In order to maintain standard accessibility throughout our library, we have two Microsoft Word templates that are required for all of our resources. Using these templates is especially important because it gives our local translators who are often fairly new to computer technology a consistent format when performing localized translation.
Step 1: Downloading the template
Our template is not meant to be edited online. The current template for beginner and medium readers can be downloaded here and the template advanced readers can be downloaded here. (two determine which version of the template you’ll need for your project take a look at our Authors Frequently Asked Questions section. Once downloaded, you will need a licensed copy of Microsoft Word installed locally on your computer to be able to author your book (While our OneDrive system will allow you to open word files online within your browser, please do not make any edits to the document in this way, it will unacceptably change the template and cause havoc for our printing department down the road, this is why all changes must be made with locally installed version of Microsoft Word instead).
Now it’s time to open the blank template and begin making changes to the document.
Step 2: The first and critical change is to rename the file itself. By default the template file will be called TEMPLATE – English.docx. So for example, if you intend to write a book about the period of history between the Old Testament and the New Testament, you might choose to call your book something like, “Learning about 400 Years between the Old and New Testaments” or perhaps if that seems too long, “Between the Two Testaments” Anyway, once you’ve settled upon a name, then go ahead and rename the template file to correspond to the new name, like in this example it would be “Between the Two Testaments – English.docx“
Step 3: Now, let’s start editing inside the file itself. Remove the reminder paragraph asking you to rename the file since you should have already done so according to the instructions above.
Step 4: Now let’s update the Title of the book
Step 5: Now let’s replace the text to give a helpful suggestion to the illustrator regarding what kind of artwork to apply to the cover of this book. (We’ll leave the large yellow block that says COVER IMAGE HERE just as it is until there is actual artwork to replace this.)
NOTE: Ignore the READING LEVEL, TRIBAL NAME & REGION NAME blocks for now, those will be updated by others later in the publishing process.
NOTE: The next three pages are the inside front inside cover, back inside cover and back outside cover respectively. These pages should not be changed at this time.
Step 6: Now let’s update the book title on page “I”.
Step 7: Let’s update the acknowledgements section of page “ii”
Step 8: Review & possibly update the copyright section on page “ii”
Step 9: Proceed to page 1 and begin composing your book.
Step 10: Include suggestions to the illustrator on each page.
NOTE: Unlike beginner & medium reader books, an advanced reader does not require an illustration per page, but instead only requires illustrations as the author determines is helpful to support the content