Learn about layout and design in fiction

Hone your writing and editing craft with articles, books, webinars and booklets dedicated to helping you solve problems with formatting, layout and design.

​Scroll down the page or click on an icon to go straight to a section.
​
Want to learn about a different topic? Select the green icon to return to the main library page.
​​
Picture
RETURN TO LIBRARY
Picture
ARTICLES
Picture
BOOKS
Picture
WEBINARS
Picture
FREE BOOKLETS

Articles about layout, design and formatting in fiction

Scroll down to see what's available in this section.

Free booklet: Formatting in Word: Find and replace

This booklet provides independent authors and editors with guidance on how to tidy up a Word document.

Editing Fiction at Sentence Level

​Hone your novel line craft

Want to do your own line editing? This 74K-word book shows you how.

Andy Maslen, bestselling crime author

/

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
IF YOU WANT YOUR WRITING TO BE BETTER, GET LOUISE TO EDIT IT​
Louise has the rare ability to refine and polish sentences with a perceptive lightness of touch, revising only where necessary, and somehow, magically, what is left on the page better captures the very essence of exactly what you wanted to say.

​Add that she is a pleasure to work with and clearly loves what she does, and it really does become impossible to find fault with her service.

​In short – if you want your writing to be better, then you need to get Louise to edit it. I can't recommend working with her highly enough.

KESS GOLDLAND, THRILLER AUTHOR

/

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Free webinars on formatting and layout in fiction

Preparing Your Book for Submission

'The BEST event I have been to on how to edit a manuscript. I learned so much!' – ​SoA @ Home Festival​ attendee
This 30-minute webinar teaches commercial fiction authors 11 pithy line-editing tips that make a substantive difference to writing flow and reader experience.

Using styles

This 13-minute webinar shows writers and editors how to bring consistency to their book-file interiors using Microsoft Word's styles tool.

Preparing for editing

​This 14-minute webinar offers writers 12 tips on how to make a book file ready for an editor and avoid wasting time on unnecessary design.​

Get my best advice straight into your inbox

The Editorial Letter comes out once a month. Get my best advice on fiction editing and editorial business building.
Sign up and you'll get my 
free proofreading checklist – a one-stop resource for reviewing designed page proofs!