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3 ePublishing formatting tricks: Editor's Notes #224
November 30, 2016
Hello,

Compose with utter freedom and edit with utter discipline.
--Erica Jong


In this issue:

1. 3 ePublishing formatting tricks
2. Tickled my funnybone
3. Interesting Web site
4. Writing prompt

1. 3 ePublishing formatting tricks
Tip #1
People who use e-readers get to choose the font, so don't spend time dithering over which to use. If you choose a common font like Arial or Times New Roman, your readers will have the best chance of a smooth conversion if they opt for customization.

Tip #2
eReaders do not do the best possible job of justifying text. (Justifying is the term for alining the text across the page.) Do the following to help out the ereader.

Leave a space between and after an em dash.

If you have a choice between hyphenating a word and not hyphenating it, hyphenate it. Otherwise, the whole word may end up on one line.

If you have a choice between a hyphenated word and two words, use two words.

Tip #3
Use your paragraph setting in Word's formatting palette to create indents. Do NOT use tabs or the space bar.

These are only three tricks for formatting for digital books. The content still matters, and there are many other factors to consider when creating an ebook.

Note that even though correcting digital text is easy, errors already downloaded by early purchasers will still be there after you publish a newer version. Always have someone else edit your work before you publish. And if you are publishing an ebook version, find an editor who knows a few digital tricks.

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2.Tickled my funnybone
Night falls; day breaks.

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3. Interesting Web site
For some interesting statistics on epublishing, see the link below.
http://ow.ly/S3HD306C5yr

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4. Writing prompt
Open a piece with "Nothing was as it seemed." Write for five minutes. If you like what you have, you can write a longer piece.

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