Create An EBook Table Of Contents In Microsoft Word

Step-By-Step Instructions

By

Dion D. Shaw

Copyright © 2014 Dion D. Shaw

All Rights reserved by the Author

**************************

Smashwords Edition

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be shared, reproduced,
copied, or distributed for any purpose. Instead, encourage others to download their own copy. If
you enjoyed this book, please look for other titles by this author.
This is a step by step tutorial to demonstrate how to create a table of contents in Microsoft Word
for eBooks.

Why a table of contents for eBooks? There are two primary reasons, the biggest is an error that
Amazon (Kindle) may produce:

Your book doesn’t have a Table of Contents. A table of contents provides readers with both easy
navigation and improved visibility into the contents of the book. Please
see https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/help?topicId=A2BQILI6OJWLTC for help with
creating and formatting a Table of Contents.

Apple iBooks has errors and issues similar to Amazon. TOCs are preferred for every eBook.

Another reason for a table of contents: it is a navigational aide for the readers. If a reader wants
to find a chapter or section, a linked table of contents is the best choice.

A lesson I’ve learned as a multi-eBook author. Take note of the chapter names you are planning
to use. Noting a rough location of the chapter breaks also helps when creating the links. You
don’t want to search through a large document trying to find chapter links. Trust me on this.

The end result of a table of contents will resemble this:

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

----

This is chapter 1, a snippet of Hamlet’s famous soliloquy:

To be, or not to be, that is the question—

Whether 'tis Nobler in the mind to suffer
The Slings and Arrows of outrageous Fortune,
Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?

----
This is chapter 2, another famous Shakespeare snippet, this time from MacBeth and the
three witches:

Double, double, toil and trouble;

Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

Second Witch
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg and howlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

----

For chapter 3, we turn to Romeo and Juliet and famous lines by Juliet:

O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?

Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a Capulet.

---

Consider these 3 chapters to be sample chapters of your eBook. You may have 3 chapters or 30
or 300 chapters, but creating the table of contents concept is the same. Here is a step-by-step
guide.

In Microsoft Word, the primary icons to use are the Hyperlink and Bookmark icons (see below):
- Start by creating a table of contents. Do this with the centering icon, not with tabs. The
centering justification icon is part of the formatting toolbar. Type out your chapter names as
noted above: Chapter 1, 2, 3 or any chapter names you want to use.

- Next, decide where you want chapter breaks. In some cases, such as my example, the breaks
are obvious: Ch 1, Ch 2, and Ch 3. In other works, these breaks may not be as clear or definitive.
Many erotic authors write in a free-form style without definitive chapter headings. If you write
erotica, I encourage you to create a table of contents, regardless. Apple (iBooks) will be much
happier.

- Once chapter breaks are defined or chosen, select and highlight a word or two in the first line:

- After highlighting the words, select “Bookmark” from the menu bar (see below):
- Type in a chapter name, for this I used Chapter1, but could use Hamlet or First or 1.
Whichever name is chosen, do not use spaces if multiple words are selected. Click “add”. If
other names or numbers exist, you may select and delete them. Chapter names are not case-
sensitive.

- Repeat the previous 3 steps for each succeeding chapter. Word will default to the previous
chapter name and you will need to change it. The end should resemble this:

- Of course, your chapter names will appear, not necessarily Chapter 1, Chapter 2 and Chapter 3.

- Go to the table of contents you created.

- Select and highlight the chapter name. Click on the Hyperlink icon in the insert menu (shown
in the first screen shot). It will look like this:

- Click on “place in the document” - left side - and select the chapter name desired.

- Repeat the last 3 steps for all the chapters

- The end result will create a table of contents that should resemble this:

- Each chapter name is now linked to the corresponding chapter in the eBook.
- Test the links by holding down the “ctrl” key and clicking with a mouse or touchpad.

- Test each chapter link to verify the table of contents works as designed.

- For longer eBooks, some writers may want to link back to the table of contents at any given
point.

- The process is reversed from linking to chapters.

- Create points where you want readers to go back to the table of contents. I am using the words
- table of contents - to illustrate this idea.

- In the actual table of contents, highlight the words - Table of Contents - and click on bookmark.
This is the reverse process of linking the table of contents to chapters.

- Highlight the words -table of contents (above) and click on Hyperlink. Chose the appropriate
name, in my example, TOC.
- Test by holding the ‘Ctrl’ key and clicking with the mouse or keypad. You will link back to the
TOC.

- Repeat for every section or area that you want to link back to the table of contents.

- Done!

Dion D. Shaw is the author of several eBooks including:

10 Home Business Ideas For Under $100

ISBN: 9781301239689

Configure A Secure Home Computer Network

ISBN: 9781301911981

Employee Telecommuting - An Impact Analysis On Employee and Employer

ISBN: 9781301802555

Mr. Shaw is an Information Technology and Project Management professional and has worked
in various technical positions in the computer industry for over 15 years. Mr. Shaw has also
started and operated small consulting businesses from his home office. He has a B.S. from
DePaul University and is pursuing an M.S. in Project Management from the University of
Wisconsin, Platteville. Mr. Shaw founded Homepreneurs and related social media outlets
following a year-long layoff and is the owner, project manager, primary writer and editor.