An ebook is read on a screen the author never sees. It might be a six-inch e-reader in a bedroom, a phone on a train, a tablet at a kitchen table or a laptop at a desk, and the reader may have changed the font, the size, the margins and the background colour before turning the first page. The ebook file has to cope with all of that and still look like a book. Professional ebook formatting is the work of building a file that does: clean structure, a working contents page, styles that adapt, images that fit and metadata that stores can read.
Professional ebook formatting · from $169
eBook formatting services for every device and store
eBook formatting services from Book Formatting Experts turn your finished manuscript into a clean, validated EPUB 3 that Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo and Nook all accept. You get a clickable table of contents, chapter openers that look designed, fast-loading images and a layout that holds at every text size. Choose your word count to see your price and delivery date before you pay.
View Pricing
Most novels are ready in 5 to 8 working days.
- EPUB 3 and Kindle-ready files
- Clickable contents page
- 2 revision rounds included
Ebook formatting at a glance
- $169Starting price, for books up to 10,000 words
- 2 roundsOf revisions included in every order
- 2 roundsOf changes after the proof, included with every ebook
Overview
What an ebook formatting services actually involves
The formatting is mostly invisible when it is right. Chapter titles are marked as headings, so the device can build its own navigation. Paragraphs use proper indents and spacing, not tabs and blank lines. Scene breaks, block quotes, lists and tables are marked up so that they reflow. Images are sized and compressed. The cover is at the right size. The title, author, language and identifier are in the package. And the whole thing passes validation, which is the check that stores run before they accept a book. Our ebook formatting services deliver exactly this, for Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play and the rest.
We work with self-published authors, small presses and agencies. You send a manuscript, usually in Word, and we return a valid EPUB, a Kindle-ready file if you want one and a short report on how we tested it. The price is fixed and depends on the length and the complexity of the book. If you plan to sell through several retailers, we prepare one master file and check it against each store's rules. If you want us to upload it, we can. The sections below explain what the service covers and how to choose the right option.
We start every ebook formatting job with an audit. For a ebook formatting services, we open your file or manuscript, list what is already right, what is wrong and what needs a decision from you, and send that back before any work begins. The audit is why there are no surprises: you know the scope, the price and the schedule, and you know which of heading and style structure and typography that survives reflow is likely to need the most care.
Why it matters
Why an ebook formatting services matters
Ebook formatting shapes the reading experience
Readers change font, size and margins, and a file built on real structure keeps its design at every setting. Readers rarely name the cause, but they feel the difference between careful and careless ebook formatting work.
The details carry the quality
Retailers validate every upload and reject files with structural errors, so a clean build is also a faster launch. Each detail in ebook formatting has a tolerance, and a professional knows where it lies and how to check it.
Doing it once, properly, saves time
One validated master can be uploaded to every store, so correcting a typo later takes minutes. Getting ebook formatting right at the start also keeps later edits, reprints and new editions inexpensive. It is far easier to get ebook formatting right while the book is still a working file than to repair it after publication.
Reflowable ebook formatting
One file, built to reflow
The best ebook formatting services build one master EPUB and let every store draw from it. Because your book reflows, readers can change the font, the size and the spacing without breaking your design. Here is how a single, well-built file reaches Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo and Google Play with the same polish.
Reflowable ebook formatting means the text adapts to the reader: their font, their size, their screen. We write the stylesheet for your book instead of pulling one off a shelf, so chapter openers, block quotes, lists and scene breaks hold up when someone changes the settings.
Your EPUB 3 master is the file every other version is built from. Upload it to any retailer, archive it with your final manuscript, and hand it to a future designer if you ever need a change.
- Semantic structure with no stray spaces or tabs
- A small, readable stylesheet you can inspect
- Images resampled and given alt text
Choose the right build
The first decision in any ebook formatting services
Reflowable ebook formatting
Text that adapts to any screen. It suits novels and most nonfiction. We choose this route when the book leans on heading and style structure, and we show a sample before the whole ebook formatting job proceeds.
Fixed-layout ebook formatting
Pages with exact placement of text and art. It suits picture books and cookbooks. We choose this route when typography that survives reflow are central to how the book is used, and we explain the cost and schedule consequences before you commit.
Specification
The ebook formatting services specification we build to
These are the decisions we make on every ebook formatting services job, and the reason for each one.
Element
How we build it
Why it matters
Markup
Semantic XHTML with named classes. We confirm the value with you before building, and record it in the specification for your ebook formatting job.
Reading systems can restyle and navigate it. Getting this right early avoids rework once the ebook formatting pages have been proofed.
Type
Relative units, line height 1.4 to 1.6. We apply it through a defined style or setting, so it holds across the whole ebook formatting file.
Holds when the reader resizes. For your ebook formatting services, readers and reviewers notice when it is wrong, even when they cannot say what is wrong.
Navigation
Nav document, NCX and linked contents. For your ebook formatting services, we verify it again in the final proof, because it is easy to disturb during late edits.
Readers reach any chapter in one tap. Platforms and printers check it automatically, and a failure delays the launch for the ebook formatting services.
Images
Resampled, compressed and described. Where your platform sets a different rule, we follow the platform and tell you why in this ebook formatting services order.
Sharp on high-density screens. It also keeps later editions of the ebook formatting work consistent with the first.
Files
A validated EPUB 3 master, a Kindle-ready file and a validation report, named consistently and delivered with a short specification.
With your ebook formatting services, a clear package prevents mix-ups between versions and speeds up any later change. Getting this right early avoids rework once the ebook formatting pages have been proofed.
Checks
For a ebook formatting services, preflight or validation run on every deliverable, with the report supplied. We apply it through a defined style or setting, so it holds across the whole ebook formatting file.
On this ebook formatting services job, evidence of a clean pass is what separates a checked file from a hopeful one. For your ebook formatting services, readers and reviewers notice when it is wrong, even when they cannot say what is wrong.
See what it costs
Know your price in about a minute
Choose a word count and the calculator shows the full cost of ebook formatting, with delivery time, extras and total, before you commit to anything. Most authors have their number in under a minute.
Build my priceProcess
How an ebook formatting services project runs
Send
You send the files and tell us what you need from the ebook formatting job, including where you plan to publish and any deadline. We confirm the scope and the price in this ebook formatting services order. You are never left guessing what comes next, because we confirm each stage of the ebook formatting job in writing.
Day 1
Audit
We examine the file, list what is correct and what must change, and send a short note with any decisions we need from you for the ebook formatting services. If something unexpected turns up at this stage, we tell you at once and agree the fix before continuing on this ebook formatting services project.
Days 1 to 2
Plan
We agree the specification, including how we will treat heading and style structure and typography that survives reflow, and confirm the schedule. This stage is where most questions arise, so we leave time for them in the schedule with your ebook formatting services.
Day 2
Build
We carry out the work, applying defined styles and settings, and fixing faults at their source rather than covering them with your ebook formatting services. You are never left guessing what comes next, because we confirm each stage of the ebook formatting job in writing.
Days 3 to 7
Check
For your ebook formatting services, we validate, preview and review the result against the specification, and compare the text with your manuscript. If something unexpected turns up at this stage, we tell you at once and agree the fix before continuing on this ebook formatting services project.
Days 8 to 9
Deliver
For a ebook formatting services, you receive the files, the specification and the change log, with support if a platform queries the file. This stage is where most questions arise, so we leave time for them in the schedule with your ebook formatting services.
Day 10
Before and after
Ebook formatting before and after: from broken screens to a clean read
This is the difference a hand-built EPUB makes on the same manuscript. On the left, a converted file with text cut off, missing navigation and mixed font sizes. On the right, the same chapter after professional ebook formatting, with clean margins, a linked contents page and type that reflows at every size.
123Before
- 1Lines run off the edge of the screen
- 2Chapter heading the same size as the body text
- 3No working contents page or navigation
123After
- 1Text sits inside comfortable margins
- 2Heading, subheading and body styled as a system
- 3Linked contents and chapter navigation tested
- 3problems found in the first review
- 3fixes checked in the final review
- 1named specialist owning every fix
- Fixedprice confirmed in the calculator before you order
Reads on any screen
The same file holds its shape on a phone, a tablet and an e-ink reader.
Navigation that works
Readers jump to any chapter in one tap from the contents.
Accepted first time
The EPUB validates clean, so stores do not bounce it back.
Pricing calculator
Build your price for our ebook formatting services
An ebook has to work on every screen your readers own, from a Kindle to a phone to a library app. Tell us what kind of book you have, which files you need and how many images it holds, and the fixed price builds as you choose.
Beyond our online limit? Let us quote it properly.
An ebook above 150,000 words, or with more than 150 images, is quoted individually so nothing is missed. Send us the details and a specialist replies with a fixed price and a real delivery date.
The price covers building, validating and testing the ebook files. Cover design, ISBN purchase, retailer fees and commissioned illustration are not included.
Price guide
How much does ebook formatting cost?
Ebook formatting cost depends mostly on length, because word count drives the build and testing time. The table shows the base price for each of the nine word-count bands, delivery time and the kind of book that fits. The calculator above adds any extras you choose, so you always see the exact total.
Word count
Base price
Standard delivery
Typical book
Short story or lead magnet
$169
2-3 working days
Short story or lead magnet
Novelette or short guide
$209
3-4 working days
Novelette or short guide
Novella or compact nonfiction
$259
3-5 working days
Novella or compact nonfiction
Short novel or memoir
$329
4-6 working days
Short novel or memoir
Standard novel
$399
5-7 working days
Standard novel
Full-length novel
$469
5-8 working days
Full-length novel
Long novel
$539
6-9 working days
Long novel
Epic or large nonfiction
$609
7-10 working days
Epic or large nonfiction
Very long single volume
$679
8-11 working days
Very long single volume
More than 150,000 words
Custom quote
Agreed with your quote
Omnibus edition or epic multi-book volume
Comparison
eBook Formatting Services compared with the alternatives
What you compare
A quick ebook formatting fix
Professional ebook formatting
Approach
On this ebook formatting services job, a quick fix treats symptoms and leaves the cause in the file. That approach saves effort at the start and tends to cost more in repairs once the ebook formatting job is live.
A professional ebook formatting job finds and corrects the cause. We do this as standard on every ebook formatting job, and the evidence comes with your files.
Consistency
Manual changes vary from page to page in this ebook formatting services order. For a ebook formatting services, it leaves the cause in place, so the same fault tends to return when the text changes.
Defined styles apply identically everywhere. On this ebook formatting services job, it is built to be repeated, so later editions cost less and match the first.
Validation
Success is judged by eye on one screen in this ebook formatting services order. For a ebook formatting services, it is hard to check, so faults are usually found by readers instead of by the author.
Success is judged by the platform's own checks and real devices for the ebook formatting services. With your ebook formatting services, it is checked by a person and by software before it reaches you, so problems are found early.
Documentation
Nothing is recorded, so the next edition starts again on this ebook formatting services project. That approach saves effort at the start and tends to cost more in repairs once the ebook formatting job is live.
A specification and change log are supplied for the ebook formatting services. We do this as standard on every ebook formatting job, and the evidence comes with your files.
Risk
A rejected upload costs days and may delay a launch on this ebook formatting services project. For a ebook formatting services, it leaves the cause in place, so the same fault tends to return when the text changes.
Files are tested before they reach you, and fixes are covered by the guarantee for the ebook formatting services.
Cost
Cheap at first, then repeated whenever something changes on this ebook formatting services project. For a ebook formatting services, it is hard to check, so faults are usually found by readers instead of by the author.
A fixed price and a reusable result with your ebook formatting services. With your ebook formatting services, it is checked by a person and by software before it reaches you, so problems are found early.
Portfolio
Ebook formatting portfolio: interiors built for real devices
Finished examples of eBook Formatting Services work from our portfolio, each one built for a real book.
Responsive Fiction
A finished Responsive Fiction example from our eBook Formatting Services work.
Illustrated Nonfiction
A finished Illustrated Nonfiction example from our eBook Formatting Services work.
Business eBook
A finished Business eBook example from our eBook Formatting Services work.
Memoir eBook
A finished Memoir eBook example from our eBook Formatting Services work.
Children's Fixed Layout
A finished Children's Fixed Layout example from our eBook Formatting Services work.
Cookbook eBook
A finished Cookbook eBook example from our eBook Formatting Services work.
Our standard
The standard we hold every ebook formatting services to
Fix causes, not symptoms
Our ebook formatting work corrects the underlying structure, so the same problem does not return when the text changes. It is a standard we hold on every ebook formatting job, whatever the price of the package or the length of the book.
Evidence over assurance
We supply the validation or preflight report with your files, so a clean result is something you can see for the ebook formatting services. With your ebook formatting services, you can check it for yourself, because the evidence comes with your files. Holding to it costs us time, and it saves you the cost of repairs later in this ebook formatting services order.
Plain communication
We explain what we found and what we did in plain language, and we tell you honestly when something is outside what the file can support on this ebook formatting services project. Holding to it costs us time, and it saves you the cost of repairs later in this ebook formatting services order.
Checklist
The pre-delivery checklist for an ebook formatting services
Every item below is verified on your ebook formatting services before it leaves our desk.
- Audit completed and agreed with you
- Heading and style structure checked and corrected
- Typography that survives reflow checked and corrected
- Navigation and contents checked and corrected
- Images and metadata checked and corrected
- Validation or preflight run with the report supplied
- Previewer and device checks completed
- Text compared with the approved manuscript
- Specification and change log delivered
How we think
How we think about your ebook formatting services
Structure first
In ebook formatting, heading and style structure and typography that survives reflow are built into the file, not painted on top. With your ebook formatting services, we treat structure as the foundation and appearance as the finish, because structure is what survives edits and platform changes.
Checked, not hoped
A file is not finished because it looks right on our screen on this ebook formatting services project. It is finished when the validator, the preflight and real devices agree, and when we can show you the evidence on this ebook formatting services project. It is the principle behind most of what we do on ebook formatting, and the reason we prefer to explain our choices rather than hide them.
Your files stay yours
We deliver source files and a specification, and we never lock your ebook formatting work inside a proprietary format. On this ebook formatting services job, if you hire someone else later, they can pick up where we stopped. It is the principle behind most of what we do on ebook formatting, and the reason we prefer to explain our choices rather than hide them.
Client reviews
What authors say about our ebook formatting services
Real, verified reviews from authors who had their ebooks built by our team. Across all of our services clients rate us 4.9 out of 5, and these six are about ebook formatting.
My EPUB was rejected twice by Apple Books before I found Book Formatting Experts. They identified the metadata errors, rebuilt the file properly, and the new version passed immediately. Wish I had contacted them first.
The reflowable EPUB looks perfect on every device I tested — Kindle, Apple Books, and Kobo. The clickable table of contents and chapter navigation work exactly as they should.
The EPUB renders perfectly on my Kindle, Apple Books, and Kobo. The clickable table of contents works exactly as it should. Clean, standards-compliant, and ready to distribute everywhere.
The interactive elements in my EPUB — internal links, chapter navigation, and resource appendix — all work perfectly. My readers have specifically mentioned how easy the ebook is to navigate.
I had a previous EPUB that displayed incorrectly on several devices. Book Formatting Experts rebuilt it from scratch. The new version renders beautifully across every reader app I tested.
My business EPUB had tables and callout boxes that needed to be handled carefully. Everything was converted cleanly without losing any structural information. The file passed Amazon's validator on the first check.
Converting my nonfiction manuscript to EPUB while preserving the heading structure, footnotes, and internal links was no small task. Every element survived the conversion perfectly.
Good eBook formatting work. The tables converted cleanly and the navigation works well. One heading level needed a style adjustment but it was corrected quickly. The file performs well on all platforms.
Academic EPUB with complex equations and references. One formula needed manual correction in revisions but the overall quality was exactly right. The file validates without errors on all platforms.
A fixed-layout EPUB for a cookbook is genuinely complex. The recipe layouts, ingredient lists, and photography all needed to remain pixel-perfect. The result looks as good as the print version on every device.
My fantasy EPUB had complex nested structures with chapter epigraphs and world-building inserts. The EPUB handles every level cleanly and reads beautifully on Kindle and Apple Books.
My YA book needed a layout that felt contemporary without being gimmicky. The chapter openers, font choices, and spacing all work for the target age group. My teen readers said it felt like a real published novel.
The interior was formatted cleanly and the file passed KDP without corrections. I had one request during revisions about the callout box styling and it was updated promptly. Overall a good experience.
Really solid work. The formatting was clean and professional. My only note was turnaround took a day longer than expected, but the final file was exactly right and uploaded without any issues.
Getting the layout right for a picture book is genuinely difficult. The page proportions, text placement, and illustration spaces were all handled with real skill. My publisher was impressed by the result.
My thriller needed a fast, clean layout with short chapters that kept the pacing tight on the page. The formatting reinforced the reading rhythm I had built into the manuscript. Exactly right.
My bilingual poetry collection had French and Wolof on facing pages. The layout handled both languages with the right visual balance. One alignment correction in revisions and it was exactly right.
Good formatting work. The tables and callout boxes were handled well. The delivery was a day later than the quoted date but the quality was exactly right and the file passed IngramSpark first attempt.
FAQ
Ebook formatting services: your questions answered
These are the questions authors ask most about ebook formatting services, including price, delivery, retailers and file types. If your question is not here, send a quote request at the bottom of the page and a specialist will reply in plain English.
What are ebook formatting services?
They are services that turn a manuscript into a valid, well-structured ebook file for retailers. For ebook formatting, we check the result against the platform's own rules before you see it.
What are the best ebook formatting services?
The best services deliver validated, tested files with working navigation and clear pricing. We keep a record of what we changed so that you can review the work in this ebook formatting services order.
Do you offer an ebook formatting service for Kindle?
Yes. We deliver Kindle-ready files and test in Kindle Previewer. For a ebook formatting services, the calculator on this page shows the fixed price for each package before you commit.
What is professional ebook formatting?
It is formatting built by a specialist, with clean structure, validation and testing. If you are unsure, send the file and we will tell you what the job involves for the ebook formatting services.
How much does ebook formatting cost?
The calculator on this page shows a fixed price for each package with your ebook formatting services. Revision rounds are included, so the first delivery does not have to be perfect with your ebook formatting services.
Do you format ebooks for self-published authors?
Yes. For ebook formatting, we check the result against the platform's own rules before you see it.
Can you format for multiple retailers?
Yes. We prepare one file and check each store's rules. We keep a record of what we changed so that you can review the work in this ebook formatting services order.
What is reflowable ebook formatting?
It is a layout that adapts to the reader's device and settings. For a ebook formatting services, the calculator on this page shows the fixed price for each package before you commit.
Do you do ebook formatting for KDP?
Yes. If you are unsure, send the file and we will tell you what the job involves for the ebook formatting services.
Are you an ebook formatting company?
Yes. We are a team of designers and developers. Revision rounds are included, so the first delivery does not have to be perfect with your ebook formatting services.
Can you upload the ebook for me?
Yes, on request. For ebook formatting, we check the result against the platform's own rules before you see it.
How long does it take?
Most ebooks take about a week. We keep a record of what we changed so that you can review the work in this ebook formatting services order.
What do ebook formatting services include?
Structure, styles, images, navigation, metadata, validation and testing on devices, with a validated EPUB and a Kindle-ready file as outputs. For a ebook formatting services, the calculator on this page shows the fixed price for each package before you commit.
How long does ebook formatting take?
Most ebooks take three to seven working days, depending on complexity. If you are unsure, send the file and we will tell you what the job involves for the ebook formatting services.
Do you test on real devices?
Yes, on Kindle, Kobo and iOS and Android apps. Revision rounds are included, so the first delivery does not have to be perfect with your ebook formatting services.
Is there ebook formatting for self-published authors?
Yes. Most of our ebook clients are self-published authors, and the service is built around one-person publishers who need a professional file without learning the tools.
Can I get ebook formatting for multiple retailers?
Yes. We build one master EPUB and check it against the rules of Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play and Barnes & Noble, so the same file serves every store.
Can I hire an ebook formatter for just one book?
Yes. You can hire an ebook formatter for a single title, and the calculator shows the fixed price before you order.
Do you offer ebook formatting with clickable TOC?
Yes. Every ebook that we format has a clickable contents page and a navigation document, tested in Kindle Previewer and in real apps.
How much does ebook formatting cost?
Ebook formatting starts at $169 for books up to 10,000 words and rises to $679 for books of 130,001 to 150,000 words, before extras. A typical 80,000-word novel is $469. The calculator on this page shows your exact total, including any extras you choose.
How long does ebook formatting take?
Standard delivery runs from 2 to 3 working days for a short piece up to 8 to 11 working days for the longest books. Paying for Priority or Express puts you ahead of the queue and brings the date forward, and the calculator updates your estimate live.
What happens to my footnotes and endnotes?
They become linked notes that work in both directions. Tap the marker in the text and you land on the note. Tap the note and you come back to exactly the sentence you left. Where the reading system supports popup footnotes, they are tagged so they appear without leaving the page at all. Static superscripts pointing at a numbered list at the back of the book is a print convention, and on screen it makes a reader lose their place.
Ready when you are
Ready for a clean, validated ebook?
Your readers will meet your book on a phone, a tablet and an e-reader, and each deserves a clean page. Get your ebook formatting price in a minute, or send us a larger project and we will quote it with a real delivery date.
- Fixed price shown before you pay
- Revision rounds included
- One named specialist, brief to upload