A lot of authors like the appearance of drop caps to start a chapter, and it’s easy to add them in Reedsy. You can also remove the chapter numbers that appear by default when exporting your book. Both of these functions are in the same spot.
Although Reedsy doesn’t have the formatting capabilities of Atticus, there are still a few ways you can make your book look nice. In fact, I wrote and published Kingmaker on Amazon completely from Reedsy.
Adding Drop Caps & Removing Chapter Numbers in Reedsy
Adding drop caps and removing chapter numbers are formatting functions in Reedsy. And both of these settings are in the same place.
There are a couple of ways you can get to the settings, but I’ll show you the fastest method.
Step 1: Open the Manage Screen
First, hover over the book you want to add drop caps and click, “Manage.”
Step 2: Go to Exports
From the Manage screen, click the “Exports” option at the top.
Step 3: Select Formatting Options
Scroll down a bit until you find the Formatting Options section. From here, click to enable or disable the “Hide chapter numbers” and the “Drop caps” functions.
You can tell the features are enabled as they’ll be surrounded by a blue line and a checkmark on the top right of each one.
Step 4: Export Your Book
Once you’ve selected your formatting options, click the “Export Book” button.
Reedsy will give you a message that your book is being typeset. This means it’s exporting the file so you can download it.
Click the “Close” button and you will be taken to the download screen.
NOTE: By default, Reedsy will export the PDF version of your file. You can change this to ePub in the Export screen.
Step 5: Download Your Book
It can take a minute or two for Reedsy to compile your manuscript for download. You’ll get an email when it is ready, or you can watch the Exported Files section as it will advise you when the book is available for download by giving you the button.
Click the “Download” button to save your formatted book.
Once your file is saved, check it to make sure all of your formatting options were exported correctly.
From the Manuscript
You can also access the Export screen directly from your manuscript. To do this, just click the Export tool on the right of the Reedsy book editor. You’ll be taken to the Export screen as shown in Step 3 above.
Understanding the Export Section of Reedsy
Drop caps and removing chapters aren’t the only things you can adjust for exporting from Reedsy. While it doesn’t have a lot of options available, you can still export a decent-looking book.
Currently, the features of Reedsy include:
Export Options
In this section, you can choose whether to download your book as a print-ready PDF or as an ePub file.
Book Cover
This is a link that takes you to the main settings of your manuscript. It is here where you can upload a file for your book cover.
Formatting Options
The formatting options currently available include the ability to hide chapter numbers in Reedsy and add drop caps to the start of chapters.
End Note Positioning
If you add end notes to your manuscript, you can select whether they appear at the end of a page or at the end of the book in a completely separate chapter. It might make the layout cleaner, depending on your needs.
Trim sizes
Reedsy gives you several industry standards for the trim dimensions of your book. This is important for those who plan to have printed copies available.
The trim sizes in Reedsy include:
- Trade (6″ x 9″)
- Digest (5.5″ x 8.5″)
- Reedsy Standard (5″ x 8″)
- Pocket (4.25″ x 6.87″)
Choose a Template
Reedsy has three font typeset templates you can choose from: Reedsy (Merriweather), Classic (Crimson), and Romance (Crimson). By clicking any one of these settings, the example below will change to show what it will look like in your manuscript.
Back Up Your Book
You can create a backup of your manuscript as a .DOCX file. This is an editable version of your book that can be used for any purpose, such as sharing or editing.
However, the file does not include the front and back matter that is auto-generated by Reedsy.
Limited Formatting, But Still a Good Book
Despite Reedsy having limited options for book formatting, you can still print out a good-looking book. As long as you’re not trying to be too fancy with the graphics and fonts, the end result is a standard novel.
Don’t get me wrong, I would love it if Reedsy had some of the customizations of Atticus. But for beginner novelists, you still get all of the necessary components in the Reedsy book editor.
In reality, I can count on one hand the number of books I’ve read where drop caps were present. And most of those were much fancier and tailored for fantasy books.
I was quite pleased with how Kingmaker turned out, and the only reason I’m using Atticus for Shadows of Atlantic City is for blog and video content.
For being a free platform for writing your books, Reedsy has quite a few features to help you succeed. From easy goal tracking to the planning board, from front and back matter to adding drop caps, Reedsy has quite a bit to offer.
This is especially true now that they added collaborations to the management screen. Now, you and a friend can write a book together!
This goes to show that Reedsy is continuously updating and incorporating some of the things people have wanted on the platform. Who knows what kind of formatting options will come out in the next few months?
How Do You Format Your Book?
I never really thought of formatting all that much in the beginning. As a reader, I really don’t care about pizazz and flair. I just want to read a good story.
However, I do get why some authors want to add a bit more personality and flair to the reader experience.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to you and your connection with your readers. Formatting can play a role in the appearance, but it means very little if your story is lacking.
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