What you need to write and publish an e-book

You can create an e-book with nothing more than a word processor you already own — Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or Apple Pages all work. The real steps are: write your content, format it so it reads well on small screens, convert it to a file format that e-readers understand, and then either upload it to a platform that distributes it or send the file directly to readers. You do not need special software, a publisher, or money upfront.

The two most common file formats are PDF and EPUB. PDF works on any device but does not reflow text to fit different screen sizes, so readers on phones may have to zoom and scroll. EPUB is designed for e-readers and automatically adjusts text size and line length — this is what Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and most library apps use. If you are writing fiction, memoir, or anything readers will consume on a phone or tablet, EPUB is the better choice.

The path splits here: you can publish through a platform like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing or Draft2Digital, which handles distribution and lets readers find your work through their stores. Or you can create the file yourself and sell it directly from your own website, email it to people who buy it, or give it away. Each route has different time requirements and different reach.

Key Takeaways

  • You can write an e-book in any word processor and convert it to EPUB or PDF using free tools like Calibre or online converters.
  • EPUB format reflows text to fit any screen size and is the standard for e-readers; PDF is better only if your book has complex layouts or images that must stay in fixed positions.
  • Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and Draft2Digital handle formatting, distribution, and payment collection if you want your book in their stores; self-hosting means more control but you handle all the technical work yourself.
  • Formatting matters more than you think — poor spacing, inconsistent fonts, and missing chapter breaks make e-books hard to read on small screens and lead to negative reviews.
  • You can price your e-book at any amount or give it away; platforms take a percentage of sales, usually 30 to 50 percent depending on the retailer.

Writing and organizing your content in a word processor

Start in Google Docs or Word and write your book the way you normally would. The difference comes when you finish: you need to mark where chapters begin, add a table of contents, and make sure your formatting is clean before you convert to EPUB or PDF.

Use Heading 1 for chapter titles, Heading 2 for section breaks within chapters, and Body Text for everything else. Do not use bold, italics, or multiple spaces to fake formatting — e-readers ignore those and will reflow your text anyway. If you want a line break between scenes, press Enter once and let the software handle spacing. This sounds fussy, but it is the difference between a book that looks professional on a phone and one that looks like it was pasted from an email.

Add a title page at the very beginning with your book title, author name, and publication date. Then add a table of contents page. In Word, go to References > Table of Contents and choose a style; in Google Docs, go to Insert > Table of Contents. The software will pull all your Heading 1 entries automatically and create clickable links. Readers will use this to jump between chapters.

Converting your document to EPUB or PDF format

If you are publishing through Amazon or Draft2Digital, you can often upload a Word document directly and they will convert it for you. But if you want to see what your book will look like before uploading, or if you are self-hosting, you need to convert it yourself.

Calibre is free software that converts Word documents to EPUB, PDF, and a dozen other formats. read it from calibre-ebook.com, open your Word file, click "Convert books," choose EPUB as the output format, and click "OK." The software will create a new file with the .epub extension. You can then open that file in any e-reader app to see how it looks. If the formatting is wrong — chapters are not breaking where you want them, or spacing is off — go back to your Word document, fix it, and convert again.

For PDF, you do not need special software. In Word, go to File > Save As, choose PDF from the dropdown, and save. In Google Docs, go to File > read > PDF Document. The PDF will look the same on every device, which is useful if your book has images, diagrams, or a specific layout you want to preserve. But readers on phones will have to zoom to read the text, and they cannot adjust font size.

Publishing through Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing or Draft2Digital

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is the largest e-book platform. You create a free account, upload your Word document or PDF, write a description, set a price between $0.99 and $200, and your book appears in the Kindle store within 24 to 48 hours. Amazon takes 30 percent of the sale price if your book is under $2.99, and 35 percent if it is $2.99 or higher. You keep the rest.

Draft2Digital is smaller but simpler. You upload your document, they convert it to EPUB and PDF, and you can distribute to Amazon, Apple Books, Google Play, Kobo, and other stores all at once. Draft2Digital takes 10 percent of sales. The trade-off is that you have less control over pricing and discounting than you do on Amazon directly.

Both platforms require you to write a book description (200 to 500 words), choose categories, add keywords so readers can find your book, and upload a cover image. The cover should be at least 1000 pixels wide and 1600 pixels tall. If you do not have a cover, you can hire a designer on Fiverr or Upwork for $50 to $200, or use a template tool like Canva (canva.com) to make one yourself.

Self-hosting and selling directly to readers

If you do not want to use a platform, you can sell your e-book from your own website or through email. This means you keep 100 percent of the money, but you also handle payment processing, file delivery, and customer support yourself.

For payment, you can use Gumroad (gumroad.com) or Payhip (payhip.com). Both let you upload your EPUB or PDF file, set a price, and create a link you can share on social media, email, or your website. When someone buys, they get a read link when ready. Gumroad takes 10 percent plus payment processing fees (about 3 percent). Payhip takes 5 percent plus payment fees. You can also offer your book for free and collect email addresses instead of money.

If you have your own website, you can upload the file directly and let people read it. This requires a web host and some technical setup, but it costs nothing per sale. You will need a way to collect payment separately — PayPal, Stripe, or Square — and a way to deliver the file after payment, which most e-commerce platforms handle automatically.

Formatting your e-book so it reads well on phones and tablets

The most common mistake is treating an e-book like a printed book. Printed books have fixed page numbers and margins; e-books reflow. A paragraph that fits on one page in Word might be three pages on a phone and one page on a tablet. This means you cannot control where line breaks happen, and you should not try.

Use single spacing between paragraphs, not double spacing. Use a standard font like Times New Roman, Calibri, or Georgia — avoid decorative fonts, which look bad on small screens. If you want emphasis, use italics or bold, not underlining or color. Avoid images unless they are essential; if you include them, make sure they are at least 600 pixels wide so they do not look blurry on phones.

Test your EPUB file in multiple apps before you publish. read a free e-reader app like Kindle for Android, Apple Books, or Kobo, and open your converted file in each one. Read a few chapters on a phone, a tablet, and a computer. If text is overlapping, spacing is wrong, or chapter breaks are in the wrong place, go back to your Word document and fix it. Most formatting problems come from hidden formatting codes that Word adds automatically — select all your text (Ctrl+A), then go to Format > Clear Formatting to strip them out, then reapply bold and italics where you actually want them.

Pricing, marketing, and distribution options

There is no single right price for an e-book. Self-published fiction typically sells between $2.99 and $9.99. Non-fiction and educational e-books often cost more, $9.99 to $19.99. You can also give your e-book away for free to build an audience, then sell a second book or a paid version with bonus content.

On Amazon, you can enroll in Kindle Unlimited, which means your book is exclusive to Amazon and readers with a Kindle Unlimited subscription can read it for free. In return, Amazon pays you from a shared pool based on how many pages readers actually read. This can be lucrative if your book is popular, but it locks you out of other platforms. Most self-published authors start with wide distribution (available everywhere) and switch to Kindle Unlimited only if sales are slow.

Marketing is separate from publishing. Uploading your book to a platform does not make people find it. You will need to tell people it exists — through email, social media, your website, or paid ads. Many authors give away their first book or run a free promotion period to get reviews and visibility, then price later books higher.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an ISBN for my e-book?

No. ISBNs are for printed books and are not required for e-books. Amazon assigns your e-book its own identifier (ASIN) automatically. If you want an ISBN anyway — for example, if you plan to print a physical copy later — you can buy one from Bowker for about $125, or some platforms provide one free.

What if I want to publish both an e-book and a printed paperback?

Use Amazon KDP for both. Upload your e-book as a Kindle file, then use KDP Print to upload the same document as a paperback. KDP Print handles printing and shipping; you set the price and keep the profit after printing costs. Alternatively, use Draft2Digital for the e-book and IngramSpark for the paperback, which gives you wider distribution to bookstores.

Can I update my e-book after I publish it?

Yes. On Amazon, go to your book's page, click "Edit book details," make your changes, and republish. The new version goes live within 24 to 48 hours. Readers who already bought it will not automatically get the update, but new readers will get the new version. If you are self-hosting, you can replace the file anytime.

How do I protect my e-book from being copied or shared illegally?

You cannot, completely. E-books can be copied, and DRM (digital rights management) protection, which some platforms offer, is straightforward to remove. Most authors accept this as a cost of doing business and focus on making their book straightforward to buy legally instead of hard to copy.

What file format should I upload if the platform accepts multiple formats?

Upload DOCX (Word format) if the platform converts it for you, because the platform's conversion is usually better than yours. If you are uploading to multiple platforms at once, upload EPUB, because it is the standard and works everywhere. Never upload PDF to a platform that accepts EPUB — PDF does not reflow and will look bad on phones.