5 Microsoft Word Tips for Busy Authors

Last month, we looked at how independent authors can easily review their copyedited manuscripts using tracked changes in Word. This month, we’re sharing a few additional Microsoft Word tips and tricks to help make the editing review process even smoother.

When you first open your manuscript, all the red text and cross-outs might look a little scary. But don’t panic! By adjusting your view settings, you can customize the look of your editor’s changes.

Topics Covered In “5 Microsoft Word Tips for Busy Authors”

Understanding Your Review Settings
Understanding Your Markup Options
Viewing the Document Map
Splitting Your Screen
Using Google Docs
Publish with Spoonbridge Press

Understanding Your Review Settings

Before digging into a copyedited manuscript, it’s important to be sure you’re seeing all of your editor’s edits and comments. Here’s how to adjust your settings so you never miss a question or suggestion from your editor:

1.  Click “Review” in the menu bar at the very top of Word.
2.  If “Show Comments” isn’t selected, push the button to highlight it.
3.  Click the “Markup Options” menu and make sure “Comments,” “Insertions and Deletions,” and “Formatting” are checked.
4.  Hover over “Reviewers” and make sure “All” is selected.
5.  If “Track Changes” isn’t selected, push the button to track your own edits while you review the document.

When your view settings are set up correctly, your document should look something like this:

(You can view edits as balloons, but we typically  find it more convenient to leave that box unchecked.)

Understanding Your Markup Options

As you review, you may find it useful to compare your original text to the edited version, with or without tracked changes. Do this by clicking on the “Display for Review” menu and selecting one of the following options:

• Simple Markup (shows all editor changes as accepted but continues displaying comments)
• All Markup (shows the full set of changes you’ve selected under Markup Options)
• No Markup (shows all editor changes as accepted and hides all comments; think of this as the “clean edited version”)
• Original (hides all editor changes and comments to reveal your original manuscript)

We recommend reviewing your copyedits starting with the All Markup option selected. This gives you the most transparent look at what your editor did.

Then, as you review, you may wish to periodically toggle to Simple Markup to see the “clean edited version” without losing track of your editor’s comments.

(And if you find that you’re just not that interested in the nitty-gritty copyediting changes and you’d rather not look at the redlined text, you can leave Simple Markup selected throughout your review.)

Viewing the Document Map

Before digging in, it may be helpful to keep an eye on the Document Map—a separate pane, to the left of the main text that displays any chapters and/or subheadings that have been coded using the Styles Pane—while you’re reviewing your manuscript. You can also use this Document Map to easily jump back and forth between sections of your manuscript.

To show the Document Map, follow these instructions:

1. Click “View” in the menu bar at the very top of Word.
2. Make sure “Print Layout” is selected (typically selected by default).
3. Check the “Navigation Pane” box to bring up a new box to the left of the main text.
4. In the Navigation Pane, click the icon that looks like three bullet points to display the Document Map.

To learn more, take a look at Microsoft’s navigation pane support document.

Splitting Your Screen

If your manuscript has a bibliography or separate end note section, it can be a pain to scroll back and forth between that section and the main text. To split your view into two panels so that you can keep an eye on two sections at the same time, follow these steps:

1. Click “View” in the menu bar at the very top of Word.
2. Click “Split.”
3. Navigate one panel to the bibliography you want to keep an eye on, and work through the manuscript in the other panel.
4. Click and drag the partition until each panel is the most convenient size for your work.

To learn more, see Microsoft’s support document on viewing two parts of a document at once.

Using Google Docs

Authors have a lot of expenses. From editors and book designers to websites and marketing plans, these costs can add up, and it only makes sense to try to cut costs wherever possible. So what if a full Microsoft Word subscription is out of the question?

First, know that your editor will strongly prefer (if not require) that you send them a Word document. To do this, export your Google doc as a Microsoft Word file by clicking File >  Download > Microsoft Word (.docx).

Or, if your copyeditor agrees, you can just send them a link to your Google Doc. (Just make sure to include them in your share permissions.) One important note: If you do this,  your editor will likely download a new “best version” as a Word document themselves. If this is their process, the Google Doc will become outdated as soon as you submit it, and any changes you make will not be added to the “best version.”

(Whether you’re sending your copyeditor a Google Doc or a Word document, it’s important not to edit your book while your editor is working!)

Then, when you get the Word document back,  you can upload your document as a Google Doc and review your edits there. For complex manuscripts, this could result in a loss of formatting, so this might not be best for every manuscript.

If Google Docs doesn’t work for your situation and you don’t have a Word subscription, consider using the free online version of Microsoft Word, which offers limited (but sufficient) tracked changes tools. Once you experience the joy of Track Changes, you may decide the full Microsoft 365 suite of products is worth investing in!

Publish with Spoonbridge Press

If you’re still overwhelmed by the idea of reviewing your edits in Track Changes, Spoonbridge Press can help. Feel free to schedule a publishing consultation and we’ll set up a time for our lead editor to walk you through the process in real time. 

And if you haven’t started your editing journey but are ready to develop your publishing plan, consider working with Spoonbridge Press. We’re friendly and flexible, and we offer all the knowledge, insight, and guidance you need so you can focus on what you do best—writing books.