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How to format a book for self-publishing

Formatting a book for self-publishing means making the interior file and the cover file the retailer or printer asks for. Checked on 9 October 2026, KDP's ebook manuscript page lists Word, KPF, and EPUB among the files it describes, and its paperback page separates the interior from the cover. IngramSpark's File Creation Guide, whose file name begins 8.24.26, asks for an EPUB interior plus a JPG front cover for an ebook, and for PDF/X-1a:2001 or PDF/X-3:2002 on print. This page does not rank tools.

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The short answer

  1. KDP's ebook page lists DOC/DOCX, KPF, and EPUB, plus HTML, RTF, TXT, and a language-limited PDF. Its MOBI sentence says that, effective March 2025, KDP will no longer accept MOBI for fixed-layout ebooks.[300]
  2. A KDP paperback interior with bleed must be a PDF. Without bleed, PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, HTML, or TXT is accepted and converted. The cover is a separate PDF, or Cover Creator.[301]
  3. IngramSpark's guide wants EPUB 3.0 plus a front-cover JPG for an ebook, and PDF/X files for a print interior and a print cover. Fonts in the PDFs must be embedded.[302]
  4. Atticus states 147 USD once, for Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook, and a browser, exporting ePub and PDF. Vellum states 199.99 USD for ebooks and 249.99 USD for ebooks and paperbacks, on Mac. Kindle Create states that it is free.[15][47][48]
  5. The formatting cost answer is the sibling page for planning figures. This page does not restate a price for a tool it did not recheck.[15][47][48]

01

What ebook and print files does KDP say it accepts?

KDP's ebook manuscript page, checked 9 October 2026, describes Microsoft Word (DOC/DOCX), Kindle Package Format (KPF) from Kindle Create, and EPUB that meets the Kindle Publishing Guidelines. It says to validate an EPUB in Kindle Previewer. The MOBI row says that, effective March 2025, KDP will no longer accept MOBI files for fixed-layout ebooks. This answer quotes that sentence as written and does not merge it with another help page. Additional accepted formats include, and are not limited to, HTML (ZIP, HTM, or HTML), RTF, TXT, and Adobe PDF. PDF ebook files are supported only in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Catalan, Galician, and Basque. Changing from reflowable to Print Replica, or the reverse, means unpublishing and adding a new title. The paperback page, checked the same day, does not state the hardcover rule. A bleeding interior must be a PDF. Without bleed, PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, HTML, or TXT is accepted, and KDP converts it to PDF. The cover is separate: Cover Creator, which accepts JPG, PNG, and GIF, or a PDF. Files must not be more than 650MB. Cover and interior images should be at least 300 DPI. Interiors must be single pages, not spreads. The minimum page count is 24. The maximum depends on ink, paper, and trim, and this answer does not copy that table. Spine text is printed only on books with more than 79 pages.[300][301]

  • Ebook PDF uploads are limited to the languages named on that page.
  • A bleeding paperback interior has to be a PDF. A no-bleed interior has a longer list.
  • Hardcover file rules are a different KDP topic. This answer does not copy them.

02

What ebook and print files does IngramSpark's guide require?

IngramSpark's File Creation Guide, file name beginning 8.24.26 and checked 9 October 2026, says each ebook is two files: a complete interior EPUB and a front cover as JPEG or JPG. The interior must be EPUB 3.0. No single image inside it can be greater than 3.2 million pixels, and the file must pass current validation. The guide names validator.idpf.org. The cover is the front only, a JPG of 100MB or less, at least 1873 pixels on the longest side and 1600 on the shortest, at 350 dpi, in RGB. Print files must be PDF/X-1a:2001 or PDF/X-3:2002. All fonts must be embedded in every PDF, interior or cover, or the file is rejected. Interior and cover are separate uploads. Other trim and hardcover measurements are not copied here.[302]

  • Ebook: EPUB 3.0 interior, plus a front-cover JPG. Not a full wraparound cover.
  • Print: PDF/X-1a:2001 or PDF/X-3:2002, fonts embedded, interior and cover as separate files.
  • The 3.2 million pixel cap is this guide's ebook interior rule.

03

How is an interior file different from a cover file?

The interior is the manuscript file. The cover is a different file. On the KDP paperback page, that cover is one PDF of the back, the spine, and the front, or a cover made in Cover Creator. The ebook manuscript page lists interior formats and does not state a pixel size for the ebook cover image, so this answer does not invent one. Kindle Create's own page, checked the same day, says it is an interior tool and does not design covers, and that you upload a separate cover file and book file on KDP. IngramSpark's guide splits the same way: a print interior PDF and a print cover PDF, or, for an ebook, an interior EPUB and a front-cover JPG. Formatting the interior does not produce the cover, and a cover image does not replace the interior file.[300][301][302][48]

  • KDP paperback: interior file plus a cover PDF or Cover Creator.
  • IngramSpark ebook: interior EPUB plus a front-only JPG.
  • Kindle Create says it does not design the cover.

04

What do Atticus, Vellum, and Kindle Create state about platforms and price?

The order is not a ranking. Atticus, checked 9 October 2026, states 147 USD, once, with later updates included and a 30-day money-back guarantee. It lists Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chromebook, and says it runs in a browser. It exports ePub and PDF, from one file or from duplicates, and states no limit on the number of books. It does not state a subscription price. Vellum, checked the same day, states 199.99 USD for Vellum Ebooks, described as unlimited ebooks, and 249.99 USD for Vellum Press, described as unlimited ebooks and paperbacks. Tax is not included. It requires macOS 13 or newer and says it is only available for Mac. Ebook output is validated EPUB 3 and EPUB 2. Print is paperback or hardcover, including PDF/X-1a, with 24 trim sizes plus large print. Kindle Create's page says it is a free desktop application for Windows 10 or later, or macOS 10.15 or later, with 4 GB of RAM or more. It can prepare an ebook and a paperback or hardcover from the same text-heavy manuscript. Image support in print is limited, and tables, footnotes, and endnotes are not supported for print yet. The reflowable steps say to import DOC or DOCX and export KPF for KDP. The page also says EPUB export is for viewing on non-Kindle devices. It states no price other than free.[15][47][48]

  • Atticus: 147 USD once. ePub and PDF. Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook, and a browser.
  • Vellum: 199.99 USD for ebooks, or 249.99 USD for ebooks and paperbacks. Mac only, macOS 13 or newer. Tax is not included.
  • Kindle Create: free, for the interior. It does not design the cover, and it does not state a paid tier.

05

How does this relate to the formatting cost page?

The formatting cost answer is the sibling page for planning figures. Its paid tool row is 147 USD for Atticus and 199.99 to 249.99 USD for Vellum, which matches the vendor pages rechecked here, and its free row names Kindle Create. That page also names Reedsy Studio. This answer does not restate a Reedsy Studio price, because that page was not rechecked on 9 October 2026. A software export is not the same purchase as hiring a person to format the book. The cost answer is where that hire sits. An export still has to be a file type KDP or IngramSpark accepts. Proof copies sit on the paperback answer, and distribution fees sit on the IngramSpark comparison.[15][47][48][300][301][302]

  • Use the cost page for the planning figures. Use this page for the file types.
  • A free tool still has to export a file the platform lists.
  • A directory listing is not a preference.

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