A Kindle ebook is not a print book on a small screen. Readers change the font, the size and the line spacing, so the text has to reflow and your layout cannot depend on a fixed page. Most formatting problems come from forcing a print mindset onto an ebook. These are the points that matter most.
Reflowable or fixed layout
Most novels and nonfiction books should be reflowable: the text adapts to the reader's device and settings. Fixed layout is for books where the position of every element matters, such as picture books or heavily illustrated guides, and it takes more care to make and test.
If you are unsure, reflowable is the safe choice for a book that is mostly text.
Use styles, not spaces
The commonest cause of an ugly ebook is manual formatting: tabs for indents, rows of spaces for centring, blank lines for gaps, or a new font pasted in for every heading. On a different screen those collapse or scatter.
Instead, apply real styles for body text, chapter headings, block quotes and scene breaks, and let the file carry the layout. The result is consistent on every device, and corrections are quick.
- Set paragraph indents with a style, not the tab key.
- Mark chapter titles as headings so they appear in the table of contents.
- Use a consistent scene-break symbol or ornament.
- Avoid forcing page breaks except at the start of chapters.
A working table of contents
An ebook needs a linked table of contents so readers can jump between chapters from the menu and from the front of the book. Broken or missing links are one of the most common reasons a file is flagged or reviewed unfavourably.
Generate it from your chapter headings rather than typing it by hand, and click every entry in a preview to be sure it lands in the right place.
The cover and the interior images
The cover image is uploaded separately from the manuscript. Make it a clear, correctly sized image that still reads when it is shrunk to thumbnail size in a store listing, because that is how most buyers will first see it.
For images inside the book, keep file sizes sensible, add short alt text for accessibility, and check how they look at small and large reading sizes.
The front and back matter
Order the opening pages deliberately: title page, copyright page, and then the start of the story where a reader opening the sample will see it quickly. Many readers decide from the sample, so do not bury the first chapter behind several screens of acknowledgements.
At the end, a short note inviting a review and a list of your other books is standard and useful.
Test before you publish
Amazon provides a free previewer that shows how your file looks on different Kindle devices. Read through the whole book in it, not only the first chapter. Check the table of contents, the images, and any lists or tables.
Marlowe's Kindle formatting service builds a clean, tested ebook file for you, so the upload goes through without surprises.