[PlacidTubs]

I study creative writing, and as an assignment I need to create a small run of booklets containing the work of our group. I am the one who has been put in charge of actually designing and printing the books. I am supposed to use InDesign to do it in. However, I have never used Indesign before and am finding it all rather daunting.

Basically the booklets are just going to be folded a4 paper that will be stapled together, kind of like a classic fanzine format, and the interior to have no more tech layout than that of a novel. Basically the inside needs to look like a novel, with page numbers, headings on each page alternating between story name and author name etc. It also needs to have a contents page and a publisher info page. I don't really know how to do any of this. My tutor tells me that this is a really easy way to start with InDesign, but it all seems tricky to me.

The problem is I don't really know where to begin at all. I'm familiar with photoshop, but this is a whole new world. InDesign in general, and all of the tutorials I can find for it seems to be geared towards making much mroe complex magazine layouts than a simple novel type layout.

If anyone has any tips or advice, or who knows of any tutorials that can help me, I'd be so grateful.

[MaxPower]

I was going to politely point out that Google returns a ton of hits on just this type of tutorial. On closer look I noticed that most of them are syllabi or course descriptions.

So here's what I found

How to create a booklet in InDesign CS. However it doesn't really tell you everything you need to know.
http://www.computerarts.co.uk/tutori...in_indesign_cs

Also, go to the help menu and select 'InDesign Help...' It has a few tutorials to get your feet wet.

And worse case scenario, I'd say go down to your local Booktopus and skim this title:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/032...e&n=283155

[production_coordinator]

I would also recommend picking up a book. Some also have templates. Perhaps that could get you started.

[chris v]

for auto page numbering, make a text box on your master page down at the bottom where you want the number to go, then using the context menu, go to Insert Special character > Auto Page Number.

[quietjim]

I edit a magazine with InDesign and when I started I found the Classroom in a Book series very helpful. InDesign CS2 has a built in menu item to generate booklets.