Amazon or Goodreads so others can find this book too!’

Or, try a unique route to get them to go the extra step such as, ‘If you hated (insert book name here), please let me know why in the form of a review. But if you loved it, I would like to hear it in a review as well.’

Here is the one I include in mine:

Opportunity for Bonus Content

If you can create bonus content that applies to your book, it can go a long way with readers.

Many times, if you can include it at the back of the book you can surprise readers and they may include it in their review.

Here are some bonus content ideas:

• Maps- Everyone loves a good map and it can help if your characters embark on a journey because then the reader can try to see where they’ve been. You can hire someone to create one or there are some Dungeon and Dragons map generators online that could help you out if it fits your genre.

• Character Bio- Some books have small details and images of their characters in the back of the book. Honestly, if including images, it can be a fifty-fifty shot if readers will like it based on the image they have conjured in their heads. But it is a cool idea if you can pull it off.

• Playlists- This is becoming a popular option for many books, and I have included playlists in the back of two of my books. It can be as simple as a list of songs in the order you envision them happening with the timeline of the book.

Here is one I included in the back of my book, Anywhere Else

For more on bonus content, see: How to Add Value to Your Books with Bonus Content

Readers enjoy a little surprise here and there from a book they love, so why not try to deliver a treat?