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Click ✓ Done or ✗ Issue for each step as you work through your manuscript.
📝 Editorial
📐 Interior Formatting
🖼️ Cover Design
📋 Legal & Metadata
✅ Upload & Distribution
File Format Requirements by Platform
| Platform | Ebook Format | Print Format | ISBN Required | Free ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon KDP | EPUB, DOCX, HTML | PDF, DOCX | No | Yes (KDP assigns) |
| IngramSpark | EPUB | PDF (exact specs) | Yes (your ISBN) | No ($49 fee) |
| Draft2Digital | DOCX, RTF, EPUB | N/A | No | Yes (assigned) |
| Apple Books | EPUB only | N/A | No | Yes |
Platform requirements change periodically. Always verify current specifications on the platform's help pages before final upload. IngramSpark in particular has precise PDF bleed and margin requirements that vary by trim size.
Pre-Publishing FAQ
Yes — editorial quality is the #1 differentiator between professional and amateur indie books. At minimum: a developmental edit (structure, plot, pacing) and a copy edit (grammar, consistency). Proofreading catches final errors. Budget: $500-$3,000+ depending on book length and editor level. Alternatives: beta readers + a professional proofreader for tight budgets. Skipping editing shows in reviews — "needed editing" is the most common reason for 1-2 star reviews.
For ebooks: Vellum ($249 Mac, one-time) or Atticus ($147 cross-platform) are the gold standards — produce beautiful ebooks with minimal effort. For print: same tools work well, or use Affinity Publisher ($70) for more control. Professional formatters charge $200-$600 for interior layout. Most authors who use Vellum or Atticus handle formatting themselves successfully. Complex books with many images, tables, or footnotes benefit from professional formatting.
Very — it's required for professional books and provides legal protection. Your copyright page should include: "Copyright © [year] [Your Name]" (copyright exists from creation, registration is optional), ISBN (if using your own), edition information ("First published" date), country of manufacture for print, publisher name (your imprint or name), "All rights reserved" statement, and for fiction: a disclaimer that characters/events are fictitious. Without a copyright page, your book will look amateur and may be questioned by library buyers.
Download Kindle Previewer (free, desktop app) from Amazon to see exactly how your ebook will render on Kindle devices and apps. Also test in: the Kindle app on your phone, an actual Kindle device (if you have one), and Adobe Digital Editions for EPUB validation. Look for: formatting errors, image placement, font rendering, table of contents links, and chapter breaks. Upload to KDP's online previewer last — it shows the most accurate Kindle rendering.
Formatting issues: incorrect trim size, margins too small (KDP requires minimum 0.25" on all sides, 0.375" for gutter on books over 150 pages), fonts not embedded in PDF, or bleed settings incorrect. Content issues: cover file resolution below 300 DPI, cover image dimensions not matching interior trim size, or missing required legal text. File issues: PDF not print-ready, interactive elements in ebook, or encrypted PDF. The KDP Previewer tool catches most issues before submission -- always review there before submitting.
KDP charges per page for black-and-white printing: approximately $0.012/page for US standard. 100 pages costs ~$1.20 to print; 400 pages costs ~$4.80. Color printing is significantly more expensive ($0.05-0.07/page). Page count affects your minimum price -- KDP requires your price to be at least printing cost divided by 0.60 (the royalty percentage). A 350-page black-and-white book costs ~$4.20 to print, requiring a minimum list price of ~$7.00. Puzzle books tend to have higher page counts which increases this floor.
KDP provides a free ISBN for books published through their platform, but that ISBN is KDP-specific -- it cannot be used to distribute through IngramSpark or other channels. For wide distribution, you need your own ISBN (Bowker in the US, $125 for one or $295 for 10). If your goal is Amazon-only, the free KDP ISBN is fine. If you plan to sell through bookstores, libraries, or IngramSpark, purchase your own ISBNs and use them on all platforms to maintain publishing rights and distribution flexibility.