What files are needed for self-publishing?
- Ebook: a validated EPUB file (some stores also accept their own formats).
- Print interior: a print-ready PDF sized to your trim size with correct margins.
- Ebook cover: a high-resolution front-cover image (JPEG/PNG, ~1600x2560).
- Print cover: a full wraparound PDF including front, spine, and back, built to the printer’s template.
- Metadata is a separate "file": title, description, BISAC, keywords, ISBN.
Self-publishing needs four core files plus metadata: a validated EPUB for the ebook, a print-ready interior PDF sized to your trim with correct margins and bleed, a high-resolution front-cover image (around 1600x2560 pixels) for the ebook, and a full wraparound cover PDF — front, spine, and back — built to the printer’s exact template. Metadata (title, description, BISAC, keywords, ISBN) is supplied separately at upload.
Chapter i·Why it matters
The wrong file format or a spine width off by a few millimeters gets a book rejected at upload or, worse, printed with text running into the fold. Knowing exactly which file each channel needs — and that print and ebook need different versions of everything — prevents the last-minute scramble that delays launch dates.
Chapter ii·What to include
- A validated EPUB (run it through an EPUB checker before upload).
- A print interior PDF at the correct trim size, with margins and bleed.
- An ebook front-cover image at high resolution (~1600x2560).
- A wraparound print-cover PDF built to the printer’s spine-width template.
- A metadata sheet: title, subtitle, description, BISAC, keywords, ISBN.
- A backup of every source file in case a retailer needs a re-upload.
Chapter iii·Example
An indie author assembles her file kit before opening any dashboard: a Vellum-exported EPUB, a 6x9 interior PDF, a 1600x2560 cover JPEG for ebook, and a wraparound cover PDF her designer built to IngramSpark’s spine template after she finalized page count. Because every file matches its channel’s spec, both KDP and IngramSpark accept the uploads on the first try.
WriteLoom keeps your manuscript, cover files, and metadata in one project, so the file kit for each retailer is assembled from a single source instead of scattered downloads.
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