8. Using Styles to Create Beautiful eBooks

This is No. 8 in a series of Tutorials for CJ's Easy As Pie "The Pie" Kindle and eBook Self-Publishing Package, which starts here:

"The Pie" Kindle & eBook Self-Publishing Package Install And Get Started

Comparing MS Word Styles and Atlantis Styles

Many people use MS Word for years without ever discovering Styles... and even if they do find them, they don't realize their value.

You've heard people say they don't use certain heading style, for example... "because the font is too big"... or because the font is in color... without realizing that Styles can be customized... and even used to help organize your document.

That's what we've done here with CJsEasyAsPie.

We've customized the Styles to make them most useful for digital publishing.

The CJsEasyAsPie Template, complete with a few pages of instructions, will appear.

If you were truly starting a new file, you could "Save As" your file name. (NewFile.docx), then delete the instructions from your file before starting to enter your own text.

For now, we will use this Template to get acquainted with the Styles it contains.

CJ's Easy As Pie Template

The Pie Template with the Control Board open at the left side.

If your Control Board is not open, go to the View tab at the top of the screen and choose Control Board.

The Control Board can display 7 panels: Headings, Bookmarks, Sections, Styles, Lists, Format Palette, and Clip Library.

These panels are displayed using the corresponding buttons at the top of the Control Board:

We want the Styles Panel, so click the Styles button, the 4th from the left, shown slightly indented in the picture below:

When the Styles Panel appears, you’ll notice that it has its own Toolbar across the top.

At the far left, the word Styles:, and at the far right, two buttons, “tree” and “list.

Click the "list" button at the far right.

Your list of Styles appears in alphabetical order.

Styles Panel in Alphabetical Order (top half only)

Now, if you scroll through your Styles, you will if you are used to using Styles in other word processors) see some familiar Styles, such as Heading 1, Heading 2, and Heading 3.

But you will also see new Styles, such as Author name, at the top of the list, and Bold Comment, and Caption.

You can format these Styles yourself, after you learn how different sizes and different spacing will appear on the Kindle, but here it is already done for you… taking only 30 seconds, perhaps to select a Style, rather than 10 minutes or so to decide how to format something a bit different from simple text.

Now, look at the Styles Panel toolbar again, and choose to display the Styles Panel in tree order.

Styles Panel in Tree Order (top half only)

Now, you will see Styles, grouped, as nearly as possible, with related Styles.

For example, under Pictures & Illustrations, you see Caption and two Image Syles… one with a Page Break before, and one without a Page Break Before.

Under Poetry and Quotes, you see several different Syles that might be used for Poetry, a Dialogue Quote, and even a Newspaper Quote.

We will look at some of them in later articles in this series.

For more in this series, go here:

"The Pie" Kindle & eBook Self-Publishing Package Install And Get Started

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