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eBook Manuscript Formatting Guide
This guide will show you how to prepare your manuscript for KDP publishing. The info below is specific to Microsoft Word 2016, but the steps are similar to other versions of Word. For directions on how to format your eBook manuscript using Mac, visit Publishing for Mac users.
Note: If you have already published your book as a paperback, you will need to reformat you manuscript using eBook format guidelines to prevent formatting errors. For more information about the eBook formats, visit Supported eBook Formats.
Note: If you have already published your book as a paperback, you will need to reformat you manuscript using eBook format guidelines to prevent formatting errors. For more information about the eBook formats, visit Supported eBook Formats.
Set paragraph indentations and line spacingTo ensure that your book body text displays consistently, you'll want to indent paragraphs (Tab spacing doesn't convert to Kindle) and set line spacing. To ensure consistency and save time, modify the Normal style. This will automatically apply the formatting.
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Format Chapter TitlesAs you write your book, apply Heading 1 to chapter titles. This will also help you later when you create your table of contents.
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Create a Table of ContentsFor an in-depth guide, visit our article on creating a Table of Contents in Word. You can also visit Prepare Reflowable and Print Books with Kindle Create to create your table of contents using Kindle Create, available for both PC and Mac users. |
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Add front and back matterYour eBook should include a title page with your book title and author name.Front matter includes:
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Insert and format ImagesFor an in-depth guide, visit our article on formatting Images in your eBook. You can also visit Prepare Reflowable and Print Books with Kindle Create to format images in your manuscript using Kindle Create, available for both PC and Mac users. |
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Add page breaksAdding pages breaks ensures your text displays wherever you want one page to end and the next to begin:
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Insert hyperlinksExternal links should enhance the reader experience and the content of your eBook. For details on our guidelines for links, see the "Links" section of our quality guidelines.
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Add footnotesFootnotes in your eBook must have working links so readers can click easily from content to footnote and back.
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Check for errorsAfter finishing your manuscript, check the following:
For an in-depth guide, visit our article on about quality checks, see Guide to Kindle Content Quality |
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Preview your eBookPreview your eBook before you publishing it. If you're formatting in Word, use Kindle Previewer, a free desktop application. If you're formatting in Kindle Create, you can preview your eBook by clicking the Preview button. Both versions of Previewer show you how your eBook will look on:
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Upload your eBook
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Other resources to know...
- First time publishing on Amazon? Use the KDP Jumpstart
- Publishing a paperback? Learn how to format a Paperback Manuscript
- Want to know our accepted file formats? Visit Supported eBook Formats
- Need a formatting tool to help? Download Kindle Create
- Want to format your eBook using Kindle Create? Visit Prepare Reflowable and Print Books with Kindle Create
- Want to know when will your eBook publish? Visit timelines for new publications
- Having issues during publishing your eBook? Visit eBook File Formatting Tips