Ebook Formatting Checklist for KDP & Print
Most self-published books don’t fail because of the writing — they fail the formatting check. Readers forgive a lot, but not a book where chapter headings change size halfway through, images overlap the text, or the table of contents links to the wrong pages. Amazon’s own quality checks will flag or even suppress books with serious formatting errors. And print is unforgiving: a margin that’s fine on screen can swallow text into the gutter of a bound book. Formatting is the difference between a book that looks professional and one that screams “I did this in an afternoon.”
This checklist covers the entire formatting process for both KDP ebook and KDP paperback, from manuscript cleanup to the final pre-upload review. It walks through stripping manual formatting, setting up proper styles, building front and back matter in the right order, handling images and tables, generating a working table of contents, and running the different export checks each format needs. It’s built for first-time authors, indie publishers, and anyone preparing a manuscript in Word, Google Docs, or similar tools. Work through it in order — each stage builds on the last — and your book will pass KDP’s checks on the first upload.
What’s inside this checklist
The 40 items are organized into six stages. Manuscript cleanup comes first: removing double spaces, manual indents, empty paragraphs, and stray formatting, then applying proper paragraph and heading styles throughout. Front matter covers the required order — title page, copyright page, dedication, epigraph, table of contents, foreword or preface — and what each page must contain, including the edition notice and rights statement.
Body formatting handles the details readers notice subconsciously: consistent chapter headings, first-line indents (but not on the first paragraph of a chapter), proper scene-break markers, smart quotes instead of straight quotes, and widow/orphan control for print. Images and tables covers resolution minimums, caption styles, and why complex tables need simplifying for ebooks. Back matter includes the about-the-author page, also-by listings, and review-request pages in the right positions. The final stage splits into ebook-specific checks (reflowable EPUB validation, TOC links, no fixed layouts) and print-specific checks (trim size, margins, bleed, embedded fonts, gutter allowance) so each file passes its own upload review.
The ebook formatting checklist
EBOOK FORMATTING CHECKLIST — KDP EBOOK & PRINT 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
AdvertisementSTAGE 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]
How to use this checklist
- Finish your manuscript edits first — formatting a draft that’s still changing means redoing the work.
- Work through stages 1 to 5 in order on your master manuscript file; these stages are identical for ebook and print.
- Duplicate the cleaned manuscript into two files — one for ebook export, one for print layout — then apply stage 6A to the first and 6B to the second.
- For print, decide your trim size before touching margins or page numbers; changing trim size late forces a full re-layout.
- Upload to KDP, order a physical proof copy for print and test the ebook on Kindle Previewer, and fix anything you spot before hitting publish.
Format once, format right — a clean file sails through KDP review while a sloppy one bounces back with flags.
Frequently asked questions
Word, Google Docs, or dedicated software — what should I format in?
Word handles both ebook and print adequately for text-heavy books; Google Docs works for ebooks but struggles with precise print layout. For image-heavy or complex print books, dedicated tools like Atticus, Vellum, or InDesign are worth it. The checklist works regardless of tool.
How do I handle the copyright page?
Include the copyright symbol or word “Copyright,” the year of first publication, and the rights holder’s name. Add “All rights reserved,” an edition notice, your ISBN for print if you have one, and a fiction disclaimer if the book is a novel. Keep it to one page.
Why did KDP reject my print PDF?
The usual culprits are missing embedded fonts, margins smaller than KDP’s minimums for your page count, and a trim size mismatch between the file and your KDP setup. Run through stage 6B item by item — the fix is almost always in there.
Download the Ebook Formatting Checklist for KDP & Print
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