A 6 × 9 book is not created simply by changing a Word document to a six-inch-wide page. A dependable interior combines page geometry, styles, section boundaries, chapter openings, running heads, page-number fields and a contents system that can survive later edits.

This guide explains those moving parts in ordinary language. It does not prescribe the current requirements of a particular publishing service. Always compare the finished document with the current specification supplied by the publisher you intend to use.

Start with the physical page

Set the document page size to 6 inches wide by 9 inches high. This is the trim size: the final dimensions of an ordinary page after production.

The text area is smaller. Top and bottom margins keep type away from the cut edges, while the inner and outer margins account for how pages sit in a bound book. In a conventional book the inner edge alternates between the left and right side of the screen as the reader moves through the pages.

That is why book interiors commonly use mirrored margins rather than the same left and right margin on every page. On an odd, right-hand page, the inside margin is on the left. On an even, left-hand page, it is on the right.

Avoid copying a margin number from an old article without checking your actual project. Binding method, page count and the publisher's current rules can all affect what is suitable.

Separate front matter from the story

A book normally begins with material that is not part of the numbered story: a title page, copyright page, dedication and contents are familiar examples. Those pages often need different headers, footers and visible numbering from the chapters.

In Word, this is a section problem rather than a matter of repeatedly pressing Enter. A section boundary lets the following part of the document have a different header, footer or numbering rule.

A useful high-level structure is:

  1. Title page
  2. Copyright page
  3. Optional front matter
  4. Contents
  5. A deliberate separator before the story
  6. Prologue or Chapter 1
  7. Later chapters
  8. Optional back matter

Do not rely on a stack of empty paragraphs to hold those boundaries. Normal editing can cause the paragraphs to move, leaving a supposedly blank page with content on it.

Decide which page should open on the right

Printed books are viewed as spreads. The title page and the first page of the story are usually treated as right-hand pages in the chosen design.

To control that in Word, you need to count the physical pages produced by all preceding material, including every contents page. A contents list that grows from one page to two changes the parity of everything after it.

Use explicit page or section boundaries, then inspect the complete document after Word has laid it out. A preview in another application can be useful for review, but Word determines the final pagination of the DOCX.

Build styles before formatting paragraphs

Direct formatting changes one selected paragraph. A Word style describes the role of many paragraphs across the document.

For a book, useful styles commonly include:

  • book title;
  • subtitle;
  • author credit;
  • contents heading and entries;
  • chapter number;
  • chapter title;
  • first body paragraph;
  • ordinary body paragraph;
  • subheading;
  • list; and
  • caption.

Styles make global correction possible. If every body paragraph uses the same body style, you can adjust that style rather than hunting through a long manuscript.

Keep decorative decisions proportionate. A book needs a readable hierarchy more than it needs a different font on every screen.

Treat the first paragraph deliberately

Chapter openings often use a different first paragraph from the paragraphs that follow. Your design might use an opening initial, a first-line indent, or another restrained treatment.

The important point is consistency. Define a first-paragraph style and an ordinary-body style rather than manually changing the first paragraph of every chapter. If the opening initial is larger, check punctuation, quotation marks and short opening paragraphs carefully.

Use fields for page numbers

A typed number in a footer is just text. A PAGE field asks Word for the current page number and updates as pages move.

Front matter may suppress visible numbers while still occupying physical pages. The story may begin its displayed numbering at 1. Achieving that reliably requires an intentional section boundary, a page-number rule for the new section and careful control of whether headers and footers remain linked to the previous section.

After making changes, update fields and inspect several left and right pages—not only the first page that happens to look correct.

Make running heads follow the right section

Running heads are the small title or author lines that appear on continuation pages. They may alternate between the book title and chapter title, and chapter-opening pages often suppress them.

Word can support this, but linked headers and section inheritance are easy to misunderstand. Check:

  • odd and even page headers;
  • the first page of each chapter section;
  • whether a new chapter inherited the previous title;
  • spacing between the header and body text; and
  • very long chapter titles.

Generate the contents from structure

A contents page should not be a manually typed list of page numbers. Those numbers become wrong as soon as earlier text changes.

Use heading styles, bookmarks or Word fields so entries can resolve to chapter pages. Mark the fields for updating and expect Word to calculate the final values when the document opens. Before distribution, select the document and update its fields if the contents does not refresh automatically.

Long contents lists need deliberate page planning. Avoid leaving one isolated chapter entry on a final contents page. Balancing the entries by count can create a calmer and more intentional result.

Check the complete document, not one attractive page

A useful acceptance review includes:

  • the displayed page size;
  • mirrored inner and outer margins;
  • front-matter order;
  • deliberate blank pages;
  • right-hand story opening;
  • first and continuation chapter pages;
  • odd and even running heads;
  • page-number fields;
  • updated contents entries;
  • images and tables; and
  • the final pages of back matter.

Open the DOCX in the version of Word you expect to use. Look for repair warnings, unexpected blank pages, clipped content and fields that have not updated.

Build manually or use a guided workflow

Understanding the mechanics is useful even if you do not want to maintain them yourself. Manuscript to Book is designed for the second case: you supply the title, sections, chapters, content and book-wide design choices, and the Windows application constructs the Word document from a tested book template.

The result remains editable. The software is not a substitute for checking your publisher's current requirements, but it removes the need to assemble the same Word machinery by hand for every book.

Read how Manuscript to Book works, explore the Word-native product approach, or see the current Free, Book Licence and Pro options.