How to Export Your Book as an ePub or a Print PDF

Export your finished manuscript as an ePub for Kindle or a print-ready PDF in the right size, and know what to expect when you upload it to KDP.

Quick Start

When your manuscript is finished, the Export button turns it into a real file you can upload to Amazon KDP.

1. 1Fill in the Front End tab (title, author name, ISBN), and look over your pages in Page Preview.
2. 2Click ⬇ Export in the top-right corner of the Writing Studio.
3. 3In the Confirm what you're exporting window, pick your Format: an ePub, or a PDF in the print size you will choose on KDP.
4. 4Click 📄 Export PDF or 📱 Export ePub. The file downloads directly, with no print dialog.

Full Guide

Step 1: Fill in your front matter

Your title page and impressum are built from the Front End tab, so fill in your book title, author name and ISBN there before you export. Those fields populate the title page and impressum automatically. See How to Set Up Your Front Matter on the Front End Tab.

Step 2: Check your pages in Page Preview

Switch to Page Preview and look through your chapters. It shows the literal real print-ready PDF page for the current chapter, generated the same way as the final export, so margins, running headers, fonts and page breaks are exactly what will print. Use ⛶ Full Screen for a larger 2-page spread view with page navigation. See How to Use Page Preview, Formats and Templates.

While you are still writing, the preview leaves out the front matter (title page, copyright, table of contents), so its page numbers are lower than the PDF's by the number of front pages. The front matter appears in the real exported PDF.

Step 3: Make sure your work is saved

Everything you type saves automatically. The bottom bar shows "Saving…" and then "✓ All changes saved". If you see "Not saved — retry", fix that first. PDF and ePub downloads read the latest saved manuscript sections, so do not export while a save error is showing.

Step 4: Click Export

Click ⬇ Export in the top-right corner of the Writing Studio. A window called Confirm what you're exporting opens.

Step 5: Choose your format and size

The window reminds you: "KDP requires your PDF's page size to exactly match the trim size you select on their end."

Open the Format dropdown. Export offers an ePub, plus a PDF in six sizes:

• ✦Paperback 6×9, 5.5×8.5 and 5.25×8.
• ✦Workbook 8.5×11.
• ✦Hardcover 5.5×8.5 and 6×9.

Hardcover is a PDF size choice, not a separate file type. Pick the same size here that you will choose on KDP.

Step 6: Click Export PDF or Export ePub

Click 📄 Export PDF or 📱 Export ePub. The file downloads directly, with no print dialog.

Step 7: Know what the PDF contains

The PDF is the print file for KDP.

• ✦Front matter from the Front End tab: title page, impressum, table of contents and dedication. The table of contents has page numbers. Dedication paragraph breaks are kept, and the cover designer credit is included.
• ✦Chapters that start on right-hand pages. Every chapter (and the intro sections before Chapter 1) always starts on a right-hand page, per standard publishing convention. If that would otherwise land it on a left-hand page, a blank page is automatically inserted before it. See Why is there a blank page before my chapter?
• ✦Running headers with your book title and author name on body pages, once both are filled in on the Front End tab: the title on left-hand pages and the author name on right-hand pages. The header is left off chapter-opening pages and front-matter pages. See How do running headers and page numbers work?
• ✦Full-quality pictures. Images below Amazon's print-quality threshold are automatically upscaled during import or upload.
• ✦No clickable links. Links become plain, non-clickable text in the print PDF, because Amazon's KDP print system rejects interior files containing any interactive or clickable element. See Why are links not clickable in my print PDF?

Step 8: Know what the ePub contains

An ePub is reflowable: its layout adapts to the reader rather than reproducing fixed PDF positioning. It includes your dedication and cover designer credit, and dedication paragraph breaks are kept. Its table of contents entries are navigation links, not page numbers. Imported chapter titles are preserved without adding duplicate chapter prefixes. Links in your text stay clickable in the ePub export.

The picture button accepts any PNG or JPG at any size. When you export an ePub, the app makes smaller copies of the pictures just for that file so the Kindle file stays small, because Amazon KDP does not allow 99-cent pricing for a file over 3 MB. Your saved book and your PDF keep the full-quality pictures, so you do not need to worry about picture quality there. We cannot promise an exact file size. See How does the Writing Studio prepare my pictures for print?

Step 9: Download again from My Books

You can also download from My Books. Each book card has PDF and ePub download buttons, a "Writing Studio" button that opens the book for editing, an "Audiobook" button, a golden "Translations" button, and Delete.

Step 10: Upload to KDP

Uploading happens on Amazon's own site, not in the Writing Studio. On KDP's own print setup page, upload your PDF and click Launch Previewer. KDP then shows a loading screen with messages such as "Checking your trim size…", "Checking your cover for quality issues…" and "Checking for blank pages…". This can genuinely take a long time: sometimes 15 to 20 minutes, occasionally 30 to 45 minutes or more, and it can cycle back through the same messages more than once. See Why is the KDP Previewer stuck or very slow?

For the Amazon side of publishing, see our guides: how to publish on KDP, start publishing with KDP, the KDP manuscript file guide and the Amazon KDP publishing guidelines.

Troubleshooting

My PDF size does not match KDP. The app's own reminder says: "KDP requires your PDF's page size to exactly match the trim size you select on their end." Choose the same size in the Export window that you pick on KDP.

My links are not clickable in the PDF. That is intentional for print. They stay clickable in the ePub and in the Writing Studio editor.

There is a blank page before a chapter. Chapters start on right-hand pages, so a blank page is automatically inserted where needed. This is expected, correct behavior, not an error.

My pictures look lighter in Page Preview. For speed the preview uses lighter copies of the pictures (same size and position). Export PDF always uses the full-quality pictures.

I see "Not saved — retry". Resolve the save error first, then export.

The KDP Previewer is stuck. See the options in order in Why is the KDP Previewer stuck or very slow?. There is nothing to fix or redo in the Writing Studio for this. It is an Amazon-side processing step.

My export looks different from what I expected. Page Preview is built by the same print engine and the same request as the real PDF export, so check it first.

Where to Go Next

When your files are ready, see How do I upload my book to KDP? Not sure where to start? The Course Coach inside the app guides you through each step, so you are never stuck on a button.

Last checked in the app: October 14, 2026.