Question 1

Can I just use Word or Google Docs to format my book?

Accepted Answer

For ebook only and a strict page budget, yes. For print, no. Word does not produce print ready PDFs with proper bleed, embed fonts reliably, or handle running heads, drop caps, and chapter starts the way professional typesetting tools do. Print interiors set in Word almost always look amateur, even when the editing is great.

Question 2

What is Vellum and is it worth using yourself?

Accepted Answer

Vellum is Mac only formatting software popular with indie authors. It produces good looking print PDFs and EPUBs from Word manuscripts in minutes. About 250 dollars for unlimited books. Worth using if you are publishing more than three books and want to handle formatting in house. Not worth it for a single book where the time cost exceeds the formatter fee.

Question 3

What file formats does my ebook need?

Accepted Answer

Reflowable EPUB3 for Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play, and Barnes & Noble. Kindle proprietary format (KFX, derived from EPUB at upload time) for Amazon. Both must validate cleanly: no broken table of contents, no orphan paragraphs, no mismatched font embedding, no images that break reflow on small screens.

Question 4

How are images handled in print versus ebook?

Accepted Answer

Print: 300 DPI minimum, CMYK color profile for color printing, embedded in the PDF with proper bleed. Ebook: 72 DPI is fine for screen, RGB color, embedded into the EPUB as referenced files. Image heavy books (cookbooks, photography, illustrated children's books) often need separate format optimization.

Question 5

Can complex tables, footnotes, and formulas survive ebook formatting?

Accepted Answer

Tables: only simple two or three column tables reliably reflow on small ereader screens. Complex tables become images or get redesigned for ebook. Footnotes: convert to endnotes with hyperlinks for ebook. Formulas: render as embedded images. Academic books and technical books often need a separate ebook design pass.

Question 6

What is reflowable EPUB and why does it matter?

Accepted Answer

Reflowable EPUB lets the reader change font size, font choice, line spacing, and screen orientation. Text reflows to fit the new layout. Most ereaders and reading apps require reflowable EPUB to function properly. Fixed layout EPUB is for picture books and graphic novels where the visual layout is part of the content.

Question 7

Why does font choice matter for print interiors?

Accepted Answer

Body fonts must be properly licensed for embedding in commercial books (most free fonts are not). Serif fonts (Garamond, Caslon, Sabon, Minion) are standard for fiction. Slab serif and humanist sans serif (PT Sans, Lato) work for nonfiction and self help. Times New Roman screams self published in Word and is the single most common cosmetic failure on indie books.

Question 8

How long does formatting take?

Accepted Answer

Standard fiction interior: 5 to 10 business days. Standard ebook conversion: 3 to 5 business days. Image heavy nonfiction or illustrated children's book: 2 to 4 weeks because each image needs preparation and placement. Most projects use one author revision round before final files are delivered.

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