Is this course for me?

Watch our video to find out more

Why do I need this course?

Great formatting is like the icing on a cake - it makes it irresistible!

You've poured your heart and soul into your book, you've carefully crafted every word, now imagine holding your beautifully formatted book. When typesetting is done right it can greatly improve how your readers perceive your book. It can add credibility and value to your work. So is it worth spending the time to get it right? We would think so. And that's why we created this course, to help you get the best from your book and to make it shine for your readers.

What you'll learn in this course

and what it will do for your book!

  • Easily create a polished and professional-looking layout for your book

  • Use handy styles and templates for consistent formatting and easy editing

  • Effortlessly adjust the spacing, indentation and alignment of your text for best readability

  • Use automated settings to make updating contents or page numbering a breeze

  • Resize, reposition or wrap text around your images to give the look you desire

  • Quickly edit and make changes to multiple sections of your book

  • Create high quality PDFs for printing your book

Are you read to take the next step to publishing your book?

Is this course for me?

  • if you don't know where to start with formatting your book
  • if you're struggling to get the look you want
  • if you want quick ways to format and edit your layout and design
  • if you want your book to look professionally created
  • If you want to easily create consistency across a series of books


Whether you are a new writing or established author, and whatever genre you are writing, this course can help you.

I'm ready to make my book shine!

What's included?

  • The latest version of Affinity Publisher, an award winning desktop publishing software.

  • Access the course material for as long you need for one price.

  • Help from friendly professional typesetters - we're just an email away.

Course topics

    1. What printer should I use?

    2. What are my book binding options?

    3. What page size is best for my book?

    4. What are page margins?

    5. How do I use Affinity Publisher?

    1. How do I set a page size for my book?

    2. How do I set my page margins?

    3. How do I save my work?

    4. How do I add text to a page?

    5. What are text styles?

    6. Should I remove the default text styles?

    7. How do I import text into Affinity Publisher?

    8. How do I put my text on other pages?

    9. How do I create character text style?

    10. What font should I use?

    11. What size text should I use?

    12. Should I align, centre or justify my text?

    13. What is a baseline grid?

    14. What size leading should I set?

    15. What is an automatic hyphen?

    16. How do I create a group style?

    17. How do I create a paragraph style?

    18. How do I remove local formatting?

    19. How do I edit a text style?

    20. How should I divide up my book and style my headings?

    21. How do I make the first paragraph look different?

    22. How do I create a chapter heading style?

    23. How do I force the text to start on another page?

    24. How do I start my chapters further down the page?

    25. How do I apply a baseline grid to my page?

    26. How do I format letters, poems or other distinctly different paragraphs in my story?

    27. What do I do now that my text styles are set up?

    1. What should appear at the beginning of my book?

    2. How do I create a title page?

    3. How do I create a half title page?

    4. How do I fix the spacing issues in my dedication?

    5. Should I right align my name in the author's note?

    6. What should appear in my copyright page?

    7. How do I layout my copyright page?

    1. What are master pages?

    2. How do I add page numbers?

    3. How do I remove page numbers?

    4. How do I start my page numbering at 1?

    1. Can I get my book printed now?

    2. How do I produce a print ready file?

    3. How do I produce an electronic copy to proofread?

    4. Should I do a final read through?

About this course

  • £299.00
  • 80 lessons
  • 5 hours of video content

Start your journey to becoming a published author

Bonus

Our course is more than just typesetting and includes ...

  • Templates

    Save money on barcodes by using our handy template included in this course to create your own (using your ISBN). Save time and use our downloadable copyright page template to help you complete all the necessary information in the front of your book.

  • Tips and Tricks

    We've asked other professionals in the publishing industry to add their tips to help you get the best out of your book and realise your dreams of becoming a published author. We will keep adding more content to help you along your publishing journey

FAQ

  • What software is included?

    The current version of Affinity Publisher (by Serif) is included in the price. You will receive a download code that can be used against either the Windows or Mac version of the software. Professional desktop publishing software has the tools needed to create, design and export your book to a high standard. This award-winning software is easy to learn and requires no ongoing subscription.

  • Which operating system do I need?

    The course is delivered using Windows but has been successfully completed by students using a Mac.

  • Will this course help me sell more books?

    A professional formatted book will boost your book's saleability by it's appealing design, improved readability, conveying professionalism and by standing out from the crowd. We can't guarantee you'll sell more books (as a lot will come down to marketing) but a great looking book will improve its chances of success.

  • What if I get stuck?

    We have broken the course into small bite size steps so that you can easily find and re-watch sections, but if you do get stuck or something is unclear then do drop us an email so we can help.

  • My book is illustrated or contains images, can I still do your course?

    Yes! Affinity Publisher is great with images. This is where professional desktop publishing software really shines. We'll show you how to create a photo section within your book, add captions, wrap text around your images and add text over an image. If what you want to do isn't explained then drop us an email and we'll add a video tutorial on how to do it.

  • What language is the course in?

    The course is delivered in UK English.

  • Do I have to follow the course in order?

    We have created a step-by-step guide in a logical order, just as we would do when professionally typesetting a book. We would recommend following the videos in that order, however, all the videos will be available for you to watch, and you won't need to watch one to move onto the next. Therefore you can dip in and out and re-watch videos as much as you need. Not every video will apply to all books so there will be some videos you can skip over.

  • I'm not in the UK, can I still do your course?

    Yes! You will still be able to download the software and access the course. However, some of the information provided will be specific to publishing in the UK and you may need to check any requirements of the country in which you wish to publish.

  • How long will your course take me?

    This is a tricky one. It will depend on how long your book is, how many edits you do, if you have images, how quickly you work through the course and many other factors. We would suggest allowing 3-6 months but you may find it takes you longer or even a lot less time to do depending on the factors above.

Are you ready to make your book look great?

Undecided?

Pop your email below and we'll keep you updated and send some helpful information your way.

Thank You