faq
faq
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ebook formatting?
Ebook formatting is preparing a digital file to make sure it meets the requirements of the publisher and is a pleasant reading experience.
Why do you need your ebook formatted?
In order to be accepted, each publisher has particular requirements that must be met. It’s not nice to just upload an improperly formatted Word file.
Who do we format books for?
We format books for anyone who needs book formatting services such as self published authors and small publishers. Our formatted books are ready to be uploaded to Smashwords, Amazon, Kobo, Apple, Barnes & Noble, IngramSpark and more without any problems.
When can I expect my formatted file?
We have some of the fastest turnaround times in the business. Turnaround time within 7 days of payment (3 days for rush jobs).
What is an .ePub?
ePub ebook format is an industry-wide standard for eBooks. It is the most common eBook format used on the market. It can be read on most eBook devices, PCs and smartphones, except Kindle.
What is a .MOBI?
Mobi format was purchased by Amazon from its developers, and used to develop the Kindle. Meanwhile, Amazon has added some new and improved formats like KF8, but .mobi is still the best source file to upload on Amazon. It can be read on any of the Kindle devices and Kindle Apps.
What is print book formatting?
Print book formatting is the process of preparing a PDF file to make sure it meets the requirements of the publisher and is a pleasant reading experience.
Why do you need your print book formatted?
Local Print Houses and Publishing Platforms such as KDP Print, Lulu, and IngramSpark have specific requirements that need to be met to be accepted.
Who do we format print books for?
We format print books for KDP Print, Lulu, IngramSpark and any other platforms/print house. We provide high-quality professionally formatted, typeset and designed print ready PDF files ready for publishing.
How to determine the word count of my book?
While your document is open in MS-Word, you can see the word count on the status bar at the bottom-left of MS-Word Window. Alternatively, you can copy the whole text of your book, open this link WORDCOUNTER.NET paste the text and scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the word count.
What are Smashwords Styleguide, Premium Catalog and Autovetter?
Style Guide is a set of formatting rules that must be obliged in order to sell your book via Smashwords.
Premium Catalog is a collection of books on Smashwords that are accepted for distribution to retailers.
AutoVetter is a software that inspects your document on upload for formatting errors.
You guarantee my book will pass the AutoVetter and get into Premium Catalog, can my book still get rejected?
We can guarantee that your book will pass the AutoVetter and get into Premium Catalog. But, if your book violates Smashword’s terms of service such as; public domain work, incomplete/partial book, appears elsewhere under another name, Amazon link/s, etc., it will be rejected no matter what we do.
What is Trim Size?
the dimensions of a document after it has been printed and cut down to its desired width and height from a larger sheet, prior to any folding is referred to as Trim Size.
Examples: 5″ x 8″ (5 inches wide and 8 inches tall, 5.5″ x 8.5″, 6″ x 9″ , 8.5” x 11”, etc..
What are Print guidelines?
- Measurements to ensure top-notch printing
- Trim Line: Where the printer will cut your image
- Bleed: The area beyond the trim line that extends printing to the edge
- Safety Line: The border that contains all printable text
What is meant by Typesetting?
Arrangement of type of the text on pages to ensure the readability of a book is called typesetting.
What are Hangings, Widows & orphans?
Hanging: Dangling words that start or end a paragraph.
Widows: A paragraph-ending line that falls at the beginning of the followign page or column.
Orphans: A paragraph-opening line that appears by itself at the bottom of a page or column.
Do you accept PDF and PDF-Converted-Word as source files?
Yes. But, a word document converted from PDF has broken paragraphs/words, lost italics/bolds, corrupted ligatures, etc. Fixing all these is very tedious and time-consuming, so we charge an extra of $5 per 20 pages for a PDF file or a word document converted from a PDF.
What are not allowed or don't work in Smashwords eBooks?
- more than 4 consecutive paragraph returns
- tabs
- indents made with spacebar/tabs
- fancy fonts
- text in columns
- inconsistent font size
- tables
- text boxes
- footnotes
- text wrapping
- list (number and bullets)
- images should be inline with text
What is the Manuscript of a book?
The content of the book to be fit into the book. In other words, it’s the whole writeup of the book.
What are Margins?
- White space that surrounds content.
- Gutter margins: The margin on the inside of bound pages that needs to be generous to compensate for the binding process.
- Outside margins: The margins on the opposite side of the gutter margins. It can be of the same width or narrower than the gutter margin.
What is Resolution of an image?
- The amount of pixel detail in an image
- Low resolution: Few pixels make the image pixelated
- High resolution: Many pixels make the image sharp.
What is Layout Design?
The layout is tough to define. Think of it as the way your content appears on the page. Including the font, size, spacing, and justification of your text, your image placement, the margins, the Header and Footer, Page numbers, there’s a lot going on with the Layout.
Who owns the rights to all the final designs and files?
You, as the author owns the complete rights to all the designs after you make the payment and the order is delivered! Whether it be book cover or eBook file/s or interior print ready files, you We don’t take any royalties so you’ll retain 100% of the rights and profit from the design. But please let us have the right to share our work in our portfolio and on our social media channels to help promote our business (as well as your book!).
What kind of design software do you use for cover and interior design?
We use Microsoft Word as word processor program (also use for Smashwords eBook formatting), Adobe Photoshop for Book Cover Design, Adobe Illustrator for creating artworks and illustrations, Adobe InDesign for eBook formatting, print formatting and other publishing designs. We also use Adobe Acrobat Pro (Acrobat DC Pro) to read, process and check PDF documents.
Do you offer a money back guarantee?
Yes! We stand behind our services with our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. If for any reason you don’t like something, we’ll work with you to make it right or we will refund your money.
Do you provide ISBN?
Yes, we provide ISBNs, but please understand that the imprint will be Waratah Author Services. All eBook-Book Formatting and Designing Packages include one each ISBN. You are free to use your own or you can opt for the FREE ISBN provided by Amazon KDP and other platforms.
Also, if you prefer your own ISBN, you can buy from your country’s ISBN agency. Please click HERE to find the official ISBN agency in your country. On that page, ISBN agency of your country will be shown when you select your country from the drop-down list.
We will take care of the ISBN Barcodes for you for FREE.
Do you take any royalty from selling my book?
No! We charge you for our services. Whatever you earn from selling your book is 100% yours. We are not a Vanity Press, nor a Publisher, neither a Hybrid Publisher but a service provider for Self-Published Authors and Small Publishing Companies around the world.
Let us help you to bring your book to the world.
Have a question or need a quote? Reach out to us by clicking the “Contact Us” button below. We will be happy to spend some time talking to you about our services or to answer a few questions about self-publishing in general.