Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank
Perhaps one of the easiest ways to make sure your eBook is ready for Amazon is by using Kindle Create. It’s a free app you can use that has a few features you might like. Today, I’ll show you how to use it and some of its functions you’ll want to check out.
You don’t need to use Kindle Create as you can upload ePUB or DOCX files to Amazon’s KDP platform. Kindle Create just makes a lot of the setup easier to manage.
Though, it is a bit limited compared to other apps out there.
Why Use Kindle Create?
Kindle Create is an app you can use for free to help fine-tune the formatting of your book. Although there are plenty of writing tools out there, it’s not a bad platform if you don’t have a lot of money to put towards uploading an eBook.
I just hope Amazon adds a bit more umph behind the tool in future updates.
Basic Formatting Tools
The app gives you the essential ability to format your book. This includes a very basic text editing system, font size and spacing, limited chapter font designs, and a handful of text elements.
For example, you can easily turn a paragraph into a blockquote. Just highlight the text and click the button.
If you want to add an indent to each paragraph, though, you cannot use the TAB key on your keyboard. Instead, you need to use the Indent option for paragraphs.
The idea behind the formatting tools is to help you make the eBook look nice for readers. Just keep in mind that the page you see in Kindle Create isn’t going to be exactly how it’s depicted in the actual eBook itself.
Remember to use the “Preview” function on KDPs website after uploading the eBook’s file. That way, you can get a better idea of what others will see when reading the eBook.
Or, you can use the Preview function in Kindle Create as well.
Built-in Common Pages
Perhaps one of the most notable features in Kindle Create is the built-in pages for common elements. This can help you flesh out the book with pertinent pages you may have forgotten about in the first draft.
For example, you can easily add the Introduction, Prologue, Epilogue, and Table of Contents with just a click of a mouse.
In fact, the app will automatically grab any bold headers you use in the text file for chapter headings. So, if you put “Chapter 1” in bold and center it in your text file, the app will automatically grab it as a chapter for the Table of Contents.
It’ll also pick up sentences if they are by themselves. So, if you have a line that consists of just one sentence, it’ll be added as a chapter.
Like this one.
This is quite convenient as you don’t have to worry about creating one manually. What’s better yet is that Kindle Create will automatically place page numbers within the ToC for the printable version of your book.
I’ll cover the paperback and hardcover books in later posts.
Some Preview Capability
Kindle Create does have a preview option. Currently, though, it only shows the eBook version of your text. Although you can select “Print Setting” and change how each page displays the title and author of the book, that’s all you can do for the paperback and hardcover versions.
The preview is only for mobile devices and eReaders.
Luckily, Amazon updated the software recently so you have a better experience in the preview. And it can be helpful to see how your book will appear when people read it from varying devices.
Can Be Used for the Paperback and Hardcover Version
If you plan on producing paperback or hardcover books, you can use the same file you generate for the eBook through Kindle Create. This means you don’t need to save separate file types to produce the same content.
Though, I had to make several adjustments in the app to fix some of the issues I came across in the paperback preview.
In my case, I had to adjust the font size, spacing, and chapter formatting to make it look nice in the printed version. Not to mention that I added a few extra pages to ensure the book was big enough to print my name on the spine.
But that is completely cosmetic. You might not have such printed requirements.
It’s NOT an Editing System
One of the most important things to realize about Kindle Create is that it’s not necessarily an editor.
Although it has a few minor abilities for adding text, removing paragraphs, and making changes, it pales to what you can do with even the most basic text editing apps out there.
In other words, you do not want to use this program to write your book. Only use it as a way to make minor changes within your material.
Personally, I used Libre Office to write A Freelancer’s Tale and then pasted it into Kindle Create after I fed it through Grammarly.
Kindle Create is Free
Most importantly, Kindle Create is a free app provided by Amazon to help you create files for self-publishing. Yes, there are some amazing pieces of software out there for writing your book. But not a lot of them are absolutely free to use.
Although it takes a bit more work to publish an eBook by using free software, it’s not all that difficult. Mostly, it’s just time-consuming.
The only real downside to generating your eBook file with this app is that Kindle Create turns it into a KPF file. This means it’s pretty much a proprietary file type and unusable anywhere else you might want to publish the eBook.
Well, unless you come across another site that utilizes Amazon’s KPF files.
Setting Up the eBook in Kindle Create
The software is relatively straightforward for creating an eBook file. Remember, though, this is only for Amazon’s KPF file types. If you want to use ePub or PDF, you’ll have to use a different formatting tool.
Import from Your Saved Book File
The first thing you’re going to do is import your book’s file. Select “Create New” and click “Choose.”
This will open the formatting window. Here, you can select what kind of document you want to create.
- Reflowable: The best for traditional books, such as fiction and non-fiction tales. You can currently only import DOC or DOCX files.
- Comics: This is the one you would select if you’re planning on setting up comic books on Amazon.
- Print Replica: Allows you to import PDF files to make them look identical to your eBook version.
For the rest of the elements below, I’m going to assume you’re using “Reflowable” for traditional books.
Click the “Choose File” button on the bottom right.
This will open the dialogue box to add your book’s text to Kindle Create.
Depending on the length of your book, it could take a minute or two for the app to import. Once it’s done, click the “Continue” button.
A new window will popup telling you about Kindle Create’s ability to automatically find chapters throughout your work.
Edit the Chapter List
On the Automatic Chapter Titles window, click the “Get Started” button.
The app will then display a list of all the headers it found for potential chapters. All of these headings are selected by default. Now, this will include any standalone sections you put into bold or single-sentence paragraphs.
Go through the list and uncheck all of the headings you don’t want as chapters.
Once you’ve done that, simply click the “Accept Selected” option at the bottom of this small chapter window.
Alternatively, you can also click “Reject All” and add your chapters manually.
Add Front and Back Matter Pages
Front and Back Matter pages are those that you’d find in many novels outside of the main body of content. For instance, the Table of Contents, Prologue, and Afterword pages.
To add Front Matter, click the plus button.
Then, just select the page you want to add.
Technically, you don’t need any of these pages. But some of them will prove useful depending on the type of book you’re writing. For example, I added a “Dedication” page for a very good friend of mine.
The Back Matter pages can be added in the same exact way. Just click the plus button next to “Back Matter,” which is located under the “Body” on the left side of Kindle Create.
Adjust the Font and Layout Format
Next, you might want to adjust the font, layout, or otherwise modify the text for your eBook. The tools you have at your disposal are on the right side of the app’s screen.
Elements will let you add chapter titles, subtitles, or create the chapter’s first paragraph. The Standard Elements list includes things like blockquote, separator, opening quote, and more.
If you click on the “Formatting” option, you can see a list of tools you can use for your text.
This includes the basic writing tools such as font size, color, bold, italics, paragraph alignment, indents, and line spacing.
You can also open the Advanced Font Options if you want to do strikethrough, subscript, or superscript.
Perhaps one of the easiest ways to apply things like “Elements” is to highlight the text you want to modify and then click a function.
Preview Your eBook in Kindle Create
As you work on your eBook, you’ll undoubtedly want to check how it may appear on mobile devices.
Click the “Preview” button at the top of Kindle Create.
This will open the app’s preview screen. From here, you can change the device type, orientation, the type of font and its size, and skip around to the different chapters in your book.
When you’re done with the preview, just click the “X” on the top right to close this window.
Generate the File
Once you’ve made all of your changes, modified your text, and are ready to publish as an eBook, it’s time to generate the file. Of course, this is when you are absolutely sure you want to publish the work.
On the top, right-hand corner of Kindle Create, click the “Generate” button.
This will open the dialogue window of where you want to save the file. This is the KPF you’ll use to upload to Kindle Direct Publishing once you’re ready to publish your eBook.
So, put it someplace safe. Personally, I created a folder on my desktop where I store all my eBook KPF files. And yes, I’ve also stored them in Dropbox as a backup.
Kindle Create Is…Functional
Kindle Create is basic, but it is functional if you need a free method to format your text as an eBook. It does have the capacity for writing, but not much. And, it’s a bit finicky when it comes to making some adjustments.
In fact, I used this app to publish A Freelancer’s Tale, both for the eBook and paperback versions.
The bottom line is that it works and it’s free. For someone who is just starting with self-publishing, I can’t really complain in the end.
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