It’s one thing to write a story and another to prepare a manuscript for publication. This is something professional writing software like Reedsy's Book Editor can help with.

Apart from a space to type out your narrative, you get tools that transform it according to publishing industry standards. If you’d like to get to know this handy writing app, here are some key steps to follow.

1. Log In and Create a Book

Reedsy Log In Page

Once you sign up, you get access to courses and professionals, but let’s focus on the Reedsy Book Editor. Log in to your author account and look at the left-hand column of tabs.

At the top, you should find My Books. Clicking that brings up a page where all your books will appear as you add them to Reedsy.

Reedsy My Books Page

To start another project, go to the Create a new book section and type in a working title. Then you can either click Create or import a ready-made manuscript. The latter can be in .docx or .odt format of no more than 50MB. If you need help with this part, look into some top online ebook converters.

The new project will appear in your archive and display two buttons: Write and Manage. The second is for finding Reedsy professionals to help develop the manuscript. For now, you want to get into writing it, so click that button.

2. Write and Adjust Your Book

Reedsy Writing Into Book Editor

The charm of Reedsy’s Book Editor is its dedication to convenience, including keeping distractions to a minimum. No adverts, chat boxes, or anything else will break your concentration.

You get plenty of writing space and toolbars all around. When you select a length of text, the first important set of buttons appears. They let you change fonts, alignments, and more. The software automatically indents paragraphs too.

The tools to the left of your screen adjust what your manuscript contains, like a table of content, preface, or copyright page, just as Reedsy suggests it should be.

Reedsy Book Editor Left Toolbar

Your tools on the right affect the text itself, as well as your work style. You can insert images, endnotes, and scene breaks, while also keeping track of your changes and writing timeline.

Basically, everything available on popular or free alternative word processors also exists here. The main difference is that Reedsy’s app is tailored towards authors intending to publish.

3. Export Your Book

Reedsy Book Editor Export Options

Once the manuscript is ready, you can convert it for free into whatever format you need. Whether you’re publishing an ebook or want printed copies too, this stage offers lots of options. First off, choose the right file type: PDF, ePub, or Mobi.

You can format the manuscript further too. Select one of three typeset templates: Reedsy, Classic, or Romance. Decide whether you want to hide chapter numbers, embellish the text with drop caps, and place endnotes after each chapter or at the end of the book.

All of these details affect how the final manuscript looks once downloaded, from its blurb to the copyright and acknowledgments pages. Finally, due to Reedsy’s understanding of the publishing industry’s constantly shifting standards, the company keeps adding more fun features to the export stage.

Explore the Reedsy Book Editor’s Full Capabilities

As a major insider in the literary market, Reedsy is the kind of platform you should get to know as much as possible. Its Book Editor can be a career and money-saving publishing tool, especially for indie authors. And the more you get to know its ins and outs, the less you’ll want to return to your typical word processors.