Format a book for print, in your browser

Turn a manuscript into the interior of a printed book: real pages at your trim size, mirrored margins, running heads, a contents page with page numbers. Export a print-ready PDF and an EPUB. Nothing is uploaded.

Self-publishers usually choose between fighting a word processor into book shape and paying for layout software. This sits in between. You write in Markdown, or open the Word file you already have, and it is typeset the way books are: chapters opening on right-hand pages, the first paragraph set full out with a drop cap, paragraphs indented after that, and no lines stranded at the top or foot of a page.

What it sets up for you

• Front matter — half title, title page, copyright page, dedication and a contents page whose page numbers are filled in from the finished layout.
• Mirrored margins — a wider inside margin on every page for the binding, alternating left and right.
• Running heads and folios — the author's name on left-hand pages, the chapter title on right-hand ones, page numbers at the foot; none on chapter openings or blank pages.
• Typography — justified text with hyphenation, old-style figures, drop caps and small caps to open a chapter, and a choice of ornament for scene breaks.
• Page breaks — at least two lines of a paragraph on each side of a page turn, and headings kept with the text they introduce.

Trim sizes

Sizes offered

Trim	Typical use
5 × 8 in, 5.25 × 8 in	Fiction, US trade paperback
5.5 × 8.5 in	Fiction and memoir
6 × 9 in	Non-fiction, US
B-format, 129 × 198 mm	Fiction, Australia and the UK
A5 and Royal (156 × 234 mm)	Non-fiction and larger formats

Writing the manuscript

Start each chapter with a # heading. Leave a blank line between paragraphs. Put *** on a line of its own for a scene break. Italics, quotations, lists and footnotes work as in any Markdown. Already written it in Word? Open the .docx and it is converted in your browser; chapter titles styled as Heading 1 become chapters. The title, author, publisher and settings are saved at the top of the Markdown file, so the book lays out the same next time — or open it in Recto's Markdown editor to keep writing.

Questions

Is the PDF good enough for Amazon KDP or IngramSpark?

The PDF has one page per sheet at your exact trim size, with the larger inside margin on alternating sides for the binding and the fonts embedded by your browser. That is what print-on-demand services ask for an interior file. It has no bleed, so keep images inside the margins, and check your service's minimum inside margin for your page count.

Which trim size should I choose?

For a novel, 5 × 8 or 5.5 × 8.5 inches are the common choices in the US, and B-format (129 × 198 mm) in Australia and the UK. Non-fiction often uses 6 × 9 inches or Royal. Changing the trim re-lays every page, so the page count updates as you choose.

How do chapters work?

Every top-level heading starts a chapter on a new page — on a right-hand page if that option is on, adding a blank left page where needed, as printed books do. Chapter openings have no running head, a dropped start and a drop cap on the first paragraph.

What are widows and orphans, and does it avoid them?

A widow is a paragraph's last line stranded at the top of a page; an orphan is its first line alone at the bottom. Paragraphs here are split so that at least two lines stay on each page, and a heading never ends a page.

Is my manuscript uploaded?

No. The pages are laid out in your browser and the PDF is made by your browser's own print function. An unpublished manuscript never leaves your computer.

How wide should my cover's spine be?

The page count gives an estimate, shown above the pages: about 0.0023 inches per page on white paper, the figure Amazon KDP publishes. Use your printer's own calculator for the final cover.

Can I also make an ebook?

Yes. Press EPUB for a valid EPUB 3 file with a chapter for each heading and a generated table of contents, ready to check in an e-reader before uploading to a store.

The other tools