eBook conversion and distribution
An eBook is not a PDF, and it is not your print file. It is a separate production step that turns your finished manuscript into the formats retail stores require, so it can be read on a phone, a tablet or a dedicated e-reader.
We convert to EPUB and Kindle formats, prepare the cover and metadata, and set up distribution to the major stores in your name.
Reflowable or fixed layout
The first decision is which kind of eBook your book is, and it is decided by the content rather than by preference:
Reflowable
The text adjusts to the reader's font size, typeface, line spacing and screen width. Correct for novels, memoirs, poetry, business books and non-fiction — anything that is predominantly text. It is what readers expect, and it works on every device.
Fixed layout
The page design is preserved exactly, with images and text held in position. Necessary for children's picture books, cookbooks, art and photography titles, and any book with facing-page or spread-based layouts. Read on tablets, and handled differently by some stores.
Getting this wrong is the most common eBook failure: a picture book flattened into reflowable text loses the composition that made it work, and a novel built as fixed layout becomes unreadable on a phone.
What conversion includes
- Formatting to EPUB and Kindle formats from your final manuscript
- Heading and paragraph structure that survives conversion, so the navigation works
- Chapter breaks and a working table of contents
- Images optimised for screen display, and colour-corrected for digital
- A separate front-cover image at retail resolution — the print wrap cannot be reused
- Metadata: title, subtitle, author, description, keywords, categories, language
- Distribution setup to the major stores in your name
Metadata is not an afterthought
A well-converted eBook with poor metadata sells nothing, because the store's search never shows it. The metadata is the whole of what a reader sees before they decide:
- The title and subtitle as they appear in search results
- The description — the sales copy, not a summary of the plot
- Keywords and categories, which decide which searches your book can appear in
- Comparable titles, to help the store place your book with the right readers
This is the point where a book that is beautifully produced in print can fail digitally — not because the file was wrong, but because nobody wrote the metadata the store's search needs.
ISBN, ASIN, and what you need
- Kindle on Amazon. Identified by ASIN, which Amazon assigns. No ISBN required for the eBook edition.
- Non-Amazon eBook stores. Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and Google Play generally require an ISBN for the digital edition. It identifies that edition separately from your print book.
- Your print edition. Needs its own ISBN regardless, because a printed book is a different edition in a different format.
Full detail on that is on our ISBN page.
Frequently asked questions
What is eBook conversion?
eBook conversion is the process of turning your finished book into the digital file formats the retail stores require — principally EPUB for Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and Google Play, and Kindle format for Amazon. It is a separate production step from the print interior, because digital books reflow rather than sit on fixed pages.
What does reflowable mean?
Reflowable means the text adjusts to the reader's settings — font size, typeface, line spacing and screen width. Most novels, memoirs and non-fiction are reflowable, because the reader controls how the text appears. It is the correct choice for any book that is mostly prose.
What is a fixed-layout eBook?
A fixed-layout eBook preserves the exact page design rather than letting it reflow. It is necessary for children's picture books, cookbooks, art books and any title where images and text are positioned relative to each other. Fixed-layout titles are usually read on tablets rather than phones or dedicated e-readers, and some stores handle them differently.
Do I need a separate ISBN for my eBook?
Not for Amazon. A Kindle eBook is identified by its ASIN, which Amazon assigns. An ISBN becomes necessary when you distribute the eBook to non-Amazon stores that require one, and it identifies the digital edition separately from your print edition.
Why does the eBook need a different cover file?
The print cover is a full wrap — back cover, spine and front cover in one piece, built to the trim and page count. An eBook needs only the front cover as a single image, at retail quality, with no spine or back. One file cannot serve both purposes.
What is eBook metadata and does it matter?
Metadata is the information that describes your book to a store: title, subtitle, author, description, keywords, categories, language and series. It is what the store's search uses to decide when to show your book. Poor metadata is the most common reason a well-produced eBook sells nothing, because readers cannot find it.
Will my eBook look the same as my printed book?
Not identically, and it should not. The print book has fixed pages, a running head and a specific typeface at a fixed size. The eBook reflows to whatever the reader prefers. What should carry across is the structure — chapters, headings, the order of material, and the cover.
Which stores can my eBook be distributed to?
The major channels include Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and Google Play, with library and subscription services also available. Distribution is set up in your name so the royalties are paid to you directly, and you keep control of the listings.
Can my eBook be converted later, after the print edition?
Yes, and it is common to run the print and digital editions together from the same finished manuscript, since both depend on the text being final. Converting later works too — but if the printed book has already been corrected, the corrections need to be applied to the digital file as well, or the two editions drift apart.