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WORD_FORMATTING_INSTRUCTIONS

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WORD FORMATTING INSTRUCTIONS

They Can All Bird — Master Manuscript to Print PDF

FILE LOCATIONS

Master Manuscript: ~/Desktop/MASTER_MANUSCRIPT.md
Your Task: Convert this to a formatted Word document, then PDF

STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS

STEP 1: INSTALL FONTS (5 minutes)

Download from fonts.google.com:

  1. Gochi Hand → https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Gochi+Hand
  2. Permanent Marker → https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Permanent+Marker
  3. Reenie Beanie → https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Reenie+Beanie

Install: Double-click each .ttf file → “Install Font”

STEP 2: OPEN THE MASTER FILE

  1. Open Microsoft Word
  2. File → Open → Select MASTER_MANUSCRIPT.md from Desktop
  3. Word will convert the Markdown to a document

STEP 3: SET UP PAGE FORMAT (Critical!)

Layout → Size → More Paper Sizes:

  • Width: 6”
  • Height: 9”
  • Click OK

Layout → Margins → Custom Margins:

  • Top: 0.75”
  • Bottom: 0.75”
  • Inside (Gutter): 0.75” (or 1” if you want more margin space)
  • Outside: 0.5”
  • Click OK

STEP 4: CREATE STYLES (Save Time!)

Home → Styles → Create New Style:

Style 1: “Chapter Title”

  • Base on: Heading 1
  • Font: Arial Bold (or Helvetica)
  • Size: 24pt
  • All caps
  • Center aligned
  • Space before: 24pt
  • Space after: 12pt

Style 2: “Chapter Subtitle”

  • Base on: Normal
  • Font: Times New Roman Italic
  • Size: 12pt
  • Center aligned
  • Space after: 24pt

Style 3: “Body Text”

  • Base on: Normal
  • Font: Garamond (or Times New Roman)
  • Size: 11pt
  • Line spacing: 1.15
  • Paragraph indent: 0.3” (first line)

Style 4: “Marginalia Blue”

  • Font: Gochi Hand
  • Size: 10pt
  • Italic
  • Color: Dark Blue (#2E5090)
  • Indent left: 0.5”
  • Space before: 6pt
  • Space after: 6pt

Style 5: “Marginalia Red”

  • Font: Permanent Marker
  • Size: 10pt
  • Italic
  • Color: Dark Red (#B85450)
  • Indent left: 0.5”
  • Space before: 6pt
  • Space after: 6pt

Style 6: “Marginalia Pencil”

  • Font: Reenie Beanie
  • Size: 10pt
  • Italic
  • Color: Gray (#666666)
  • Indent left: 0.5”
  • Space before: 6pt
  • Space after: 6pt

STEP 5: APPLY STYLES THROUGHOUT

Chapter Titles:

  • Find: ”# CHAPTER 1” → Apply “Chapter Title” style
  • Find: ”## The Birdbath” → Apply “Chapter Subtitle” style
  • Repeat for all 18 chapters

Marginalia: Look for text in brackets: [Marginalia: Blue ink — ...]

  • Select the entire line including brackets
  • Apply “Marginalia Blue” style (or Red/Pencil based on the text)

Body Text:

  • Everything else → Apply “Body Text” style

Shortcut:

  • Select all text (Ctrl+A)
  • Apply “Body Text” style
  • Then go back and apply chapter titles and marginalia styles

STEP 6: ADD PAGE BREAKS

Insert → Page Break at:

  • After Copyright page (start TOC on new page)
  • After Editor’s Note (start Chapter 1 on new page)
  • Before each Part divider (“PART I: THE DISCOVERY”)
  • Before each Chapter (Chapter 2, 3, 4, etc.)

Chapter 1 should start on Page 1 (right side, odd number in book terms)

STEP 7: PAGE NUMBERS

Insert → Page Number → Bottom of Page → Plain Number 2 (centered)

Important:

  • Front matter (copyright, TOC) should have Roman numerals (i, ii, iii)
  • Chapter 1 onwards should have Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3)

To do this:

  1. Click at start of Chapter 1
  2. Layout → Breaks → Next Page (Section Break)
  3. Double-click footer of Chapter 1
  4. Deselect “Link to Previous”
  5. Insert page number, format as 1, 2, 3
  6. Go to front matter footer, format as i, ii, iii

STEP 8: TABLE OF CONTENTS

References → Table of Contents → Custom Table of Contents

  • Show levels: 2
  • Format: From template
  • Click OK

This should automatically populate from your Heading 1 (Chapter numbers) and Heading 2 (Chapter titles) styles.

If it doesn’t work:

  • Select all chapter titles
  • Apply “Heading 1” style temporarily
  • Generate TOC
  • Then reapply “Chapter Title” style

STEP 9: FINAL CHECKS

Review → Check Document:

  • No spelling errors (but Voss’s voice keeps some!)
  • No widows/orphans (single lines at page breaks)
  • All chapters start on new pages
  • Page numbers correct

Print Preview:

  • File → Print → Preview
  • Check that margins look good
  • Check that page numbers are centered
  • Check that chapter titles aren’t alone at bottom of page

STEP 10: EXPORT TO PDF

File → Save As → PDF

  • File name: They_Can_All_Bird_Interior.pdf
  • Optimize for: Standard (publishing online and printing)
  • Click Save

EXPECTED RESULTS

Final PDF should be:

  • Page size: 6” x 9”
  • Page count: ~290-310 pages
  • All fonts embedded
  • Page numbers: Roman numerals for front matter, Arabic for main text
  • Clean margins, readable text

TROUBLESHOOTING

Fonts not showing:

  • Make sure you installed them (not just downloaded)
  • Restart Word after installing fonts

Page count too high/low:

  • Adjust line spacing (1.15 vs 1.2 vs 1.3)
  • Adjust margins slightly
  • Check for extra line breaks

Marginalia looks weird:

  • These are handwritten fonts—they should look a bit irregular
  • If too hard to read, increase size to 11pt

Chapter titles on wrong pages:

  • Insert manual page breaks (Ctrl+Enter)
  • Make sure Chapter 1 is on a right-hand page (odd number in book)

TIME ESTIMATE

TaskTime
Install fonts5 min
Set up page format10 min
Create styles20 min
Apply styles to all text2-3 hours
Add page breaks30 min
Add page numbers15 min
Generate TOC10 min
Final checks30 min
Export PDF5 min
TOTAL~4-5 hours

ALTERNATIVE: HIRE A FORMATTER

If this feels overwhelming:

  • Reedsy.com: $200-400 for interior formatting
  • Fiverr: $50-200 (quality varies)
  • Atticus: $147 software (automates this)

But DIY in Word is totally doable and saves money.

NEXT STEP

Once you have the PDF:

  1. Go to kdp.amazon.com
  2. Upload interior PDF
  3. Upload cover PDF
  4. Enter ISBNs
  5. Publish!

“The formatting is the frame. The story is the bird.”

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