Lesson 4 of 9 Free account 4 min read
Formatting Ebooks and Print Books: EPUB, PDF, Trim Size and Bleed
Ebooks reflow and print books don’t. Learn EPUB versus PDF, reflowable versus fixed layout, how to pick a trim size, set margins and bleed, and what goes in the front and back matter.
Key takeaways
- Ebooks are usually reflowable EPUB files, where the reader controls the font and size; print books are fixed PDF pages.
- Use fixed layout only when the page design is the content, such as picture books and cookbooks.
- Choose a trim size that matches your genre, then set margins, which depend on page count, and bleed only if art runs to the edge.
- Front and back matter are part of the reading experience and your marketing, so keep them useful and short.
Formatting is the step where your manuscript becomes files a store can sell. It’s also where a lot of self-published books give themselves away: odd spacing, chapter headings that drift, text running into the spine. The good news is that the rules are well documented and the decisions are few.
What Is the Difference Between EPUB and PDF?
EPUB is the standard ebook format. Under the hood, it’s a packaged set of web pages, styles and images. Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play and Barnes & Noble all work from EPUB files. KDP also accepts DOCX for ebooks, though a clean EPUB gives you more control.
PDF is a fixed page. Every line, page break and margin is locked exactly where you put it. That makes it right for print, where the printer needs to know precisely what goes on each sheet, and usually wrong for ebooks, where it forces readers to pinch and zoom on a phone.
Keep reading with a free account
The first lesson of every course is open to everyone. Sign up free to read the rest of this lesson, its exercise and every other lesson in the Writers Academy.