What's Included in Professional Book Formatting?

Formatting is the step that turns a manuscript into a book: an ebook file that reflows on any screen, and a print file that lines up on paper. Here's what a professional formatter should handle, and what can go wrong if nobody does.

Ebook formatting

Ebooks are reflowable: the reader picks the font size and the text moves to fit the screen. That means no fixed page numbers and no manual line breaks. A good ebook file includes:

• An EPUB file, the standard every major store accepts
• A linked table of contents
• Consistent chapter headings and scene breaks
• Images sized so they stay sharp without bloating the file
• Front and back matter: title page, copyright page, dedication, also-by and about-the-author pages

Amazon no longer accepts MOBI files for new Kindle ebooks, so if a formatter offers MOBI, ask for EPUB instead.

Print formatting

Print files are fixed: every page is laid out exactly as it will be printed. The main decisions are:

• Trim size. Novels are often 5 x 8 or 5.5 x 8.5 inches. Nonfiction and memoir are often 6 x 9.
• Margins and gutter. The inner margin grows with page count, so text doesn't disappear into the spine.
• Bleed. If images run to the edge of the page, the file needs an extra 0.125 inches on the outside edges.
• Headers, footers and page numbers, usually left off chapter opening pages.
• Typography. Readable fonts at the right size, and no stray single lines at the top or bottom of a page.
• Images at 300 DPI so they print sharply.

Common reasons stores reject files

• Text or page numbers too close to the edge of the page
• Fonts not embedded in the PDF
• A cover file that doesn't match the interior's page count and spine width
• Low-resolution images
• Bleed added to some pages but not others

Each rejection costs days. A formatter should preview your ebook in Kindle Previewer and check the print PDF against Amazon KDP and IngramSpark rules before you upload.

Genre changes the look

Thrillers often use clean, tight chapter openers. Fantasy might add drop caps and ornaments. Children's books lean on large type and images. Nonfiction needs tidy tables, callouts and headings. Ask to see samples in your genre before you choose a formatter.

Formatting with Storysloom

Our formatting service includes an EPUB and a print-ready PDF, styled to your genre, with three rounds of revisions and checks against each store's rules. Ebook only is $149, and ebook plus paperback is $249.