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Feb 08
Love0

Third edition of Microsoft Word In 30 Minutes covers Microsoft 365 and online changes

By News

New MS Word bookPublisher i30 Media today released a third edition of Microsoft Word In 30 Minutes (ISBN: 978-1-64188-065-7) covering Word for Microsoft 365 as well as Word for the Web.

“Word is one of Microsoft’s primary products, used by hundreds of millions of people across the globe,” i30 Media founder Ian Lamont said. “It was time for an update, considering the new Microsoft 365 rebranding and features.”

The revised and updated third edition of Microsoft Word In 30 Minutes follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, explaining Microsoft’s flagship writing tool in author Angela Rose’s friendly, easy-to-understand manner. It covers the commonly used features of Word for Microsoft 365 for both Windows and Mac users, as well as Word for the Web (formerly Word Online), a free browser-based version of the software.

“Word for the Web used to be a pretty rudimentary tool for writing,” Lamont said. “But a lot has changed since the last edition, with more features to compete with Google Docs.”

For the desktop version of Word for Microsoft 365, changes include a different way of checking spelling and grammar, as well as a new interface for digital ink tools for drawing on tablets. Other topics covered in the new third edition include:

  • Microsoft 365 subscriptions and OneDrive
  • Working with .docx, .doc, .txt, PDF, and other file formats in Word for Microsoft 365 and Word Online
  • Locating recovered files
  • Printing documents, envelopes, and labels
  • How to format Word documents using styles, themes, and style sets
  • Creating Word documents with professional-quality templates
  • Adding images, video, hyperlinks, and drawings
  • How to automatically create a table of contents in Word
  • Adding footnotes, endnotes, citations, a bibliography, and an index
  • Word spelling, tracking, and other reviewing tools
  • Collaboration tools, from comments to live collaboration
  • Microsoft Word security features

Lamont said while it’s still possible to purchase a standalone copy of Microsoft Office for the desktop (Office 2021), many users prefer the convenience of a Microsoft 365 subscription. This not only allows access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other applications on multiple devices, but also enables easier security and feature updates.

Early Reviews

Early reviewers have offered wide-ranging praise for the new edition of the Microsoft guide:

“The book is short, but information dense. Chapters are arranged thematically: interface basics, creating saving & printing, formatting layout & design, inserting images tables & other elements, and review & collaboration. The subchapters contain step by step screenshots and directions to understand and utilize specific techniques…. The author has also included appendices with universal shortcuts and system specific shortcuts for Windows and macOS. I wish I’d had this handbook when I wrote my thesis; it would have saved me some frustration and tears.” – Annie B., NetGalley

“Microsoft Word In 30 Minutes (3rd Edition) is the perfect guidebook for anyone who wants to up their professional document-writing game. I can see this being the perfect gift for anyone from the elderly person who has never used Microsoft Word before to the college student who knows the basic features but wants to learn more. One highlight of this book are the many, many screenshots that show you exactly what to click. It is very helpful for those of us who are visual learners.” – Leighton S., NetGalley

More information about Microsoft Word In 30 Minutes, Third Edition as well as online ordering options can be found on the companion website, word.in30minutes.com. The site also includes blog posts, videos, and other resources for readers. The paperback retail price is $13.99, while the ebook edition is available on the Amazon Kindle and other devices for $8.99. A hardcover edition costs $21.99.

About the author

Angela Rose is a writer and B2C marketing strategist based in Colorado. When she’s not removing cats from her keyboard, you can find Angela searching for the perfect taco, running 5Ks, whipping up original pastry recipes, and hiking the Colorado Mountains with her photographer husband. Angela is also the author of the award-winning LinkedIn In 30 Minutes (2nd Edition).

About In 30 Minutes guides

i30 Media is the publisher of IN 30 MINUTES guides – “Quick guides for a complex world.” Thousands of readers turn to IN 30 MINUTES guides to understand mildly complex topics, ranging from home-buying to social media. The tone is friendly and easy to understand, with step-by-step instructions and lots of examples. The series has won multiple awards from the Independent Book Publishers Association and Foreword Reviews. Top-selling titles include Google Drive & Docs In 30 Minutes, Twitter In 30 Minutes, and LinkedIn In 30 Minutes. For more information about the series, visit in30minutes.com.

 

Jun 26
Love1

Microsoft Word In 30 Minutes updated for Word 2019

By News

Microsoft Word In 30 Minutes (Second Edition)Publisher i30 Media today released Microsoft Word In 30 Minutes, Second Edition: Make a bigger impact with your documents and master the writing, formatting, and collaboration tools in Word 2019 and Word Online (Author: Angela Rose, ISBN: 978-1-64188-025-1). 

The revised edition follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, explaining Microsoft’s flagship writing tool in a friendly, easy-to-understand manner, while also explaining the updated interface for Word 2019 and Word Online. Other topics include:

  • Office 365 subscriptions and OneDrive
  • Working with .docx, .doc, .txt, PDF, and other file formats in Word 2019 and Word Online
  • Locating recovered files
  • Printing documents, envelopes, and labels
  • How to format Word documents using styles, themes, and style sets
  • Creating Word documents with professional-quality templates
  • Adding images, video, hyperlinks, and drawings
  • How to automatically create a table of contents in Word
  • Adding footnotes, endnotes, citations, a bibliography, and an index
  • Word spelling, tracking, and other reviewing tools
  • Collaboration tools, from comments to live collaboration
  • Microsoft Word security features

Early reviewers have offered wide-ranging praise for the new edition: 

“Microsoft Word is perhaps the most ubiquitous computer program in the world. This short guide presents a wealth of information for those interested in using the newest version of the program. Just the list of keyboard shortcuts makes this a worthwhile read.”

  • Clinton Greaves, NetGalley

“I work in education as a tutor so am always on the lookout for any guides to recommend to my learners. This is a great little book – easy to read, illustrations, very accessible – I learnt a lot myself so would not hesitate to recommend. I also liked the way terms are explained, different version explained (the difference between Office 365 and the online version) great for anyone who needs a little more understanding but doesn’t know where to go to get information.” 

  • Maria Martignetti, Librarian, NetGalley

“This was an easy read and I quite enjoyed that the author decided to compare the various available versions of Word 2019. It’s great refresher in Word and excellent learning tool for new users to Word. I personally enjoyed the keyboard shortcuts index at the back of the book.”

  • Ute Gryba, NetGalley

More information about Microsoft Word In 30 Minutes, Second Edition as well as online ordering options can be found on the companion website, word.in30minutes.com. The site also includes blog posts, videos, and other resources for readers. The paperback retail price is $12.99, while the ebook edition is available on the Amazon Kindle and other devices for $8.99. A hardcover edition costs $19.99.

About the author

Angela Rose is a writer and B2C marketing strategist based in Colorado. When she’s not removing cats from her keyboard, you can find Angela searching for the perfect taco, running 5Ks, whipping up original pastry recipes, and hiking the Colorado Mountains with her photographer husband. Angela is also the author of the award-winning LinkedIn In 30 Minutes (2nd Edition).

About In 30 Minutes guides

i30 Media is the publisher of IN 30 MINUTES guides – “Quick guides for a complex world.” Thousands of readers turn to IN 30 MINUTES guides to understand mildly complex topics, ranging from home-buying to social media. The tone is friendly and easy to understand, with step-by-step instructions and lots of examples. The series has won multiple awards from the Independent Book Publishers Association and Foreword Reviews. Top-selling titles include Google Drive & Docs In 30 Minutes, Twitter In 30 Minutes, and LinkedIn In 30 Minutes. For more information about the series, visit in30minutes.com.

 

Nov 15
Love2

Announcing PowerPoint Basics In 30 Minutes

By News

Publisher i30 Media released its new guide to Microsoft PowerPoint this week. Titled PowerPoint Basics In 30 Minutes: How to make effective PowerPoint presentations using a PC, Mac, PowerPoint Online, or the PowerPoint app, the book explains how to make great PowerPoint presentations that get real results.

PowerPoint Basics In 30 MinutesThis unofficial PowerPoint user guide covers the basic features of PowerPoint 2016 (part of the Office 365 suite), PowerPoint Online, and the PowerPoint mobile apps, including PowerPoint for Android and PowerPoint for iOS. The PowerPoint manual also demonstrates how to use some of PowerPoint’s most powerful features and tools, such as:

  • Premade PowerPoint templates with gorgeous backgrounds and fonts.
  • Custom PowerPoint layouts that fit your personality or corporate identity.
  • Special PowerPoint formatting and design options.
  • Tools to place photos, video, and audio onto slides.
  • Shapes, graphs, tables, and SmartArt.
  • Graceful transitions between PowerPoint slides.
  • PowerPoint animations that can make text and other elements come to life.
  • Proofing tools for spelling and review.
  • PowerPoint collaboration features that make it easy to work with colleagues or classmates.
  • Exporting PowerPoint PDFs, online versions for the Web, and package presentations to share with others.
  • Creating paper copies and printed PowerPoint handouts.
  • Showing your presentation with a mouse or mobile device, or using a PowerPoint remote or PowerPoint clicker.

Author Angela Rose also gives tips on how to communicate more effectively using PowerPoint decks. Whether you are giving a business presentation, preparing a lecture for a class or seminar, or using Microsoft PowerPoint for personal use, PowerPoint Basics In 30 Minutes can help you create a better-looking presentation that makes a big impact.

The book is available as a paperback, a Kindle book, and an ebook for the iPad and other e-reader devices. A PDF version is also available. Visit powerpoint.in30minutes.com for more details.

About the author

Angela Rose is a writer and B2C marketing strategist based in Colorado. She is the author of the award-winning LinkedIn In 30 Minutes (2nd Edition) as well as Microsoft Word In 30 Minutes.

About IN 30 MINUTES Guides

i30 Media Corp. is the publisher of the award-winning IN 30 MINUTES series – quick guides for a complex world. Thousands of readers turn to the series to understand mildly complex topics, ranging from genealogy to computer software. The tone is friendly and easy to understand, with step-by-step instructions and lots of examples. Top-selling titles include Google Drive & Docs In 30 Minutes, Twitter In 30 Minutes, and the award-winning LinkedIn In 30 Minutes. For more information about the series, visit in30minutes.com

Jan 06
Love0

Is it possible to learn Excel in just 30 minutes? What readers say about our newest guide

By Blog, Featured, News

Today I am pleased to announce the second edition of Excel Basics In 30 Minutes. Yes, it’s possible to quickly pick up the basics, and to that end the new guide concentrates on the features and skills which I believe will most benefit new users. It is not intended to be a comprehensive guide, and I am not making any guarantees that readers will be able to take over their companies’ accounting departments, but 30 minutes after starting, readers will hopefully have learned some core spreadsheet skills … and even a trick or two!

Don’t believe me? Then listen to what real readers have to say. There is already one review of the second edition from a Goodreads member. She said:

Nice guide to learning how to use Excel for most basic functions. As someone who only uses Excel occasionally, I found the tutorials to be easy to follow. Additionally the visual aids (images of what your screen should look like) were beneficial. It is an easy book to reference if you are having an issue with a particular Excel task.

This is a major update, not only because it covers the most recent versions of Excel (e.g., Excel 2013, Excel for Office 365, Excel Online, and Excel for Mac) but also because In 30 Minutes guides has commissioned a new interior design template. I think you’ll agree Rick Soldin has done a fantastic job. Starting with this guide, all In 30 Minutes books and ebooks will feature sharper images and a high-quality layout that’s easier to read, for the print version as well as the ebook:

Excel Basics in 30 Minutes iPad sample

In addition, for those users who don’t want to invest in an Office 365 subscription or a $100+ Office 2013 software package to learn how to use Excel, Excel Basics In 30 Minutes (2nd Edition) includes instructions for Google Sheets, Google’s free online spreadsheet program. Readers of the first edition who only wanted to dip their fingers into spreadsheets appreciated these extra sections, which make it possible to learn the basics of Excel without having to own a copy of Excel.

What else did readers like about the first edition? Here are some review excerpts gathered from Amazon and Goodreads:

Thomas:

It’s like a “Cliffnotes” book for Excel 101. It actually did take me 30 minutes to get through this – I may have had an edge because I use Excel at work so a complete newbie may need more time. But still, after 30 minutes you’ll know a good amount. To be efficient like that is a big plus to the author.

Robin:

I have been out of the office environment for several years and now starting to use Excel again. This has been a great refresher course.

Another Thomas:

An excellent little guide. For those that already know their way around Excel, it’ll be a good refresher course. For those that don’t, it’s a clear, easy-to-follow handbook of time-saving and stress-avoiding skills in Excel. Definitely plan on passing it around the office. Best of all, it covers both Excel and Google Drive’s spreadsheet system. Given how many workplaces, groups, and individuals are migrating to Google’s cloud-based system, it was a welcome addition.

Chad:

One thing I particularly liked about “Excel Basics in 30 minutes” is that it covers BOTH the MS Excel basics and the Google version basics. Explaining anything this intricate in 30 minutes is a challenge. (Can it be read in 30 minutes? Yes, I could do it, but I am not a typical user, I did not need to stop and practice the examples.) I was impressed that the book does go into some of the “meat” of Excel while still being a book that someone with NO previous exposure to a spreadsheet can grasp.

The chapters cover the following topics:

  • The basics: cells, functions, and formulas
  • Excel Ninja Skill #1: AutoFill
  • More basic Excel skills: percentages, pasting, and rows
  • Excel Ninja Skill #2: Charts
  • Sorting and filtering
  • Printing, PDFs, and import/export features

Excel Basics In 30 Minutes, 2nd EditionThe ebook version of Excel Basics In 30 Minutes (2nd edition) is available for the Kindle, iPad, Android devices, and the Nook. The black-and-white paperback edition can be ordered via Amazon or requested at libraries and bookstores — the ISBN is 978–1–939924–30–8. There is also a full-color PDF, which can be printed out or read on a screen.