Manuscript is finished. Now you need to turn it into a print-ready PDF and a Kindle EPUB that pass KDP review the first time. This is the densest stage in our guide library because most KDP rejections happen here.
The guides below cover everything that can go wrong. The score tells you specifically what's wrong with your file — margins, gutter, DPI, fonts, bleed, EPUB validity — in a minute. Read whichever guides match your failure points after.
Or just send it to us and skip the work. Either way, run the score first.
"Will my book pass KDP review?"
.docx, .pdf, .epub · never stored, deleted after 24h
Run the score →Manuscript is done. Now format it to KDP's exact spec. Work top-to-bottom — start with the general path, then any genre-specific notes that apply, then the rejection-fix tools if anything goes wrong. Curated from our library of 181 guides.
The complete UK guide — margins, fonts, chapter headings, TOC, and export settings.
Read the guide →Interactive pre-upload checklist — tick off interior, cover, metadata, and quality controls.
Read the guide →DOCX, PDF, EPUB requirements for print and Kindle, with conversion notes.
Read the guide →No-nonsense trim-size guide — costs, common mistakes, and what to pick.
Read the guide →Filterable comparison of every KDP trim — find the one that suits your genre.
Read the guide →Get the exact gutter + outside margins for your page count and trim.
Read the guide →Calculate the exact spine measurement — page count × paper type.
Read the guide →Interactive visual comparison — see how text looks on each.
Read the guide →Which paper for fiction, non-fiction, cookbooks, children's books. Cost impact, spine width differences, retail price reality.
Read the guide →Step-by-step formatting a Word doc for KDP paperback upload.
Read the guide →Page size, margins, fonts, headers, footers, export settings.
Read the guide →Beginner's guide to formatting an ebook for Kindle, UK-specific.
Read the guide →Amazon deprecated MOBI in 2022 — what to upload now.
Read the guide →Why they happen, how to diagnose, how to fix.
Read the guide →Identify and fix EPUBCheck errors so KDP doesn't reject the file.
Read the guide →Common Table of Contents problems — and exact fixes.
Read the guide →Diagnose and fix low-DPI / sized-up images in paperback interiors.
Read the guide →Outsource option — every service compared on price, features, turnaround.
Read the guide →The most common rejection reasons and exactly how to fix each one.
Read the guide →Walkthrough for resolving quality-check failures with UK-specific notes.
Read the guide →Margin violations, embedded fonts, and the other usual suspects.
Read the guide →File specs, cover spacing, series numbering — verified 2026 spec.
Read the guide →Read aloud, cut chapter 1, kill filter words. Save 30-50% on editing costs by tightening the draft before paying anyone.
Read the guide →Developmental vs line vs copy vs proofread — what each does, current UK rates (2026), where to find vetted editors, sample-edit first.
Read the guide →When you need one (writing outside your lived experience), how to brief, what it costs (£150-£500), how to integrate notes without losing your voice.
Read the guide →Trim, paper, fonts, page-count band — romance specifics.
Read the guide →Trim, paper, fonts, page-count band — thriller specifics.
Read the guide →Trim, paper, fonts, page-count band — fantasy specifics.
Read the guide →Trim, paper, fonts, page-count band — sci-fi specifics.
Read the guide →Trim, paper, fonts — memoir specifics.
Read the guide →Trim, paper, fonts — biography specifics.
Read the guide →Trim, paper, fonts — business-book specifics.
Read the guide →Trim, paper, fonts — self-help specifics.
Read the guide →Trim, paper, fonts, image flow — cookbook specifics.
Read the guide →Trim sizes, bleed, image resolution — exact file specs.
Read the guide →Trim, paper, fonts — children's chapter-book specifics.
Read the guide →Trim, paper, fixed-layout — picture-book specifics.
Read the guide →Line breaks, white space, trim sizes — how to preserve your poetry.
Read the guide →Trim, paper, fonts — poetry-collection specifics.
Read the guide →What a structural edit fixes, what it costs, and when your manuscript needs one.
Read the guide →The difference, the right order, and what each pass actually improves.
Read the guide →The final pass before publishing — what it catches and how to brief a proofreader.
Read the guide →Finding, briefing and using beta readers to fix problems before you pay for editing.
Read the guide →Meet genre expectations so readers — and Amazon's algorithm — place your book correctly.
Read the guide →We hand-format manuscripts to KDP spec and deliver a print-ready PDF + Kindle EPUB inside 24 hours. £69 for PDF, £119 for both.
PDF (preferred) or DOCX. PDF gives you exact layout control; DOCX is auto-converted by KDP and sometimes loses formatting. For Kindle ebook: DOCX, EPUB, or KPF (Kindle Create's format).
Most rejections fall into a few categories: margin or gutter too small, font not embedded, image resolution under 300 DPI, cover/interior trim mismatch, or AI-generated content not disclosed. Run the free 60-second KDP Readiness Score to find issues before submission.
Cream for fiction (gentler on the eyes for long reads — matches traditional novels). White for non-fiction with diagrams, charts, or technical content. Premium Colour for cookbooks, children's, and photography — but it pushes retail prices to £20+.
Both. Self-edit first using a 30-point checklist (read aloud, cut filter words, kill adverbs). Then hire a professional editor. Self-editing first saves 30-50% on the editor's invoice because they're not billing to find obvious issues.
Developmental edit: £0.015-£0.035 per word (£1,350-£3,150 for a 90,000-word novel). Line edit: £0.012-£0.020/word. Copy edit: £0.008-£0.014/word. Proofread: £0.005-£0.010/word. Full pass on a debut novel typically £3,500-£7,000 in UK rates (2026).