Book Formatter
Upload or paste your manuscript, fix typing problems in one click, choose a style, see real pages, check the print rules and download an EPUB or print-ready PDF. Your book never leaves your browser.
Drop your manuscript here
Works with .docx, .txt, .md, .rtf and .html files. Nothing is uploaded: it all stays in your browser.
Optional. Your text is saved in this browser only, never sent anywhere, so you can come back later. Untick it to delete the saved copy.
What the book formatter does
A manuscript written in a word processor is rarely ready to print or sell. Quotes are straight, paragraphs are split by accident, chapters are styled by hand and the margins are wrong for the printer. This tool cleans the text, lays out real pages and creates the files that Amazon KDP, IngramSpark and e-book stores ask for.
It runs entirely in your browser. Your book is not uploaded, there is no account and nothing is added to the pages except a short copyright line you can turn off.
Problems it fixes in one click
- Straight quotes and apostrophes become proper curly quotes.
- Double spaces, tabs and trailing spaces are removed.
- Double hyphens become dashes and three dots become an ellipsis.
- Lines broken in the middle of a paragraph, common after copying from a PDF or email, are joined again.
- Extra empty lines are removed and chapter headings are found automatically.
Inside margins for print books
Printed books need a larger margin on the inside edge, next to the spine, and the thicker the book the larger it must be. The tool can set this for you. These are the minimum inside margins Amazon KDP publishes for paperbacks.
| Page count | Minimum inside margin |
|---|---|
| 24 to 150 pages | 0.375 in |
| 151 to 300 pages | 0.5 in |
| 301 to 500 pages | 0.625 in |
| 501 to 700 pages | 0.75 in |
| 701 to 828 pages | 0.875 in |
Spine width and cover size
The cover needs the right width for the number of pages. The spine is the page count times the thickness of one sheet: about 0.002252 inches for white paper and 0.0025 inches for cream paper. The full cover width is two book widths plus the spine plus bleed. The Check step works this out from your real page count.
Tips for a clean book
- Start with one of the styles, then change only what you need.
- Use 10 to 12 point text with line spacing around 1.3 to 1.5 for a novel.
- Keep the same spelling throughout. The consistency check shows mixed spellings such as grey and gray.
- Open the finished PDF and the EPUB before publishing, and read a few pages in each.
How to use the Book Formatter tool
- Upload a .docx, .txt or .md file, or paste your text. Chapters are found automatically.
- Click Fix all to repair quotes, double spaces, dashes and broken lines, and read the consistency check.
- Pick a style such as Fiction novel or Non-fiction, then adjust the size, font and margins while you watch the live pages.
- Open the Check step to see the print margin rules for your page count and the cover size with spine width.
- Download the EPUB for e-readers, or the print PDF for KDP and IngramSpark.
Frequently asked questions
Is the book formatter really free?
Yes. There is no account, no watermark and no limit on the length of your book.
Is my manuscript uploaded anywhere?
No. Your file is read and formatted inside your browser. Nothing is sent to a server or stored, so it is gone when you close the page.
Which file formats can I upload?
Word (.docx), plain text (.txt), Markdown (.md), Rich Text (.rtf) and HTML. You can also paste text. Pictures inside Word files are not carried over yet.
Will the PDF be accepted by Amazon KDP?
The print PDF uses your chosen book size, margins and page numbers, and the Check step compares the inside margin with what KDP asks for at your page count. Always upload it to KDP's previewer to confirm before you publish.
How do I save the print PDF?
Click Download under Print PDF. Your browser's print window opens. Choose Save as PDF as the destination, set margins to Default and turn off headers and footers. The page size is set for you.
Which fonts can I use, and are they free for my book?
More than 100 open-source fonts are built in, including EB Garamond, Lora, Source Serif, Libre Baskerville, Inter, Open Sans, Courier Prime and Atkinson Hyperlegible, plus script and display fonts for chapter headings. Pick a font, then a weight such as Thin, Light, Regular, Medium, Bold or Black, where the font offers it. They use open licenses that allow printed books and e-books. Fonts are loaded from this site, not from Google, and are embedded in the print PDF when you save it.
Why is my Word file showing a different font?
A Word file only stores the font's name, so Word needs that font installed on the computer that opens it. Install the free font first, or use the EPUB and print PDF, which carry the font with them. In Word files, weights from Semi-bold up are saved as bold.
Can I save my layout for the next book?
Yes. In the Design step, name your style and click Save style. It is kept in your browser. You can also export your styles to a file, import them on another computer, or copy a link that applies the same layout. The link holds only layout settings, never your text.
Can I show my book to a friend before it is published?
In the Export step, click Download preview. You get one file that opens in any browser and lets your friend turn the pages. It works without internet and nothing is uploaded.
Why is the page count different in other programs?
Page count depends on the font, size, spacing and margins. Here the browser lays out the pages itself, so the count is real for the settings you chose. A different font or program can change it, so check the final PDF.