top of page

eBook Publishing Essentials

Image by @felirbe

Photo by Ben Sweet on Unsplash

From Polished Manuscript to Live eBook

A guide to piecing together the puzzle without throwing your laptop out the window

​

Before You Touch Formatting: Is the Book Actually Ready?
​

You should only be publishing an eBook that's as clean and professional as you can make it.

​

Ask yourself:

​

  • Has the book been professionally edited?

  • If not, have you at least done a serious self-edit, ideally using a structured process rather than a quick spellcheck?

​

If your answer is "erm… no?" then pause.

​

This is where we nudge you to either:

​

​

Publishing a badly edited eBook is like turning up to a job interview in a bin bag. Technically allowed. Not recommended.

​

Assuming the manuscript is edited and proofread: now we move on.

 

Understanding eBook Formats

​

Different platforms like different file types. You don't need to become a tech wizard, but you do need to know the basics.

​

The main formats you'll see:

​

  • DOCX

    • Your Word file. Often used as the source file you upload to platforms (KDP, Draft2Digital etc.), which then convert it to eBook formats.

​

  • EPUB

    • The industry-standard eBook format.

    • Used by: Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play, most non-Kindle retailers.

    • Reflowable (text reshapes depending on screen size and reader settings).

​

  • KPF (Kindle Package Format)

    • Amazon's newer format created using Kindle Create.

    • Gives you more control over layout, especially for non-fiction, images, etc.

​

  • PDF

    • Fixed layout. Great for print and some direct sales.

    • Terrible as a primary eBook format because it doesn't reflow nicely on small screens.

​

You will almost always be working with DOCX → EPUB / KPF depending on where you're uploading.

​

What Your eBook Must Include

​

An eBook isn't just your story lobbed into a file. It's a digital book with all the trimmings.

​

Front Matter

​

At minimum, your front matter should contain:

​

  • Title page

    • Book title

    • Subtitle (if any)

    • Author name

    • Tagline/series name (optional)

  • Copyright page

    • Copyright notice

    • Year of publication

    • Author name / imprint

    • “All rights reserved” text

    • ISBN (if you’re using one for the ebook)

    • Any disclaimers (e.g., “This is a work of fiction…”)

  • Dedication (optional)

  • Epigraph (optional)

  • Table of contents (TOC)(primarily used for non-fiction; for fiction it's usually auto-generated from headings, but you still need to set headings properly)

​

Body
​

  • Your chapters, with consistent headings.

  • Scene breaks formatted cleanly (not just ten random dots).

​

Back matter

​

This is prime marketing space. Use it.

​

  • Acknowledgements

  • About the Author

  • Also by [Author Name] – list other titles, or "Coming soon" for series.

  • Call to action:

    • Ask for a review.

    • Invite them to join your newsletter / get a reader magnet.

  • Optional:

    • First chapter of another book

    • Reading group questions (for book clubs)

 

Formatting Basics (So Your eBook Doesn't Implode)

​

eBooks are fussy but not complicated. Most disasters happen when writers try to "design" the book inside Word like a brochure.

​

Golden rule: keep it simple and semantic.

​

Use Styles, Not Manual Formatting

​

  • Use Word's Heading styles for chapter titles (Heading 1 is standard).

  • Use Normal style for body text.

  • Don't manually change every chapter title font and size by hand.

​

Styles = clean structure = platforms can create a usable, clickable table of contents.

​

 Paragraphs and spacing

​

  • Don't use tabs to indent.

  • Don't hit Enter ten times to make space.

  • Set paragraph indentation and spacing via the paragraph settings in your word processor.

​

Typical fiction layout:

​

  • First line indent (0.3–0.5")

  • No extra spacing between paragraphs

  • No justified text (leave as left-aligned; the device handles it)

​

Page breaks

​

Insert manual page breaks before each new chapter.
Do not just hammer Enter until it "looks right".

​

Images

​

If you're including images:

​

  • Use high-quality but optimised files (JPG/PNG).

  • Keep file sizes reasonable or your eBook will be chunky and slow to download.

  • Centre them, and don't rely on complex wrap-around text formatting.

​

Internal links

​

For non-fiction, or series:

​

  • Link your table of contents to chapters.

  • Add links in your "Also by" section to other books on retailer sites (you can update this later once links exist).

  • Include a clickable link to your newsletter sign-up.

 
Tools and Programs to Format Your eBook

​

Good news: you have options, from "just upload my Word file and hope" to "I enjoy suffering and learning new software."

​

Word / Google Docs → Direct Upload

​

Most platforms (Amazon KDP, Draft2Digital, etc.) accept DOCX and convert it for you.

​

Pros:

​

  • Simple.

  • No extra software needed.

  • Fine for straightforward novels.

​

Cons:

​

  • Less control.

  • Odd formatting can sneak in if your DOCX is messy.

​​

Kindle Create (for Amazon)

​

Amazon offers Kindle Create, a free tool:

​

  • Import your DOCX or PDF.

  • Apply themes.

  • Generate a KPF file for Kindle.

  • Good for:

    • Non-fiction

    • Books with images

    • More control over layout for Kindle specifically

​

You then upload the KPF file to KDP.

​

Specialist eBook Software

​

If you want more professional-level control:

​

  • Vellum (Mac only): beloved by many indie authors.

    • Clean interface, exports EPUB & Kindle formats.

    • Allows fancy headers, page numbers and chapter page art.

  • Atticus (browser-based): cross-platform alternative to Vellum, but not as much 'artistic' control.

  • Scrivener: powerful writing & compiling tool; can output EPUB, but has a steep learning curve.

  • Calibre: free, more technical, great for converting between formats, but not "pretty" or beginner-friendly for layout.

  • Papyrus: also free, contains many useful tools for checking repetition, filler words, and sentence complexity. Supports exporting in various formats.

​​

If you're tech-curious and like control, these can be worth the cost/learning.

 

Final Checks Before Upload

​

Once you've produced your EPUB/KPF/DOCX:

​

Validate your eBook

​

  • Use an EPUB checker (there are free ones online) to ensure no major issues.

  • Some platforms will reject broken EPUBs.

​

Test on multiple devices

​

  • Use Kindle Previewer (for Amazon).

  • Test on:

    • Kindle app (phone/tablet)

    • e-reader if you have one

    • Different font sizes and backgrounds

​

Things to look for:

​

  • Chapter headings display correctly.

  • Scene breaks are visible.

  • No weird page breaks.

  • Links work.

 

Where to Publish Your eBook

​

Once your file is ready, it's time to actually publish the thing.

​

You can go wide (many retailers) or exclusive (e.g., Amazon only via KDP Select). That's a whole strategy conversation, but here's the lay of the land.

​

Amazon KDP

​

  • Biggest eBook retailer.

  • You upload:

    • Manuscript file (DOCX, EPUB, KPF)

    • Cover file (JPEG/TIFF)

  • If you enrol in KDP Select, your eBook must be exclusive to Amazon (for the eBook format) for three months, but you get:

    • Kindle Unlimited (KU) page reads (paid per page read)

    • Some promotional tools

​
Kobo Writing Life

​

  • Great for international readers.

  • Upload EPUB/DOCX.

  • Kobo often has good promotion opportunities, especially outside the UK/US.

​

Apple Books

​

  • Requires an Apple account and specific tools, or you can use an aggregator to reach them.

  • EPUB is king here.

​

Google Play Books

​

  • Upload EPUB/PDF.

  • Growing platform; some authors love its discoverability.

​

Aggregators (One Upload, Many Stores)

​

Instead of uploading everywhere individually, you can use:

​

  • Draft2Digital

  • (Smashwords has now rolled into D2D in many ways)

​

These services:

​

  • Take your file.

  • Distribute to multiple retailers (Apple, Kobo, smaller stores, libraries).

  • Take a small cut of royalties.

​

They're brilliant if you want to publish wide without juggling sixteen dashboards. You can still upload your book to KDP, just don't enrol in Kindle Unlimited to avoid the exclusivity for three months clause.

 

Metadata: The Stuff Around Your Book That Sells Your Book

​

Metadata is everything besides the actual manuscript that helps people find and choose your ebook.

​

You'll need to fill in:

​​

  • Title and subtitle

  • Series name and number (if applicable)

  • Author name / pen name

  • Book description (blurb)

  • Keywords

  • Categories/genres

  • Age range (if YA/children's)

​

This is where our Metadata guide helps: you're not just uploading a file, you're positioning a product.

​

Take time on the blurb:

​

  • hook in the first line

  • set tone and stakes

  • keep it readable (short paragraphs, not a wall of text)

 

Pricing Your eBook

​

How you price depends on:

​

  • Genre norms

  • Length

  • Whether it's book 1 in a series

  • Your goals (visibility vs income)

​

Many indie authors:

​

  • price Book 1 lower as an entry point (sometimes £0.99 or free in promos)

  • price later books higher

  • keep an eye on competitor pricing

​

You can change price later, so don't freeze here forever.

​

After Publishing: Don't Vanish

​

Once your eBook is live:

​

  • Check the listing for horrors:

    • wrong description?

    • weird formatting in the "Look Inside"?

  • Fix issues promptly.

​

Then:

​

  • Link your eBook from:

    • Your website

    • Your newsletter

    • Your social media

    • The back matter of other books

  • Set up any launch promotions / newsletter announcements / ARC reviews — all the fun stuff covered in our Organic Book Promotion blog and Publishing Timeline guide.

​

Quick Summary Checklist

​

Before you hit publish, you should be able to tick off:

​

  • Manuscript professionally edited or rigorously self-edited

  • Clean DOCX with styles used properly

  • Front matter and back matter added

  • File converted to EPUB/KPF (or ready DOCX for platform)

  • eBook tested on multiple devices / previewers

  • Metadata written (title, subtitle, series, keywords, categories)

  • Blurb polished

  • Cover in correct dimensions/resolution

  • Decision made: Amazon-only or wide

  • Accounts created on chosen platforms

  • Launch plan in place (newsletter, social, ARC, etc.)

 

 

If you're still struggling, why not grab the worksheet below. It's either this… or trusting Amazon's auto-formatter with your career. And we both know how that horror story ends...

​

And if your manuscript is still misbehaving like a tired toddler, check out our eBook Formatting Troubleshooting guide.

bottom of page