The technical side of getting your book ready to upload — without losing your mind
Formatting is the part of self-publishing that nobody warns you about until you’re already deep in it. You’ve written the book. You’ve edited it. You feel done. And then you discover that uploading a Word document to a print-on-demand platform and expecting it to look like a real book is roughly equivalent to submitting a grocery list and expecting it to look like a menu.
The good news is that formatting is learnable. It is also, once you understand it, finite — a problem with a solution, unlike the endless ambiguities of craft. Here’s what you need to know.
Ebook Formatting vs. Print Formatting
These are two separate products requiring two separate approaches. Many first-time self-publishers try to use the same file for both, and the result usually looks bad in one or both formats.
Ebooks are reflowable by nature. Readers can change font size, and the text reflows to fit. This means complex print formatting — columns, elaborate headers, precise spacing — tends to break badly on ereaders. Good ebook formatting is clean and simple: consistent paragraph styles, logical heading hierarchy, working table of contents links, and no hard page breaks except chapter starts. The file format is typically EPUB, which most platforms accept; Amazon uses its own MOBI/KFX format but converts from EPUB automatically.
Print books require fixed layout: precise margins, specific trim sizes, consistent headers and footers, embedded fonts, and properly positioned images. The file is typically a PDF, and the specifications vary by platform and trim size. A 6″×9″ trade paperback has different margin requirements than a 5″×8″ or 5.5″×8.5″ — get this wrong and your interior text runs too close to the spine or the edges.
Your Formatting Options
Microsoft Word or Google Docs (DIY, basic): Most self-publishing platforms accept Word documents for print and will convert them. The results are inconsistent. If your book is text-only with minimal formatting complexity, this can work. If you have images, tables, or specific design expectations, it usually won’t produce what you want.
Vellum (Mac only): The gold standard for self-publishing formatting, particularly for ebooks. Vellum produces beautiful, professionally typeset output for both ebook and print formats. The interface is intuitive, the results are consistently excellent, and it exports to all major ebook formats simultaneously. The cost is a one-time purchase ($199.99 for unlimited ebooks, $249.99 for print and ebook). If you’re on a Mac and planning to publish multiple books, it’s worth every dollar.
Atticus (Windows and Mac): A strong alternative to Vellum that works on both platforms. Less elegant than Vellum in some respects but capable and actively developed. Similar price point.
Adobe InDesign: The professional typesetting standard used by traditional publishers. Powerful and precise, but has a steep learning curve and a subscription cost. Worth learning if you’re serious about design; overkill for most self-publishing authors.
Hire a formatter: For many authors, paying a professional formatter $150–400 to produce clean ebook and print files is the right call. It eliminates the technical headache and usually produces better results than a first-time DIY attempt.
The Specifications That Matter
Before you begin formatting for print, confirm these with your chosen platform:
Trim size: The physical dimensions of your book. 6″×9″ is the most common for trade nonfiction and literary fiction. 5″×8″ and 5.5″×8.5″ are also popular. Choose before formatting; changing trim size after means reformatting everything.
Margins: Platforms specify minimum margins, including a larger “gutter” margin (the inside edge near the spine) for longer books that need more room to open flat. A common starting point for a 6″×9″ book: 0.75″ outside, 0.875″ inside, 0.75″ top, 1″ bottom.
Bleed: If you have images or design elements that extend to the edge of the page, you need bleed — an extra 0.125″ on each edge that gets trimmed. Most text-only books don’t need bleed.
Resolution: Images in print files should be 300 DPI minimum. Lower resolution images will look pixelated in print even if they look fine on screen.
A Practical Order of Operations
- Lock in your trim size before formatting anything.
- Format ebook first (it’s simpler and helps you clean up inconsistencies in your manuscript).
- Format print using the platform’s template as a starting point.
- Order a proof copy before going live. Every experienced self-publisher orders a proof. There is always something that needs adjusting.
- Approve and publish only after reviewing the physical proof.
The proof copy step is the one most authors skip and most regret. The difference between how something looks on screen and how it looks printed and bound is significant. Give yourself the chance to catch problems before your readers do.
Tin House Press offers design services including interior layout and typesetting for self-publishing authors. See our design services.
