Format your own novel for a KDP paperback

If your book is written, the remaining work is typesetting: page size, margins, fonts, chapter openings, page numbers and the front matter.

1. Pick a trim size

The novel type offers 5 × 8 in, 5.25 × 8 in, 5.5 × 8.5 in, 6 × 9 in. A smaller page means more pages and a higher print cost per copy; a larger one means long lines that are harder to read.

2. Set the inside

• Cream paper is common for fiction; white for non-fiction with pictures.
• Start each chapter on a new page.
• Leave the gutter KDP asks for at your page count; see margins and gutter.
• Put the title page, copyright page and contents before the first chapter.

3. Or import it into kdpbookai

Upload a DOCX, PDF, Markdown or text file. The app splits it into chapters by headings or "Chapter" lines, you check the split, and the text goes into the book word for word: the AI does not touch it, and importing costs no credits. If any chapter's word count does not match the file, nothing is saved.

The interior, the cover and, for novels, a Kindle EPUB come out ready for KDP. Older DOC, RTF, ODT and Pages files need to be saved as DOCX first.