Before you start
- The manuscript is fully edited; formatting a file that will change again is wasted work
- Chapter breaks are marked consistently, with no manual page breaks or runs of blank lines
- Headings use styles rather than bold text, so they can be found and formatted
- Italics and other emphasis survived the editing stage
- Images are supplied as separate files at print resolution, usually 300 dpi at the printed size
Print interior
- Trim size matches the cover design and the printer's options
- Inside margins are wider than outside margins to allow for the binding
- Body text is a readable serif at 10.5 to 12 points with comfortable line spacing
- Chapters start on a new page, and on the right-hand page if the design calls for it
- Running heads and page numbers are present, and absent on blank and display pages
- No widows or orphans, and no chapter heading stranded at the foot of a page
- Front matter in order: half title, title page, copyright page, dedication, contents
- Copyright page includes the ISBN, copyright line and edition information
- Back matter in order: acknowledgements, about the author, also by, notes or index
- PDF exported with fonts embedded, in the page size and colour mode the printer requires
Ebook
- Built as a reflowable EPUB, not a converted print PDF
- A clickable table of contents and the ebook's internal navigation both work
- Headings, paragraphs and emphasis use proper styles so readers can change fonts
- Images are sized for screens and have alt text
- Scene breaks are visible, not just blank lines that can disappear at a page boundary
- No page numbers or running heads, which do not exist in a reflowable file
- Front matter is short so the reader reaches chapter one quickly in the sample
- The file passes EPUB validation and the store's own checker
Final checks
- Proofread the typeset PDF, not the manuscript
- Open the EPUB on a phone, a tablet or e-reader, and in a desktop app
- Check the spine width with the cover designer once the page count is final
- Order a printed proof and read it cover to cover before approving
- Keep the source files and note which version was uploaded where
Questions authors ask
Can I format my own book in Word?
For a simple novel, yes, with care. Word is weak at the finer points of typesetting, such as spacing and hyphenation, and most authors can see the difference in the finished pages.
Why does my ebook look different on every device?
That is how reflowable ebooks work: the reader controls the font and size. Good formatting makes the structure survive those changes, not freeze the layout.
Do I need a different print file for each platform?
Usually the same interior PDF works across platforms for the same trim size, but each printer has its own bleed and margin rules, so check their specification.