How to Format Text Messages in a Novel (So They Work in Ebooks)

Characters text. In contemporary fiction, a texting exchange can carry a whole scene: a flirtation, an argument, a message that arrives at exactly the wrong moment.

But formatting those messages is surprisingly awkward. What looks fine in your manuscript can turn into a confusing block of text in an ebook, or a blurry image that readers can’t resize. Here’s how to show text messages so they read clearly on every device.

The common ways authors show text messages

There’s no single correct style, and published novels use all of these.

As ordinary dialogue. “Where are you?” Mia texted. This is simple and works everywhere, but it gets clunky over a long exchange, and readers lose the feel of a phone conversation.

In italics. Each message in italics on its own line, sometimes with the sender’s name. Better for short exchanges, but italics are also used for thoughts, so readers can confuse the two.

As screenshots or images. A picture of a phone screen. It looks authentic in a print proof, but causes real problems in ebooks (more on that below).

As styled text blocks. Each message set apart from the main text, with one person’s messages on the left and the other’s on the right, like a phone screen. This is the clearest option for longer exchanges, as long as it’s done in a way that works on every e-reader.

Why screenshots are a bad idea in ebooks

Using an image of a phone screen is tempting, but it causes several problems:

• Readers can’t resize the text. Ebook readers change font size all the time. Text in an image stays the size it was made, which can be unreadable on a small screen.
• It doesn’t adapt to dark or sepia mode. A bright white phone screenshot in the middle of a dark-mode chapter is jarring.
• It’s invisible to screen readers. Readers using text-to-speech get nothing, unless you write a description for every image.
• It can’t be searched or highlighted. Readers can’t search for a line of dialogue or highlight a message they love.
• It looks blurry on some devices, especially when images are compressed or shown on e-ink screens.

Real text avoids all of that. The best texting formats are styled text, not pictures.

What makes a texting scene easy to read

Whatever style you choose, a few things make texting scenes much easier to follow:

Make it obvious who’s speaking. Put one character’s messages on one side and the other character’s on the other, or show the sender’s name above each message. Ideally both.

Keep sides consistent. If your main character’s messages are on the right in chapter two, keep them on the right for the whole book. Readers learn the pattern quickly and rely on it.

Keep messages short. Real texts are short. Long paragraphs in message form lose the rhythm that makes these scenes work.

Break up long exchanges. A dozen messages with no narration can feel like reading a transcript. A line of reaction between messages (“She stared at the screen.”) keeps the reader in the scene.

Go easy on emojis. An occasional emoji adds character, but e-ink e-readers like the Kindle Paperwhite show them in black and white, and they don’t always look the same across devices. Make sure the scene still makes sense without them.

Skip timestamps unless they matter. Times on every message add clutter. Use one only when the timing is part of the story, like a message sent at 3am.

Making it work on every e-reader

Ebook readers vary a lot. A Kindle Paperwhite shows only black, white and grey. Apple Books and phone apps show colour. Some older devices ignore background colours entirely.

That’s why it helps to choose a texting style that doesn’t depend on colour. Messages set to the left or right, with a thin line on one side and the sender’s name above, read clearly everywhere. Rounded, coloured bubbles look lovely in colour reading apps, but on e-ink they become grey shapes, so they need enough contrast to still work.

Always check a texting scene in a device preview, on both an e-ink screen and a phone, before you publish.

Doing it in Libba

Libba has text messages built in, and they’re real text, not images.

Write the conversation in your chapter as simple lines with each sender’s name and a colon:

Mia: where are you?
Jake: outside. look up
Mia: that's not funny

Select the lines, then choose Convert to Text Messages from the insert menu. Libba turns them into a conversation, with each person kept on their own side all the way through. You can then edit any message, add new ones, switch which side a message sits on, and add emojis.

There are two styles to choose from:

• Simple: messages sit left or right with a thin line beside them. It reads clearly on every e-reader, including black-and-white Kindles.
• Bubble: rounded, coloured bubbles like a phone’s messaging app. It looks great in colour reading apps and on phones.

Because the messages are real text, readers can resize them, read them in dark mode, search them and hear them read aloud. The device preview shows how the scene looks on a Kindle, a Kobo, an iPad and a phone before you export.

For letters, emails or transcripts, Libba also has an inset block that sets text apart from the main story in the same way.

Common questions

Should text messages be in italics? They can be, for short exchanges. For longer ones, a layout that separates the two people is easier to follow, and it keeps italics free for thoughts and emphasis.

Do I need quotation marks around texts? No. The formatting already shows it’s a message, so quotation marks just add clutter.

Will my texting scenes look the same on every device? Not exactly, because every e-reader displays books a little differently. A style that doesn’t rely on colour will look consistent and readable everywhere.

Can I use the same format for emails and social media posts? Yes. The same principles apply: set them apart from the narration, make the sender clear, and keep them as real text rather than images.

For more on how ebooks differ from print layouts, see Formatting Your First Ebook: A No-Jargon Guide.