Uploading Your Manuscript and Cover

What's an EPUB, and why does this even matter?

1. A print book has fixed pages: page 42 always looks exactly the same. An ebook doesn't work that way, a reader on a phone, a tablet, and a Kindle Paperwhite all have different screen sizes, and readers can change the font size themselves. So an ebook file has to be "reflowable": the text reorganizes itself into whatever page shape the device needs, instead of staying frozen on one fixed layout.
2. EPUB is the file format built for exactly that. It's not a picture of a page like a PDF; it's closer to a small folder of web-page-style files (structured text, a table of contents, style rules) wrapped up into one file ending in .epub. That's why you can't just take your print-ready PDF and rename it, a PDF is fixed-layout by design, and an ebook reader needs reflowable text underneath.
3. You will NOT always end up holding a literal .epub file yourself. Some platforms (KDP, Draft2Digital) will accept a plain, well-formatted Word document and build the reflowable file for you behind the scenes. Others (IngramSpark) expect you to hand them a real, already-built .epub file. Which is true depends on which platform you're uploading to, covered platform-by-platform below.

Last verified: August 2026

How do I actually get an EPUB file (or the file KDP needs)?

1. Easiest, and what most first-time KDP authors actually do: skip building an EPUB yourself. Save your properly formatted manuscript as a plain .docx Word file (the same file you formatted in this app's Formatting stage) and upload that .docx directly to KDP. KDP's own conversion system turns a clean Word document into the Kindle-compatible file automatically, you don't touch EPUB at all. This only works well if your Word document's headings and styles are actually clean (see "Common mistakes" below); a messy Word file produces a messy converted ebook either way.
2. Microsoft Word: current versions of Word do NOT have a built-in "Save As EPUB" option. That's a common assumption, but as of this writing Word can only save to .docx, PDF, and a few other formats, not EPUB directly. If you specifically need a real .epub file out of a Word document (for example, to upload to IngramSpark), you'll need a separate free tool: Amazon's free Kindle Create app (built for exactly this, made for KDP but exports usable files), or Calibre (free, cross-platform ebook conversion software, File → Convert Books, choose EPUB as the output). Either produces a working file, but expect to spend time afterward checking that headings, chapter breaks, and images survived the conversion cleanly.
3. Google Docs: Google Docs has no direct "export to EPUB" option at all, not even a messy one. The real workaround is exporting your Doc to a format an actual converter can use: File → Download → Microsoft Word (.docx), then open that .docx in Calibre (free desktop app) and use its Convert Books feature to produce the EPUB. Some authors instead download as .odt (OpenDocument) since Calibre also reads that format. Either way, plan on reviewing the converted file for stray formatting the conversion tool introduced.
4. Atticus (paid ebook/print formatting software, ~$147 one-time): Atticus has a genuine, built-in "Export EPUB" feature made for this. Open your book, go to the Formatting tab, and look underneath the live Previewer panel on the right, the export buttons (ePub, PDF, and DOCX) live there. Click ePub and Atticus builds the file for you directly from your already-formatted manuscript.
5. Adobe InDesign (paid, professional design software): InDesign has a real, purpose-built EPUB export. With your document open, go to File → Export, then choose EPUB (Reflowable) as the format (not EPUB Fixed Layout, unless you specifically want a picture-book-style fixed page). InDesign gives you far more control than Word or Docs, but it also assumes you already know page layout software, it's the least beginner-friendly of these options if you've never used InDesign before.

Last verified: August 2026

Where the file is saved, and exactly where you upload it on KDP

1. Whichever tool you used above (Kindle Create, Calibre, Atticus, InDesign, or just plain Word), the finished file saves wherever you told your computer to save it, most commonly your Downloads folder or wherever your manuscript files already live. Note the exact folder and filename before you go to KDP, you'll need to browse to it in the next step.
2. Sign in to KDP (kdp.amazon.com) and open your book's Kindle eBook edition (not the Paperback or Hardcover edition, ebooks have their own separate setup track inside the same title).
3. Go to the Kindle eBook Content step. Under "Manuscript," click "Upload eBook manuscript" and browse to your file, whether that's the .docx you formatted (letting KDP auto-convert it) or a real .epub file you built with Kindle Create, Calibre, Atticus, or InDesign. KDP currently accepts DOCX, EPUB, and its own KPF format for this upload (it stopped accepting the older MOBI format).
4. Just below that, upload your ebook cover, a single flat front-cover image only, not the full wrap you built for print. Print covers include the spine and back cover; the Kindle cover upload does not, that's a separate, simpler file.

Last verified: August 2026

What you should see when it worked

1. KDP finishes processing your file (this can take a few minutes) and moves you forward to a preview step without an error banner.
2. Download and open Kindle Previewer, Amazon's free desktop app made specifically for checking ebook files before they go live (it's a separate download from your computer, not part of the KDP website itself). Load your converted file into it.
3. Page through the preview on at least two or three of Kindle Previewer's simulated device sizes (it lets you switch between a Kindle e-reader, a tablet, and a phone view). You're looking for: each chapter starting on its own new page, no leftover odd blank pages, images appearing where you expect them and not stretched or cut off, and (if your book has one) a working, clickable table of contents that actually jumps to each chapter when clicked.

Last verified: August 2026

Common mistakes

1. Uploading a real .epub file to a platform that only wanted a plain Word document, or the reverse, uploading a Word document to a platform (like IngramSpark, covered separately) that specifically requires a genuine EPUB. Check what each platform actually wants before uploading; they're not interchangeable, see "Where the file is saved and uploaded" above and IngramSpark's separate topic for the difference.
2. Using manual line breaks (pressing Enter repeatedly) to force a "page break" in the source Word/Docs file. Ebooks don't have fixed pages at all, so a manual line-break "page break" just leaves a stretch of ugly blank lines that reflows unpredictably on different screens. Use a real page-break or section-break command in your formatting program instead (covered in this app's Formatting stage).
3. Typing literal page numbers into your manuscript's footer or text ("Page 42"). EPUB books reflow, so "page 42" on your screen might be page 61 on someone else's phone, a typed-in page number becomes instantly wrong and confusing. Ebooks generally don't use footer page numbers at all; leave them out.
4. Using a font that isn't a standard system font without checking that it actually gets embedded (or falls back gracefully) in the exported file, an unsupported font can silently be replaced with a generic default across every reading device, changing your book's whole look without any error message telling you it happened.

Last verified: August 2026

What if mine doesn't look right?

1. If the Kindle Previewer shows a chapter break in the wrong place, a missing image, or a table of contents link that doesn't jump correctly, that's almost always a formatting issue in the original manuscript file, not something wrong with KDP itself. Go back to the Formatting stage in this app and check headings, styles, and page/section breaks before re-exporting and re-uploading.
2. If KDP's automatic file checker specifically flags an error or warning after upload, see the Common KDP Warnings and Errors topic next in this stage for how to read those messages.
3. Still stuck, or seeing something not covered here? Ask Step One (the assistant panel in the corner of every page) or browse the Troubleshooting hub.

Last verified: August 2026