I believe my old Microsoft Suite was much easier to use and hence a lot faster to get the work done for a book; set up correctly is extremely important for the future publisher.
Familiar software is always easier to use than unfamiliar software. 
Having first used Word before moving to LibO writer, I understand the sense of sluggishness. On the other hand, now when I go back to Word (as I do fairly regularly), I find myself pining for Writer!
You don’t elaborate the question in your title, so as a guess as to what you hope to learn:
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SuPerscript - Word’s
CTRL+SHIFT+=is done byCTRL+SHIFT+Pin Writer (toggles) -
SuBscript - Word’s
CTRL+=is done byCTRL+SHIFT+Bin Writer (toggles) -
Margins - from menu
Format > Page > Page tab > Margins(as [almost] in an existing answer).
Aside from the Documentation already linked, there is also a full set of informative manuals on the Document Foundation wiki. Hope this helps, but if we have missed your main concern, do unpack your question a bit more.
This question will be quite useful for you I think:
“For sub/superscripts, they are found under the Format menu, Character, and the Position Tab. You can also customize the Formatting Tool Bar to add sub/superscripting quick buttons.”
To change margins go: Format > Page > Margins. Or (even better), create a page style with the margins you want Creating and Applying Page Styles - LibreOffice Help