How to Format an Amazon Kindle

You can format Amazon Kindle documents using any word processing program and a free conversion software called Calibre. Calibre can convert text documents, and other formats, into MOBI format for Amazon Kindle. It can also convert documents into formats for other e-readers, including EPUB documents. For best results, you should properly format your document before converting it. There are several advanced options in Calibre you can experiment with, but these are not needed to format and convert a basic Kindle document or e-book.

Instructions

Formatting a Document for Kindle

1. Open your document using any word processing program on your computer such as Microsoft Word.

2. Change your font to "Times" or "Times New Roman" for the entire document. Do not use multiple font styles in your document. Font styles will not be saved.

3. Use font sizes of 10, 12, 14, and 18 only. Other sizes will not be saved and will be changed to the closest size to these numbers only.

4. Use "Left Align" for paragraph formatting. Do not hyphenate words to compensate for short lines in a paragraph as line lengths will vary when being read on a Kindle.

5. Delete any tabs in your document. Tabs will not be converted into the Kindle format.

6. Delete any tables in your document. Rewrite the information in plain text. Tables will not be converted to the Kindle format.

7. Change first line indents in paragraphs to a size smaller than 1.5 inches. The Kindle will automatically indent the first line of every paragraph. Change the indent size to 0.01 inches to mimic a paragraph with no indent. The Kindle will accept this size and it will be virtually unnoticed by the reader.

8. Insert a page break at the end of every chapter.

9. Save your document as a plain text (.TXT) file.

Converting a Document for Kindle

1. Download and install the most recent version of Calibre to your computer. Then launch the application.

2. Click the "Add Books" icon in Calibre. Locate your document in the pop-up window. Click "Open." The document will then appear as a line item in the main window. Click on the document's entry to highlight it.

3. Click the "Convert Books" icon. Then click on the menu beside "Output Format." A drop-down menu will open. Select "MOBI."

4. Type a title for the document in the "Title" field. You can also add an author, publisher, and key words in the fields provided. Use the "Comments" field to add a short description of the document if desired.

5. Click the "Browse" icon beside "Change cover image" to select a new cover image for the document. Otherwise, Calibre will use its own default image for the cover.

6. Click the "Page Setup" icon. Then click "Kindle" or "Kindle DX" in the Output Profile field. Then click "OK." Calibre will convert the document to a Kindle format.

7. To add the document to your Kindle, connect your Kindle to your computer while Calibre is still open. Your Kindle will appear as a menu item at the top of the Calibre window. Highlight the Kindle document you created. Then click the "Send to Device" icon.

References

• Wired; How to Do (Almost) Everything with a Kindle 3; Tim Carmody; September 2010
• Aaron Shepard New Self Publishing: From Word to Kindle
• Calbre: See Calibre in Action

Resources

• Calbre -- E-book Management