# Ebook Formatting Checklist for KDP & Print — free download from DollarWise (dollarwise.xyz)

Complete stages 1-5 for both formats, then stage 6A for ebook or 6B for print (or both).

## Stage 1: Manuscript Cleanup

- [ ] 1. Remove ALL double spaces after periods — single spaces only, throughout
- [ ] 2. Delete manual indents (spaces/tabs at paragraph starts) — indents come from styles, not spaces
- [ ] 3. Delete empty paragraphs used for spacing — spacing comes from paragraph styles
- [ ] 4. Remove manual page breaks inside chapters; keep only breaks BETWEEN chapters
- [ ] 5. Convert straight quotes to smart (curly) quotes and fix apostrophes
- [ ] 6. Remove double line breaks, trailing spaces, and hidden formatting characters
- [ ] 7. Apply proper styles: Normal for body, Heading 1 for chapter titles — no direct formatting

## Stage 2: Front Matter (in this order)

- [ ] 8. Title page: book title, subtitle, author name
- [ ] 9. Copyright page: copyright notice, year, author/publisher name, edition, rights statement, ISBN (print) if assigned, disclaimer if needed
- [ ] 10. Dedication page (optional, one page)
- [ ] 11. Epigraph (optional, with attribution)
- [ ] 12. Table of contents placeholder (auto-generated later — do NOT type it manually)
- [ ] 13. Foreword / Preface / Introduction (if any)

## Stage 3: Body Formatting

- [ ] 14. Chapter headings: consistent style, each starting on a new page (ebooks) or right-hand page (print, if desired)
- [ ] 15. First-line indent on body paragraphs (0.25"-0.3"), EXCEPT the first paragraph after a heading or scene break (no indent there)
- [ ] 16. Scene breaks: consistent marker throughout (* * * or #), centered, with space above/below
- [ ] 17. Body text: justified for print; left-aligned or justified for ebook (ereaders may override)
- [ ] 18. Font: readable serif for print body (e.g. Garamond, Caslon); ebooks use reader defaults — do NOT embed unusual body fonts for ebooks
- [ ] 19. Turn on widow/orphan control (print) so no single lines strand at page tops/bottoms
- [ ] 20. Check every chapter ends cleanly — no cut-off sentences or orphaned headings

## Stage 4: Images & Tables

- [ ] 21. Images: minimum 300 DPI at final print size
- [ ] 22. Image format: JPEG for photos, PNG for line art/diagrams; RGB for ebook, CMYK or grayscale-safe for print
- [ ] 23. Center images with captions in a consistent style; never let text wrap awkwardly around images in ebooks
- [ ] 24. Simplify complex tables for ebooks — wide tables break on small screens; consider converting to lists or images
- [ ] 25. Every image has alt text (ebooks) for accessibility

## Stage 5: Back Matter (in this order)

- [ ] 26. Epilogue / Afterword (if any)
- [ ] 27. Acknowledgments
- [ ] 28. About the Author page (short bio + photo optional)
- [ ] 29. Also By / Books by the Author list
- [ ] 30. Review request page ("Enjoyed this book? Please leave a review")
- [ ] 31. Final page: copyright/edition info repeated briefly if required by your distributor

## Stage 6A: Ebook Pre-Upload Checks (EPUB/DOCX)

- [ ] 32. Export as reflowable EPUB (or clean DOCX) — never upload a fixed-layout PDF as an ebook
- [ ] 33. Generate the table of contents from Heading styles; test EVERY link jumps correctly
- [ ] 34. Validate the EPUB file (e.g. with EPUBCheck) — zero errors before upload
- [ ] 35. Preview on Kindle Previewer: phone, tablet, and e-ink sizes; check images, TOC, and chapter starts on each

## Stage 6B: Print Pre-Upload Checks (PDF)

- [ ] 36. Set exact trim size (e.g. 6"x9") with correct margins: 0.75" outer, gutter per page count (check KDP's margin calculator)
- [ ] 37. Add 0.125" bleed on all sides if any content touches page edges (usually just the cover)
- [ ] 38. Embed ALL fonts in the PDF; no missing-font warnings on export
- [ ] 39. Page numbers: present in body, absent on front-matter pages; running heads consistent
- [ ] 40. Export as print-ready PDF (PDF/X preferred), then flip through EVERY page of the digital proof before approving

**Book title:** [TITLE]
**Author name:** [NAME]
**Ebook file:** [FILENAME + DATE]
**Print file:** [FILENAME + DATE]

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