How to format a book for Amazon KDP: everything Amazon requires for a print book interior — trim sizes, margins, bleed, and the errors that most often cause rejection.
Whether you're looking for how to format a book for Amazon or specifically how to format your book for Kindle, book formatting for Amazon KDP follows the same technical rules.
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The interior is the design of every page of your book: typography, margins, page numbers, chapter openers and how images are handled. It's separate from the cover — and it's what decides whether Amazon KDP accepts your file for print without errors.
| Size | Common use |
|---|---|
| 6 × 9 in | Non-fiction — the most used on KDP |
| 5.5 × 8.5 in | Fiction — the most popular for indie authors |
| 5 × 8 in | Compact fiction (romance, thriller) |
| 8.5 × 11 in | Workbooks, illustrated, coloring books |
| A5 | European standard |
The gutter (inner) margin grows with the page count: the thicker the book, the more inner margin it needs so the text isn't swallowed by the binding. If the book uses full-bleed images, add 0.125 in of bleed on the outer edges.
Not sure which to choose? See the full guide to KDP trim sizes and how to pick one.
Set the page size and calculate the gutter margin from the estimated page count.
Chapter titles, paragraph indents, footnotes and italicized quotes — consistently across the whole document.
Check image DPI, embedded fonts and page numbering before sending it to KDP.