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.

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