KDP book formatting that's guaranteed to pass
Upload your manuscript. Get a print PDF and Kindle EPUB built to Amazon's own rulebook, a certificate proving every check passed, and a refund if KDP rejects a certified file anyway.
Upload your manuscript (free preview)
What "formatted for KDP" actually requires
"Book formatting for KDP" is really a checklist Amazon enforces at the file level, and the checklist changes shape depending on your page count, trim size, and binding. Here's the rulebook we build every book against (version kdp-2026.07):
Trim size
KDP paperback accepts any custom trim from 4″ × 6″ to 8.5″ × 11.69″, not just the named presets. Hardcover is a whitelist of exactly five: 5.5×8.5, 6×9, 6.14×9.21, 7×10, and 8.25×11. Pick a size outside that list for hardcover and KDP simply won't offer it at checkout, no matter how clean your file is.
Margins and gutter
Outside margins need at least 0.25″ of clearance (0.375″ if your cover bleeds). The inside gutter margin isn't fixed. It scales with your final page count, because a thicker spine eats further into the inside edge:
| Page count | Minimum gutter |
|---|---|
| Up to 150 | 0.375″ |
| 151–300 | 0.5″ |
| 301–500 | 0.625″ |
| 501–700 (700 for hardcover, 550 max) | 0.75″ |
| 701–828 (paperback only) | 0.875″ |
This is the single most common way DIY formatting fails silently. A manuscript gets formatted for its draft page count, then a few chapters get added, the book grows past a gutter threshold, and nobody goes back to re-check the margin before uploading.
Images and fonts
Images need 300 DPI or higher. KDP's converter hard-fails anything under 72 DPI and warns on everything in between. Fonts must be embedded and no smaller than 7pt anywhere in the file, including footnotes and running heads.
The checklist isn't the hard part. Re-checking it is.
Every one of the rules above is public. KDP book formatting still gets rejected, or worse, gets accepted with problems readers report later, and it's rarely because the formatter didn't know the rules. The real problem is that a manuscript keeps changing after the rules get applied. A late edit adds a chapter. A cover gets re-exported at a different bleed. An image gets swapped for a lower-resolution version. Nobody re-runs the whole checklist after every change, because doing it by hand takes hours.
A $10-25 Fiverr formatting gig applies the rules once, at delivery. It won't re-check itself if you tweak your manuscript afterward, and it doesn't prove anything actually passed. You get a file, and you get to hope.
What every build is checked for
| Guarantee | What we verify |
|---|---|
| ✓ Nothing lost | Every paragraph of your manuscript is fingerprinted and matched against the finished PDF and EPUB. Anything missing blocks the build, and we show you exactly what's missing instead of quietly dropping it. |
| ✓ KDP compliant | Trim size, gutter and outside margins by page count, embedded fonts, minimum type size, blank-page limits, and image resolution. Amazon's print rulebook, run as code against your exact file. |
| ✓ Typeset with care | Widows, runts, hyphen ladders, table-of-contents page numbers checked against the actual finished pages, running heads verified spread by spread. |
| ✓ Kindle-ready EPUB | EPUB 3 with device-controlled text and correct start-reading position, validated by the industry's standard checker. |
Upload .docx, .odt, or Markdown. We read your chapters and front matter from your document's own structure. Anything ambiguous becomes a plain-language question. We never guess silently.
Pay per book. Preview free.
- Print-interior PDF, ready to upload to KDP
- EPUB 3 for Kindle
- Preflight certificate: every KDP rule checked
- Cover template with spine math
- 30 days of unlimited rebuilds
- Refund if KDP rejects a certified file
Additional editions of the same title, like hardcover, large print, or another trim, are $20 each.
Common questions about formatting a book for KDP
What size should my KDP book be?
Any trim from 4″×6″ up to 8.5″×11.69″ works for paperback. Most fiction ships at 5.25″×8″ or 5.5″×8.5″, and most nonfiction at 6″×9″. Hardcover is limited to five trims: 5.5×8.5, 6×9, 6.14×9.21, 7×10, and 8.25×11.
What are KDP's margin and gutter requirements?
Outside margins need at least 0.25″ (0.375″ with bleed). The inside gutter scales with page count too, starting at 0.375″ under 150 pages and climbing to 0.875″ near KDP's 828-page ceiling.
How many pages can a KDP book have?
24 to 828 pages on white or premium-color paper, 24 to 776 on cream. Hardcover is narrower: 75 to 550 pages.
Why does KDP reject formatted books?
Most often it's margins that don't scale with the final page count, fonts under the 7pt floor, images under 300 DPI, or front matter that shifts page numbers after a late edit. A human proofread can miss all of these. A rule-based check catches them every time.
Do you publish my book to KDP for me?
No. You keep your own KDP account and upload the files yourself. We hand you a certified print PDF and Kindle EPUB, ready to go.
How much does KDP formatting cost with Typesheep?
Priced by length ($20 up to 150 pages, $30 to 350, $40 beyond), including the certificate, cover template, and 30 days of rebuilds. Additional editions of the same title are $20.