How to Format a Book in Google Docs Quickly & Easily

What will you learn?

Writing a book is a significant achievement, but presentation matters just as much as the story. A poorly formatted manuscript can distract readers and undermine your hard work. Google Docs offers a free, accessible solution to ensure your book looks polished and professional. 

You can use it from anywhere, and you don’t need any special software. In this guide on how to format a book in Google Docs, you’ll learn how to set up your document, style your text, add a book cover, organize chapters, and save your final file. By the end, your book will look clean and ready to share. And if you want the visuals to match your formatting, our professional book cover design services can create a cover that’s as polished as your manuscript. Follow these steps to give your book a polished, professional look!

What is Google Docs?

Google Docs is a special writing tool that lives on the internet. Instead of writing in a regular computer program that stays on one device, Google Docs lets you write and save your work online. 

This means you can open your writing from any computer, phone, or tablet that connects to the internet. You can type stories, letters, or even books, and Google Docs saves everything as you write.

Why Write a Book in Google Docs?

Google Docs simplifies book writing with these amazing features:

1. Free & Accessible: You can write your book without spending any money! It works on any device with the internet so that you can write anywhere, at home, in a cafe, or even on the go.
2. Teamwork in Writing: Invite collaborators or editors to help you. They can read your book and add suggestions right in the same document. It’s like having a team of writing helpers who can make your story even better!
3. Safe and Sound: Your writing is automatically saved, so you’ll never lose your amazing work. No more worrying about accidentally deleting your story or forgetting to save it.

How to Format Your Book in Google Docs?

Writing a book is a big achievement, but before you share it with the world, you need to format it properly. If your book is messy, it can be hard to read and look unprofessional. The good news is that you can format your book in Google Docs easily without needing any special software or design skills. 

Just follow these simple steps, and your book will look neat, organized, and ready for publishing.

1. Open a New Document and Set the Page Size

The first step in formatting your book is to open a new document in Google Docs. Give it a clear and recognizable name, like “MyBookManuscript” or something similar. Naming your file properly helps you stay organized.

Once the document is open, you need to adjust the page size. This is important because books come in different sizes, and setting them correctly from the beginning will make your formatting easier later on.

If you’re planning to print your book, common paperback sizes include:

1. Digest size: 5.5” x 8.5” (13.97 x 21.59 cm) 
2. US Trade size: 6” x 9”  (15.24 x 22.86 cm)

Since Google Docs doesn’t have these sizes by default, you’ll need to manually adjust them. Here’s how you do it:

1. Click on File in the top menu.
2. Select Page Setup from the dropdown list.
3. Look for the Paper size option and choose Custom size.
4. Type in the width and height you want for your book (like 6” x 9”).
5. Click OK to save your changes.

Now, your document is set to match the trim size of a real book! This will help when you eventually print or convert it into an eBook.

With the page size ready, the next step is to style the text and structure your manuscript properly. Let’s move on to that!

2. Style Your Text, Paragraphs, and Chapters

Now that your document is set up, it’s time to make your book look neat and easy to read. Formatting your text properly will make it more professional and enjoyable for your readers.

Copy and paste without extra formatting

If your manuscript is already written in another document, copy and paste it into your Google Doc. To avoid bringing in strange fonts or unwanted formatting, use this method:

1. Windows: Press Ctrl + Shift + V when pasting.
2. Mac: Press Cmd + Shift + V when pasting.
3. Or, right-click inside the document and select “Paste without formatting.”

This ensures everything looks clean and matches the default Google Docs style.

Choose the Right Font

The font you use in your book should be clear and easy to read. Here are some popular fonts used in books:

1. Georgia
2. Arial
3. Lora
4. Times New Roman
5. EB Garamond

The font size depends on your book’s trim size and length. Here’s a general guide:

1. Most books: Use 11 or 12-point font.
2. Longer books (80,000+ words): An 11pt font strikes the right balance between readability and fitting more text on each page. To ensure a professional, book-like layout and for readability, set line spacing to 1.15–1.5 (avoid double spacing, which is uncommon in published books).

To change the font:

1. Select the entire text by pressing Ctrl + A (Windows) or Cmd + A (Mac).
2. Go to the font dropdown menu at the top and choose your preferred font.
3. Adjust the font size as needed.

Format Your Paragraphs

Books usually have indented paragraphs instead of large spaces between them. To add an indentation:

1. Click Format in the top menu.
2. Select Align & indent > Indentation options.
3. Under Special indent, choose the First line and set it to 0.5 inches.
4. Click Apply.

To improve readability, adjust the line spacing so your text doesn’t feel too crowded:

1. Click Format > Line & paragraph spacing.
2. Choose 1.5 or Double spacing.

To apply this formatting to the whole document:

1. Click on a formatted paragraph.
2. Go to Format > Paragraph styles > Normal text > Update ‘Normal text’ to match.

This ensures all your text follows the same style automatically.

Format Chapter Headings

Chapter titles should stand out from the rest of your text. To format them properly:

1. Select a chapter title.
2. Change it to Heading2 from the styles menu at the top.
3. Center it on the page.
4. Choose a font that matches your book’s style. You can use the same font as the body text or pick a slightly decorative font for a unique touch.

To make all chapter headings look the same:

1. Click on a formatted chapter title.
2. Go to Format > Paragraph styles > Heading 2 > Update ‘Heading 2’ to match.

Now, whenever you apply Heading 2 to a chapter title, it will automatically use the same formatting.

With your text and chapters styled properly, your book is starting to look like a real book! But it’s not complete yet. Next, let’s add a book cover to make it visually appealing.

3. Add Your Book Cover

Your book needs a cover to look complete. If you’re printing physical copies, you’ll need a full cover design with a front, back, and spine. But if you’re just making a digital book, you can simply add a front cover to your document. If you don’t have a cover yet, consider getting a custom eBook cover design tailored to your genre and audience.

Here’s how to do it:

Create space for the cover

1. Click at the very top of the first page of your manuscript.
2. Go to Insert > Break > Page break.
3. This moves your manuscript down, creating a blank first page for the cover.

Insert your book cover

1. Drag and drop the cover image onto the first page, or
2. Click Insert > Image > Upload from the computer to select your cover file.

Use high-resolution images (300 DPI) in JPEG or PNG format for print-ready covers. For eBooks, compress images to reduce file size (72 DPI).

Pro Tip:

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Adjust the cover’s position

1. Click on the image to select it.
2. Click the image’s position settings and choose:
   1. Wrap text
   2. 0-inch margin
   3. Fix the position on the page
3. Move the image to center it nicely on the page.

Once the cover is in place, your book will start looking more polished. Next, let’s add the other important sections, like the front and back matter.

4. Add the Front and Back Content

Books usually have extra sections before and after the main content.

1. The front content (before the story) includes the title page, copyright detail, and table of contents.
2. Back content(after the story) may include an “About the Author” page or a list of other books by the author. o strengthen your author brand in this section, you can create a memorable author name that resonates with your target readers.

To add these sections, insert a page break and customize each page with the right details.

Title Page

This page shows the book’s title and the author’s name.

1. Type the book’s title on one line and the author’s name below it.
2. Center both at the top of the page.
3. Use the same font as the rest of the book, but make it a little bigger (14 pt or 16 pt).
4. You can also write the title in ALL CAPS to make it stand out. If you’re still finalizing your title, you can generate a compelling book title in seconds using our free tool.

Copyright Page

The copyright page includes essential legal information, credits, and often the ISBN. Below is a template example to guide you:

When formatting your copyright page, use the same font size as the main text, but italicize the copyright statement. Separate each section with line breaks for clarity, and ensure all content is centered on the page for a clean and professional presentation.

1. Write your copyright statement.
2. Match the font size to the main text and make it italic.
3. Separate different sections with line breaks.
4. Center everything on the page.

Table of Contents

A table of contents helps readers find chapters easily, especially in digital books.

1. Type “Contents” at the top of the page and center it.
2. Use the same font as your book, but make it a bit larger (18 pt or 20 pt).
3. Leave a couple of blank lines below it.
4. Go to Insert > Table of contents and choose the option that creates clickable links.

If you’re adding extra sections like a foreword, format their headings as Heading 2 so they appear in the table of contents. You can also italicize these sections to make them look different from your chapter titles.

Now that the front and back matter are in place, let’s add the final details to make your book complete!

5. Add Page Numbers Automatically

Page numbers help readers keep track of where they are in the book. Here’s how to add them:

1. Click Insert > Headers & Footers > Header > Options > Page numbers.
2. Choose if you want the numbers at the top or bottom of each page.
3. If your book has a cover image on the first page, uncheck “Show on the first page” so numbering starts on the second page.
4. The page number appears on the left by default, but you can click it and change the alignment. This will adjust all the page numbers at once.

Now your book looks more organized! Just one last step to go…

6. Save Your Book as a PDF

Your book is almost ready! Now, it’s time to save it in the right format.

1. Before saving, check the outline in the left sidebar to make sure everything is in order. If you don’t see it, click View > Show Outline to turn it on.
2. Make sure your book has been carefully edited and proofread so there are no mistakes.
3. Once finalized everything, save your book by click on File > Download > Choose “PDF” or “EPUB.”

And that’s it! Your book is now ready to be published. You can upload it to different platforms and see how it looks. If something doesn’t seem right, you can always make adjustments or get professional help to improve the final design.

Pros and Cons of Formatting a Book In a Google Doc​

Pros

1. Writing in Google Docs has many helpful features. 
2. Your work saves automatically while you write, so you never lose your stories. 
3. You don’t have to pay any money to use it, and it’s very simple to learn. 
4. You can add different styles to your writing, and your friends can help you write, too. 
5. You can also turn your writing into different types of files when you’re done.

Cons

1. There are a few things that might make writing harder in Google Docs. 
2. While Google Docs enables real-time collaboration, it generally requires an internet connection to sync your work. However, Offline Mode is available, allowing you to write and edit without being online.
3. Also, if you want to make your book look fancy for publishing, Google Docs might not be the best choice.
4. 
   

   Recommendation: We suggest using Adobe InDesign to format your book professionally. To make sure your ebook is error-free, you can use Calibre along with Adobe InDesign. Google Docs is not a professional tool for book design. It should only be used if you have a tight budget and no professional help.

   
   

Things to Watch Out For

When writing your book in Google Docs, try not to make these mistakes:

1. Don’t ignore the rules about how books should look. Every book needs to follow certain rules to look right.
2. Keep your writing simple and neat. Don’t try to make it too fancy with lots of different styles.
3. Always check your work carefully before showing it to others. Look for spelling mistakes and other errors that might make your book hard to read.

Wrap Up

Formatting your book in Google Docs helps make it look neat and professional. By setting the right page size, choosing a clear font, organizing chapters, and adding page numbers, you make it easy to read.

Once everything looks good, you can save your book as a PDF or EPUB, ready for publishing. While fancy designs may need extra tools, Google Docs is great for simple book formatting. Now your book is ready, go ahead and share it with the world! 

Need a stunning cover to match your formatted manuscript? Explore Book Cover Hub’s professional design services today!

Frequently asked questions

Have questions about formatting a Book in Google Docs? We’ve got the answers. Email us for personalized support

Should I Use Google Docs or Microsoft Word?

Microsoft Word offers essential tools for drafting, like text formatting and headers, making it a popular choice for authors. Google Docs is great for collaboration but lacks advanced formatting, so your choice depends on your needs.

Is there a book format on Google Docs?

Google Docs doesn’t have a built-in book format, but you can set it up yourself. You can change the page size, margins, font, and spacing to make it look like a real book.

How do I format a book document?

Formatting a book document means making it look neat and professional. This includes choosing the right font, setting the correct margins, using proper line spacing, and numbering your pages. Make sure paragraphs are indented and chapter titles stand out.

Is there a format for writing a book?

Yes, most books have a common layout. First, there’s a title page that shows the book’s name and the author. Next comes a page with copyright and publishing details. Each chapter has a clear title, the words are arranged neatly, and page numbers help readers find their way. A good layout makes the book look nice and easy to read.