Book Formatting Services for Print and eBook
You've written the book and had it edited. Now it has to look like a book. Our book formatting services take your manuscript, still a Word file full of text, and turn it into a laid-out interior: readable type, clean margins, proper chapter openings, correct page numbers, and files that a printer or an online store will accept on the first upload. We're an independent publishing house in Lake City, Colorado, and we've been doing this since 1996.
Publishing since 1996. NDA signed before work starts. The copyright stays yours.
Why the inside of your book matters as much as the cover
Readers don't judge an interior consciously. They just feel it. A line of text that runs too close to the edge, a chapter that starts halfway down a page for no reason, a single stranded word at the top of a page: none of these will make anyone put the book down, but together they tell a reader that the book was put together in a hurry. Bookstore buyers, librarians and reviewers notice too, and they notice faster.
The most common cause is simple. A manuscript gets dropped into a template, or a word processor is asked to do a typesetter's job, and nobody looks at the result page by page. Word is a fine tool for writing. It isn't built to control line breaks, spacing between paragraphs and facing pages across three hundred pages, and the file that looks right on your screen can print with a margin that swallows the first letter of every line.
We lay the book out by hand, with a person checking every spread. That's what you're paying for, and it's the difference between a book that looks self-made and one that looks like it belongs on a shelf.
We lay the book out by hand, with a person checking every spread.
What our book formatting includes
Formatting is a long list of small decisions, and each one has to be right. Here's what we handle so you don't have to.
- Typography. We choose a readable typeface, set the size and line spacing for comfortable reading, and adjust spacing so no page looks too tight or too loose.
- Trim size, margins and gutters. These are set for your format and your printer, so nothing is cut off or cramped near the spine.
- Chapter and heading design. Chapter openings and section headings follow one consistent system, so the book has structure and a recognizable style.
- Running headers, footers and page numbers. They sit where readers expect them and disappear where they shouldn't appear, such as on chapter openers.
- Front and back matter. Title page, copyright page, dedication, table of contents and about the author, in the right order.
- Widow and orphan control. We fix stranded single lines, bad breaks and awkward word spacing, the small details that separate a polished book from an amateur one.
- Images and graphics. Photos, charts, maps and illustrations are placed cleanly and sized for print.
- Final files. A print-ready PDF for the printer, and a proofing copy so you can hold the book before it goes on sale. If you also need a digital edition, see the next section.
Our interior layout rate covers typeset pages, front and back matter, the print PDF and that proofing copy. The full cost breakdown is further down this page.
Print formatting and eBook formatting are different jobs
A book usually needs to exist in more than one form, and the two forms are built differently.
A print book is a fixed page. Every line sits exactly where we put it, so the layout work is about trim size, margins, gutters, bleed where images reach the page edge, headers and page numbers. The result is a print-ready PDF made to the specifications of the platform that will print your book, mainly Amazon KDP and IngramSpark. If you're planning a hardcover edition, the layout work pairs with our hardcover book printing service.
An eBook is the opposite. Readers change the font size, the screen size and the background color, so the text has to reflow cleanly on every device, and the table of contents has to link to the right places. A good digital edition reads well on a Kindle, in Apple Books and on Kobo.
Producing the finished digital files is a technical task of its own, and we handle it under a separate service. If all you need is an EPUB or Kindle file from a finished manuscript, our eBook conversion services page explains that work and what it costs. If you need a print interior as well, ask for both together and we'll quote them as one job.
Tell us about the project
Send a few details about book formatting services and a person on our team will reply with a fixed quote. You'll know the price before any work begins.
Prefer to talk? Call (336) 565-6915, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Mountain Time.
Platform specifications we format to
Each print platform has its own rules, and a file that breaks them gets rejected or, worse, prints badly. These are the ones that catch authors out most often.
Trim size. Amazon KDP says the most common trim size for US paperbacks is 6 x 9 inches. Trim size comes first because margins and page count depend on it.
Bleed. When a page has images or color that reach the edge, they have to run past the trim line. KDP and IngramSpark both ask for 0.125 inches (3 mm) of bleed on the top, bottom and outside edges. All KDP covers require bleed, but a plain-text interior can go without it.
Margins and gutters. KDP sets minimum margins, and the inside margin grows with page count because a thicker book needs more room near the spine. The rule is set out in KDP's own guidance:
| Page count | Inside (gutter) margin minimum |
|---|---|
| 24 to 150 pages | 0.375 inches |
| 151 to 300 pages | 0.5 inches |
| 301 to 500 pages | 0.625 inches |
| 501 to 700 pages | 0.75 inches |
| 701 to 828 pages | 0.875 inches |
Outside, top and bottom margins must be at least 0.25 inches without bleed and 0.375 inches with it. Those are minimums, and a book set to the bare minimum rarely looks comfortable. We usually go well past them. You can read the full rules in KDP's trim size, bleed and margins guide.
Fonts. IngramSpark rejects PDFs where fonts aren't embedded, and the default export setting in some programs doesn't embed every font. We check this on every file. IngramSpark publishes its full requirements in its file creation guide.
eBooks. KDP accepts EPUB files and recommends checking them in Kindle Previewer before upload. The EPUB format itself is an open standard maintained by the World Wide Web Consortium, and you can read the current specification in the EPUB 3.3 standard.
None of this is hard once you know the rules. It is easy to get wrong the first time, and the error often doesn't show until a proof copy arrives in the mail.
Formatting for every kind of book
Different books need different handling, and we've laid out the full range.
Novels and narrative books
Fiction, memoir and history need a quiet, readable page: a good text face, generous leading, and chapter openings that give the reader a moment to breathe. The writing should carry the book, and the layout should stay out of its way.
Non-fiction and reference
Business books, how-to guides and textbooks lean on structure. That means heading levels that look different from each other, footnotes or endnotes, tables, pull quotes, and a table of contents readers can use to find things. We build a style system for the whole book so a third-level heading on page 40 matches the one on page 240.
Illustrated and complex books
Children's books, cookbooks, workbooks and photography books are a different job, because images and text share every page and layout is the whole design. These are priced separately from a text book, for reasons explained in the pricing section. If your book needs new artwork as well, see our illustration studio.
How our formatting process works
The process is short on purpose.
Send us your final, edited manuscript, usually a Word document, along with your book's details and any images. If you're not sure the manuscript is final, say so. It's far cheaper to change a word before layout than after.
Our designers set the book for print, for digital, or for both, applying the type, margin and chapter design that suits your specific book. We read a sample before quoting, so we know what we're dealing with from the start.
We send you the formatted pages and you tell us what to change. We keep refining the layout until you're happy with how the book looks. For print, you'll also have a proofing copy to hold.
We deliver the finished files, ready to upload. If you'd like us to take it further, we can publish and distribute the book too, which is covered below.
What book formatting costs
Our rates are published in full on our pricing page. For formatting, these are the ones that matter.
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Interior layout | $2.20 a page, minimum $600 |
| Illustrated interior | from $1,400 |
| eBook conversion (EPUB and Kindle) | $420 |
| Print setup | $280 plus printer cost |
| ISBN and barcode | at cost: $125, or $295 for ten |
"From" means a starting price, not a flat rate. The final number depends on the book, and we'll tell you what it depends on.
Interior layout is charged by the page
A 300-page novel comes to $660. A 400-page nonfiction book comes to $880. A short book of 200 pages would work out below the minimum, so it's $600. Page count is the main driver, so the number rises and falls with the length of your final manuscript.
Illustrated books start higher because every page is a composition
A picture book or a book of photographs is priced from $1,400, and where it lands depends on how many images there are and how much work it takes to make them sit well with the text.
Print setup covers preparing the files for your printer, measuring the spine to the paper and ordering one proof and checking it
The printer's own charge is added on top, at what the printer bills. ISBNs and barcodes are bought at cost and registered in your name, not ours. Our guide on how to get an ISBN explains what you're buying.
How it fits into a whole book
A typical independent book, with editing, a cover, layout and files, comes to between $2,500 and $6,000. Formatting is usually the smallest part of that. Editing is the largest, and it should come first.
Payment is half on booking and half on delivery. We don't ask for the full project fee up front.
Why authors choose us for formatting
Cheap templates and automated tools promise instant formatting, and they're the reason so many self-published books look self-published. Here's what you get from us instead.
- People, not a template. A designer lays out your book and adapts to it, instead of pushing it into a generic mold.
- Correct for each platform. We build files to KDP and IngramSpark requirements and the major eBook stores, so they upload without surprises.
- A real publisher behind it. We're an independent house with a back catalogue of regional history, biography, memoir, and Colorado and Western writing. We know what a finished book should look like because we've printed our own.
- One team. A writer, an editor and a project manager stay with your book from the first conversation to the final file.
- You own the files. The finished formatted files are yours to publish wherever you choose.
- An honest no. If your book isn't ready for layout, we'll say so and tell you what it needs first.
Who this service is for
Formatting suits you if you're an independent author who has finished a manuscript and wants it ready for Amazon KDP, IngramSpark or a local printer. It suits a business owner producing a book as a credibility piece, a family historian who wants a printed memoir for relatives, and a small press that needs interior layout without hiring a designer full time.
It isn't the right first step if your manuscript is still changing. Layout locks the text in place, so a rewrite after formatting means paying to lay out the same pages twice. If that's where you are, start with copyediting or proofreading, and come back when the words are final.
It isn't the right first step if your manuscript is still changing.
Questions authors ask before they hire us
"Can't I format it myself?"
You can, and many authors do. If you're comfortable with styles, section breaks and PDF export, a simple novel is a reasonable project. Our guide to formatting a book for self-publishing shows how. Hire a professional when the book has images, tables or footnotes, or when you don't want to spend three weekends finding out why the page numbers start at the wrong place.
"Will I be locked in?"
No. The files are yours and the copyright stays yours.
"What if I want changes after the layout is done?"
Tell us during review and we'll make them. Changes to the text after final delivery are a new job, because they reflow the pages that follow.
"Do you only format books you publish?"
No. Formatting is open to any author, and you can combine it with our other services or use it alone.
From formatting to a book on sale
Formatting gets the book looking right. Publishing gets it into readers' hands. Once your files are ready, our book publishing services can take the book through publication and distribution on Amazon, IngramSpark and the major retailers, in print and digital. Once the book is on sale it still has to be found, and our book marketing services begin with the listing, the description and a dated launch plan. A cover is part of that, so ask about book cover design at the same time and we'll fit the spine to your final page count.
Questions we get asked
How much does it cost to have someone format your book?
For us, interior layout is $2.20 a page with a $600 minimum, so a 300-page book is $660. Illustrated interiors start at $1,400. An eBook file adds $420. Freelancers and other companies vary widely, and the price follows page count, images, and how clean your manuscript is when it arrives.
What is the best book formatting software?
It depends on the book. Microsoft Word works for a simple novel. Adobe InDesign gives a typesetter the most control over complex layouts. Dedicated tools such as Kindle Create, Vellum and Atticus suit self-publishers who want templates. The software matters less than the eye of the person using it.
Are there free book formatting services?
There are free templates, including KDP's own Word templates for each trim size. They help if you're comfortable with Word. They won't catch widows, bad page breaks or font problems for you. We charge for layout because someone checks every page, and you can see exactly what that costs on our pricing page.
How much does it cost to have a book professionally edited?
Our published rates are $0.034 a word for developmental editing, $0.027 for line editing, $0.023 for copyediting and $0.016 for proofreading, with a $450 minimum per pass. Most books need one or two of these, and a sample read tells us which. Proofreading on the finished layout is the last pass.
How much does it cost to edit a 300-page book?
A 300-page book usually runs about 75,000 words, though it varies with trim size and type size. At that length, a copyedit is about $1,725, a line edit about $2,025 and a developmental edit about $2,550. Send us a sample and we'll give you a firm figure for your book.
What is the difference between formatting and eBook conversion?
Formatting is the design of the book's interior, mainly for print. eBook conversion is the technical production of the reflowable EPUB and Kindle files. Many authors need both, and we offer both. Our eBook conversion services page covers the digital side in detail.
Should my book be edited before it's formatted?
Yes. Formatting lays out your final text, so any edit afterward means reflowing pages. The best order is developmental or line edit, copyedit, layout, then a proofread of the typeset pages, which catches anything the layout moved.
Can you format an illustrated or children's book?
Yes. Picture books, cookbooks, workbooks and photographic books need careful placement of images and text, so they're priced from $1,400 instead of by the page. We've handled them regularly.
Do you offer book formatting services near me?
We're in Lake City, Colorado, and we work with authors across the US by phone, email and shared files, so distance doesn't matter. You send the manuscript, we send back pages to review, and a proof copy goes by mail.
The testimonials of all our wonderful clients
Our clients love to share how it felt to work with us. Here is what some of the authors we have partnered with had to say about the experience.
★★★★★“Working with the Western Reflections Publishing team was a great experience. I came to them with a book idea but needed help structuring it into a finished manuscript. They took the time to learn my objectives right away, communication stayed consistent throughout, and the writers did a great job keeping my voice while improving the structure and flow. I was impressed by how well the finished manuscript reflected my vision.”
Olivia Adams
★★★★★“Western Reflections Publishing took my half-baked idea and turned it into something beautiful. Sarah, my editor, was incredibly patient with me. The cover design team nailed my vision, and the publishing process was smooth. Seeing my book on Amazon is surreal. I'm beyond grateful for their services.”
Amy Tosh
★★★★★“I'm beyond impressed with the editing team at Western Reflections Publishing. They didn't just fix my grammar; they truly understood my voice and helped refine the narrative flow of my book. The transformation from my initial draft to the final version is incredible. If you want your book to stand out, this is the place to go.”
Dakota Bailey
★★★★★“I've published multiple titles, but working with Western Reflections Publishing for my latest release was the smoothest experience yet. From editing to marketing to distribution, their team was professional and responsive. It's clear they truly care about their authors' success, and the best part was that they valued my input and let me take the lead.”
Betty Lentz
★★★★★“I honestly didn't expect the publishing process to feel this smooth, but Western Reflections Publishing made it surprisingly easy. Their editing and formatting teams were thorough and attentive, and they guided me step by step. I felt supported the whole way, which gave me the confidence to finally share my book with the world.”
Caleb Hudson
★★★★★“I was pleasantly surprised by how smooth the process was with Western Reflections Publishing. Their developmental editing brought new clarity to my manuscript, and the formatting team delivered a polished, professional final version. The team's support and clear communication made the entire publishing experience easy to navigate.”
Madison Palmer
Ready to see your book laid out properly?
Tell us about your book: the length, whether it has images, and whether you need print, digital or both. We'll read a sample and send you a free, no-obligation quote. You can also call us at (336) 565-6915, or email info@westernreflectionspublishing.com.
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