Publishing an ePUB Book

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Algorithm: Publishing an ePUB Book on Amazon (KDP)

Phase 1 — Manuscript Preparation

Input: Final text content

  1. Write and finalize manuscript
  2. Edit for:
    • Grammar
    • Flow
    • Consistency
  3. Format text using:
    • Paragraph styles (not manual spacing)
    • Proper headings (H1, H2)
    • No tabs or extra line breaks
  4. Save master file as:
    • DOCX or
    • EPUB (recommended for control)

Output: Clean, structured manuscript

Phase 2 — EPUB Creation & Validation

Input: Final manuscript

  1. Convert manuscript to EPUB using:
    • Calibre
    • Vellum (Mac)
    • Scrivener
    • Adobe InDesign (export EPUB)
  2. Ensure:
    • Reflowable layout
    • Embedded fonts (optional)
    • Clickable Table of Contents
  3. Validate EPUB with:
    • EPUBCheck (industry standard)

Output: Valid EPUB file

Phase 3 — Cover Design

Input: Book concept

  1. Design cover according to Amazon specs:
    • JPG or TIFF
    • Recommended size: 2560 × 1600 px
    • Aspect ratio: 1.6 : 1
    • RGB color
  2. Ensure:
    • Clear title at thumbnail size
    • Strong contrast
    • Genre-appropriate visuals

Output: Kindle-ready cover image

Phase 4 — Amazon KDP Account Setup

Input: Author/publisher identity

  1. Create KDP account:
    • Amazon login
    • Tax information
    • Bank account for royalties
  2. Choose publisher name (can be your own)

Output: Active KDP dashboard

Phase 5 — Book Listing Metadata

Input: Marketing data

  1. Enter book details:
    • Title & subtitle
    • Series info (if any)
    • Description (HTML allowed)
  2. Select:
    • Keywords (7 slots)
    • Categories (2 primary)
  3. Choose:
    • Language
    • Age range (if applicable)

Output: Discoverable book listing

Phase 6 — Upload & Preview

Input: EPUB + cover

  1. Upload EPUB file
  2. Upload cover image
  3. Preview using:
    • Kindle Previewer (desktop & mobile views)
  4. Fix formatting issues if found

Output: Approval-ready eBook

Phase 7 — Pricing & Rights

Input: Sales strategy

  1. Choose territories:
    • Worldwide or specific countries
  2. Select royalty plan:
    • 35% royalty
    • 70% royalty (price must be $2.99–$9.99)
  3. Set list price

Output: Monetized product

Phase 8 — Publishing & Post-Launch

Input: Final confirmation

  1. Click Publish
  2. Amazon review (24–72 hours)
  3. Book goes live
  4. Optional:
    • Enroll in Kindle Unlimited (exclusivity)
    • Run promotions or ads

Output: Live ePUB-based Kindle eBook

Cost Breakdown (Realistic, 2026)

Mandatory Costs (Minimum)

Item

Cost

Amazon KDP account

$0

ISBN (Amazon eBook)

Free

Upload & hosting

$0

Publishing

$0

👉 Minimum total: $0

Optional / Professional Costs

Service

Typical Cost

Editing (basic)

$200 – $800

Professional copy-editing

$800 – $2,000

EPUB formatting

$50 – $300

Cover design (pro)

$50 – $500

ISBN (your own)

$125 (US Bowker)

Amazon Ads (launch)

$50 – $300

👉 Professional total: $300 – $3,000+

Royalty Math (Example)

Price: $4.99
Royalty plan: 70%
Delivery fee: ~$0.05

You earn per sale:
≈ $3.40

Publisher Pro Tips (From Experience)

  • EPUB > DOCX if you care about typography
  • Kindle Previewer catches 90% of formatting errors
  • Book description = sales page (HTML matters)
  • Categories are more important than keywords
  • Covers sell more than titles

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