Frequently asked questions
Short, citable answers to the questions we get most. Each one links to a dedicated page with the full breakdown.
How much does it cost to format a book?
Typical costs in 2026: human formatters charge $50–200 per book (more for complex layouts); desktop software costs $147 (Atticus) to $249 (Vellum) one-time; browser tools like Ceeryo charge per book at a fraction of a human formatter. Free options (Reedsy Studio, Kindle Create) produce standardized interiors with limited design.
What page size (trim) should my book be?
6×9 in is the standard for novels over ~60,000 words and most nonfiction — more words per page, lower print cost per copy. 5×8 or 5.25×8 suit shorter fiction and novellas; 5.5×8.5 is a comfortable middle. Match your genre's shelf and, for a series, match your earlier books.
Why did KDP reject my interior PDF?
The four usual reasons: the PDF's page size doesn't exactly match your chosen trim; fonts aren't embedded; the inside margin (gutter) is below KDP's minimum for your page count; or the page count is outside 24–828. Word exports commonly fail the first two.
Can I format a book in Microsoft Word?
You can, but it fights you: Word can't do mirrored gutters that grow with page count, recto-only chapter openers, suppressed running heads on openers, or reliable font embedding in exported PDFs. Authors who try usually spend days and still fail KDP preflight. Write in Word; typeset elsewhere.