How to turn a manuscript into an ebook you can sell
Short answer: upload your manuscript, fill in the title and author, and add a cover. You get one EPUB 3 file that has passed EPUBCheck, with a title page, copyright page, contents and accessibility metadata already in it. That one file uploads as it is to Amazon KDP, Apple Books, Kobo Writing Life, Google Play Books and Draft2Digital.
Steps
- Upload the manuscript. A Word file (.docx) works best, because its Heading 1 and Heading 2 styles become the chapters. ODT, RTF, TXT, Markdown, HTML and PDF work too.
- Fill in the book's details. Only the title and author are required. Subtitle, series, publisher, edition, ISBN, description, keywords, other contributors and a publication date are optional.
- Add a cover: a JPEG or PNG, ideally 1,600 × 2,560 pixels. A PDF manuscript uses its first page if you add none.
- Choose the pages around your text: a title page, a copyright page, a dedication, "About the author" and "Also by".
- Make the book. It is checked with EPUBCheck, and you see the result and a page-by-page preview before you download it.
- Upload the EPUB to each store. KDP also asks for the cover as a separate file.
What EPUBCheck is, and why it matters to a store
EPUBCheck is the official EPUB validator, maintained by the W3C. It reports files that break the EPUB rules: a missing table of contents, a broken link between chapters, an image the package doesn't declare, a malformed metadata field. Stores and distributors check uploads in the same way, and a file with errors can be rejected or come out badly on readers' devices. Here the book is checked before you download it. A book that fails is not charged for.
What goes into the book
- Front matter: a title page, a copyright page with the rights you choose (all rights reserved, any Creative Commons 4.0 licence, or CC0) and an optional work-of-fiction notice, a dedication, and a contents page.
- Back matter: "About the author" and an "Also by" list of your other titles.
- Store metadata: title and subtitle, authors with the name to sort under, editors, illustrators, translators, narrators and other contributors, series and number, publisher, edition, language, ISBN, description and keywords.
- Accessibility metadata: describes what the book contains, such as reflowable text, a table of contents, heading navigation and whether every image has a text description. The European Accessibility Act has asked for it on ebooks sold in the EU since June 2025.
- A stable identifier: make the book again after a change and it keeps the same identifier, so a store sees a new version of the same book, not a new book.
Cover size and format for KDP, Apple Books and Kobo
| Check | What the cover should be |
|---|---|
| Best size | 1,600 × 2,560 pixels (KDP's guidance) |
| Smallest KDP accepts | 625 × 1,000 pixels |
| Apple Books | At least 1,400 pixels wide |
| Shape | About 1.6 times as tall as it is wide |
| Colours | RGB, not print (CMYK) colours |
| File | JPEG or PNG, ideally under 5 MB (KDP charges a delivery fee per MB at the 70% royalty) |
The cover is checked when you add it. A cover outside this guidance still makes a valid book, so you get a warning explaining the problem rather than a refusal.
Store limits it checks for you
Fields are checked against KDP's limits, the strictest of the stores: at most 200 characters for the title and subtitle together, 4,000 for the description, and 7 keywords of up to 50 characters each. An ISBN must be the 13-digit form starting with 978 or 979 with a matching check digit. Type a 10-digit ISBN and you are shown its 13-digit equivalent. A Kindle ebook doesn't need an ISBN at all.
How it compares with other ways to make an ebook
| Tool | Runs on | What it makes | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Convert2EPUB Publish | Any browser | One EPUB 3, checked with EPUBCheck, for every store | 400 credits per book |
| Kindle Create | Windows, Mac | A KPF file that only Amazon KDP accepts | Free |
| Calibre | Windows, Mac, Linux | EPUB and other formats; front matter and checks are up to you | Free |
| Vellum | Mac only | Designed ebook and print interiors | One-time purchase |
| Atticus | Browser and desktop | Designed ebook and print interiors | One-time purchase |
Vellum and Atticus are design tools: you lay out the interior inside them, chapter by chapter. This page is for a manuscript that is already written and styled, and needs to become a correct, store-ready file without learning a new program.
Frequently asked
How much does it cost?
400 credits per book, charged only when the finished book passes EPUBCheck. Making the same book again after a change (same identifier and title) is free. Bought 400 at a time, credits come to $4.88 for a book; bought in larger amounts they cost less each, down to $3.20 a book at 2,500 credits. It needs a signed-in account.
Do I need an ISBN?
No. Amazon KDP doesn't need one for a Kindle ebook, and Apple Books, Kobo and Google Play Books treat it as optional. Draft2Digital can give you one for free. If you do have an ISBN for the ebook, it goes into the book's metadata.
Which manuscript format works best?
Word (.docx) with real Heading 1 and Heading 2 styles. Those headings become the chapters and the contents page. A chapter title that is only typed larger and bold, without a heading style, can't be found as a chapter.
What languages can the book be in?
English, Turkish, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch and Greek.
What happens to my manuscript?
It is deleted from the server once the ebook is made. The details you type stay in your own browser so they are there next time.
Related guides
- DOCX to EPUB: a quick, free conversion of a Word document for your own reading
- How to convert a PDF to EPUB for Kindle
- EPUB to Kindle: AZW3 and MOBI for copying to a Kindle over USB