Key takeaways
- Use reflowable layout only when flexible text suits the content.
- Build meaning with headings, lists, links, and semantic structure.
- Create a working navigation document and logical reading order.
- Test the final file with current validation and preview tools.
Choose reflowable rather than fixed layout
Narrative and most text-led nonfiction usually suit reflowable EPUB. Content that depends on exact page composition, such as some picture books or complex visual manuals, may require a different approach.
Do not choose fixed layout merely to preserve a print design; it can reduce flexibility and accessibility.
Use semantic document structure
- One logical heading hierarchy
- Real paragraphs and lists instead of manual line breaks
- Meaningful link text
- Tables used only for tabular data
- Alt text or appropriate treatment for images
- A logical spine and reading order
For the broader publishing workflow, continue with How to Create a Table of Contents for Kindle and Paperback.
Keep CSS resilient
Use a small, consistent style system and allow reader settings to control ordinary body text. Avoid absolute positioning, fixed body font sizes, repeated nonbreaking spaces, and print-page references.
Use page breaks sparingly for major divisions and verify that decorative choices do not hide or reorder content.
Prepare images, tables, and notes
Resize and compress images appropriately without embedding important text inside them. Split very wide tables or redesign them for small screens. Make footnotes or endnotes understandable and navigable.
Describe informative visuals accurately; mark purely decorative images according to the supported workflow.
Before moving to the next stage, use Kindle eBook vs Paperback: Which Should You Publish First? as a practical follow-through.
Validate and preview the final EPUB
- Run an EPUB validator and resolve meaningful errors.
- Test Kindle Previewer and representative device sizes.
- Increase font size and change themes.
- Follow every contents and internal link.
- Check image alternatives, reading order, lists, tables, and notes.
- Re-test the exact file intended for upload.
Common questions
Should an EPUB look exactly like the paperback?
No. It should preserve content, hierarchy, and brand appropriately while adapting to reader-controlled screens and settings.
Can I upload a Word file instead?
KDP supports multiple workflows, but inspect the converted result carefully. A clean source file still requires navigation and device QA.
Does a reflowable EPUB have fixed page numbers?
Not in the print sense. Pagination changes with device and reader settings, so avoid instructions that depend on a fixed page.
Official sources and further reading
Platform policies and royalty terms can change. Check the current Amazon documentation before publishing.
Move from research to production
Create the nonfiction manuscript you plan to publish on KDP.
Give Draft Fast your reader, promise, and project details, then review an organized manuscript prepared for editing and publishing.