How to Format a Book: A Step-by-Step Guide for Print and eBook (2026)

Quick answer. Formatting a book means turning your finished manuscript into a print-ready and eBook-ready file: the right page size, margins, fonts, spacing, chapter starts, running heads and front and back matter. You can do it yourself in Word, Google Docs or a typesetting tool — but the three things that make or break the result are consistency, trim size measured in millimetres, and a separate file for print and for eBook, because the two are laid out completely differently.

Key takeaways

• Format after the text is final. Reformatting a manuscript you are still editing means doing the work twice.
• Build to a trim size first — the page dimensions for print, stated in millimetres (for example 148 × 210 mm), never by a letter name like "A5".
• Interior and cover are separate files. The cover is a full wrap with the spine and barcode; the interior is the page block.
• Print and eBook are different layouts, not one file exported twice. Print has fixed pages; an eBook reflows as the reader changes font and size.
• Consistency is the whole job. Every chapter start, every scene break and every heading should look the same as every other.
• Front and back matter have a fixed order. Title page, copyright page, contents and dedication lead the book; about-the-author and links close it.
• A proof copy is still necessary. Screen previews do not show how margins, spine and trim actually read.

The parts of a book, in order

Getting this order right is not decoration: readers and retailers expect it, and a missing copyright page is a real gap, not a style choice.

Formatting for print, step by step

1. Set the trim size first. Choose the finished page size in millimetres — 148 × 210 mm, 152 × 229 mm, and so on — and set the document page size to match. The trim decides margins, cover and cost, so it comes before anything else.
2. Set the margins with the binding in mind. Give the bound (inner) edge a little more room than the outer edge, so nothing disappears into the spine.
3. Choose one interior typeface and two or three sizes. One serif for body text is usual; a matching sans for headings. Mixing fonts is the commonest way a self-formatted book looks homemade.
4. Set line spacing and paragraph style once. A comfortable line spacing, first-line indents for new paragraphs, and blank space between scene breaks — applied by style, not by hand.
5. Start every chapter the same way. Consistently drop chapters to a new page, with the same heading size and spacing each time.
6. Set running heads and page numbers. Odd and even pages usually differ; the first page of a chapter often carries no running head.
7. Build the front and back matter in the order above, and update the table of contents last so its page numbers are right.
8. Generate a print-ready PDF — the correct page size, embedded fonts, and no printer's marks — then order a proof.

Formatting for eBook, step by step

1. Start from the text, not the print layout. Paste the manuscript into a fresh document; do not import the fixed print pages.
2. Use one clean heading style per level. An eBook uses styles — and a linked table of contents — rather than page numbers, which do not exist in a reflowing file.
3. Strip the things that do not survive reflow — manual line breaks, empty paragraphs used for spacing, text boxes and columns.
4. Set the images at a sensible size and keep them few; an eBook image that fills a print page is enormous on a phone.
5. Test on at least two devices or apps — a phone, a tablet, a dedicated reader — and fix anything that breaks.
6. Export to the store's expected format (usually EPUB) and check the table of contents actually links.

The mistakes that actually happen

• Formatting too early. Laying out a manuscript still being edited means every later change breaks the layout.
• Using a loose name for a trim size. A name like "A5" or "6×9" can be read more than one way; state the trim in millimetres so a printer builds to the right size.
• One file for both print and eBook. The two layouts are different; exporting the print file as an eBook produces page numbers and odd breaks on screen.
• Hand-formatting instead of using styles. Manual indents and line breaks drift, and a late change takes hours to put right.
• Forgetting the copyright page or the ISBN. The copyright page is standard, and if the book has an ISBN it belongs on that page and on the cover.
• Skipping the proof. The finished print book is the only thing that shows whether the margins, spine and trim actually work.
• Ignoring the cover. The cover is a separate file built to the full wrap size (back, spine and front), not a picture dropped on top of the interior.
• Not embedding fonts. A print-ready PDF with un-embedded fonts can print with substituted type.

A short formatting checklist before you publish

1. Finish the text first — formatting is the second-to-last step.
2. Pick the trim size in millimetres and set the page size to it.
3. Apply one set of styles for body, headings, quotes and scene breaks.
4. Build the front and back matter in the correct order.
5. Make the two files: a print-ready PDF and an EPUB, each laid out for its format.
6. Order a proof copy and read it as a reader would.
7. Check the cover wrap against the final page count and spine width.

Formatting a book properly takes a real eye for type, spacing and the printer's rules, and a small mistake is reproduced in every copy. If you would rather not carry that yourself, see what our self-publishing packages include, or ask about book editing services before you format, so the text is final first.

Related guides

Keep going: how to write a book, the types of book editing, book editing services and proofreading services. For a dictionary definition, see formatting (Cambridge Dictionary).

Disclosure: Harmony Publishing is a self-publishing company and links to its own services where they match a step. The language guidance here is practical, not a rule for every style guide.