Your book format will likely include a few blank left hand pages. These blank pages are used so that new chapters and front matter section,s such as the table of contents, dedication, foreword, etc., start on a right hand page in a book.
These blank pages should be completely blank. They should not have headers, footers or page numbers on them.
A common mistake when working in Microsoft Word to format your book is to insert normal page breaks or enter a string of paragraph breaks to create blank pages. However, this would create a “blank” page that has the headers, footers, and page numbering like a normal chapter page which is not what you want.
Instead, you should insert a Section Break: Odd Page before each chapter or section. That tells Word to start the next section on a right hand page (which will be an odd numbered page) and if needed, insert a (completely) blank page as the preceding left hand page. If your previous chapter falls on a right hand page that is followed by a Section Break: Odd Page, Word will place a blank left hand page then the new chapter. If the previous chapter falls on a left hand page, Word will not place a blank page as one is not needed. If your content re-flows Word will adjust the blank pages as needed automatically.
In the normal viewing modes Word will not display these blank pages. This can confuse people as it will show the chapters seemingly starting on the next page without a blank left hand page before it. They assume something is wrong and insert a page break or another section break so that a blank page is visible. When they then go to print there are too many blank pages.
Check the page numbering to see if the chapter is starting on an odd numbered page and that a page number is missing between the last page of the previous chapter. If so, then that blank page is actually there. If you do a print preview or create a PDF the blank pages will be shown.
Inserting a Section Break: New Page will tell Word that it should start the next section on the next immediate page and not to place any blank pages between them. Learning to use Section breaks properly will also allow you to have better control over headers, footers, and page numbering.
Re: the above. Me too! I’ve spent hours with a tight throat and near tears trying to get the right and left headers straight and the page numbers to follow sequentially. I have been using MS Word for decades now, and I admire it EXCEPT for the headers and footers logic made in Hell. There MUST be a better way. Perhaps a wizard? BTW: If things get crazy going forward and backward to check your work (and go insane at the changes), save then close then re-open. Sometimes heals all wounds. Sheesh! Regards/J
I’m a bit confused. I read there is a hard rule about blank “right-hand pages” . I can understand how if it’s in the middle of your book and you have a sudden right-hand blank, but what about for front matter? What if I have a dedication page that has a blank back side, and then immediately after I have a full blank page (front and back) and then my first poem starts on the right-hand side?
While there is no hard rule, I do not suggest having a blank right-hand page in your book unless it is the very first, or very last page, in your book. Instead of a completely blank page, how about an almost blank page with a subtle image or graphic in the center of the page? Or perhaps a short bit of text, such as a quote?
Yes, but what happens when the page numbers start at 1 again?
You do not want the page numbers to start at one again. You need to change your page numbering settings for the new section to “continue from previous section.”
This is great advice, thank you! Advice I needed about 3 days ago, as I was staying up a whole night formatting my book for paperback and going crazy with section breaks and right versus left hand chapter beginnings, and not wanting headers on blank pages. I used section break/continues, instead of odd pages. Arrrgh! Why in the world Word insists on displaying things differently from how it prints is a mystery to me. It would be SO much easier if what you saw was what you got!
Again, thank you so much for this, I will have to write another book just so I can use it properly:-)