What's the difference between e-book and paperback formatting?

Let's talk about something that trips up a lot of writers: the difference between e-book and paperback formatting. Trust me, getting this right can make a huge difference in how professional your book looks (and will save you a ton of frustration when uploading to KDP!)

E-book Formatting:

1. Flexible layout
   • Your text is like water - it flows to fit any screen size or orientation
   • No fixed page numbers
2. Simpler design
   • Stick to basic fonts that play nice with all devices (you will likely have less font options).
   • Don't go crazy with paragraph styling - less is more here
3. Interactive elements
   • You can include hyperlinks for easy navigation or to send readers to your website
   • Depending on the e-reader, you might even be able to add multimedia elements
4. File formats
   • EPUB or MOBI (for Kindle)
5. Table of Contents
   • Usually clickable
6. Images
   • Should be optimized for digital viewing (RGB color mode)
   • Keep file sizes in check to improve download speeds
7. Page breaks
   • Only use them between chapters or major sections

Paperback Formatting:

1. Fixed layout
   • Everything stays put - it all has a set position
   • Consistent page numbers
2. More design flexibility
   • Can use a wider range of fonts and styles
   • More options for paragraph and page styling
3. Static elements
   • No interactive features
   • All content must be printable
4. File format
   • Usually PDF for printing
5. Table of Contents
   • Includes accurate page numbers
6. Images
   • Must be high resolution (300 DPI) for print quality
   • Use CMYK color mode for accurate color reproduction

Remember, getting these details right can make the difference between a book that looks amateur hour and one that screams "New York Times Bestseller".

If you have any additional questions, please reach out to support at support@punchybooks.co.