# Export an EPUB for KDP Open Export (⌘E / Ctrl+E), add your book details and cover, preview the Ebook for KDP preset at Kindle size, and click Export (requires InkSpine Core). - - Published 29 October 2026 - Updated 29 October 2026 ## 1. Fill in your book details and cover image Before generating an ebook file, open the **Export** screen (`⌘E` on macOS, `Ctrl+E` on Windows and Linux, or click **Export book** on your book's page) and check the book-details readiness card at the top. Storefronts and e-readers read these fields directly from the EPUB package metadata. 1. If anything is missing, the **Book details** card shows how many fields are missing and lets you fill them in right there (when everything is complete it shows a summary with **Edit book details**; **All book settings →** opens the rest): - **Author** (saved for the whole project) - **Language** - **Description / blurb** and **Subjects / tags** (written as `` and `` entries inside the EPUB) - **Series name** and **Series position** (written as `belongs-to-collection` and `group-position` so e-readers can group your series in order) 2. Under **Cover image**, click **Choose cover…** and pick a `.jpg` or `.png` file. InkSpine copies the image into your book folder (`cover.jpg` or `cover.png`) and embeds it in the EPUB with both the EPUB 3 `cover-image` manifest property and an EPUB 2 `` pointer for older readers. ![InkSpine’s Export screen: the book details card above the list of export presets, starting with Ebook for KDP (EPUB), each with Adjust and Export buttons](https://inkspine.app/guide-export-light.webp) *The Export screen checks your book metadata and cover up front, lists the built-in presets on the left, and renders a live paginated preview on the right.* ## 2. Select and adjust the Ebook for KDP preset Under **What's this export for?**, locate the **Ebook for KDP** card and click **Adjust** (labelled **Preview** on InkSpine Free, where the file itself is locked) to inspect the settings for this edition: 1. **Contents:** Tick or untick individual front-matter pages (dedication, epigraph), parts, chapters, and back-matter pages (acknowledgements, about the author). Chapters marked `cut` are listed but greyed out ("cut · never exported"), so trimmed scenes never slip into the file. 2. **Chapter openings:** Choose whether a chapter heading shows the number and title, the title only, or the number only, and whether the number is a numeral or spelled out (spelled-out numbers are English only for now). 3. **Text and scene breaks:** Under **Text**, leave the font to the reader or embed Newsreader, and choose indented paragraphs or space between them. Under **Scene breaks**, pick the divider (`* * *`, ⁂, ❦, —, or a blank line). Readers can change fonts on their own device, while your headings, paragraph style and scene breaks carry through. 4. **Edition metadata:** If you assign a separate ISBN or publication date to your ebook edition, enter the **ISBN** and **Publication date** under the preset's **Edition** section so the EPUB carries its own identifier distinct from your paperback or hardcover. If you want to keep a copy of your customised settings for a specific storefront or pen name, choose **Save as new…** in the preset editor to save a reusable custom preset for the project. ## 3. Preview the book at e-reader sizes With **Ebook for KDP** open, use the live preview pane on the right to read through your book before writing the file: 1. Switch the device size selector at the top of the preview between **Phone**, **Kindle**, **Tablet**, and **Large text** to see how chapter titles, epigraphs, block quotes, and scene breaks reflow across screen widths. 2. Use the **‹** and **›** buttons (or the `←` and `→` arrow keys) to flip through your front matter, table of contents, part title pages, and chapters. 3. Check any chapters that contain footnotes (`[^1]`) or in-text figures. InkSpine turns Markdown footnotes into linked EPUB 3 `epub:type="noteref"` and `epub:type="footnote"` elements—the standard markup that reading systems can show as pop-up notes—and bundles every referenced figure into the EPUB container. ![InkSpine Export screen on the Print paperback PDF preset, showing a facing-pages spread: the last page of chapter one with the author’s name as running head and a page number, beside the opening page of chapter two, “The Salt Road”](https://inkspine.app/export-light.webp) *Page through the live preview at Phone, Kindle, Tablet, or Large text size to check chapter openings, scene breaks, and front matter before exporting.* ## 4. Run preflight and export the .epub file When the preview looks right, click **Export** in the preset editor's header (or directly on the **Ebook for KDP** card): 1. **Preflight check:** InkSpine checks the book before writing the file. If any included chapter is still marked `planned`, `draft` or `revising`, InkSpine lists the warnings and asks you to **Export anyway** or **Cancel**. If a chapter points to a figure file that is missing from `figures/`, the export is blocked until you find the file or choose **Leave out** for that figure; a figure you leave out is flagged on every export while it stays missing. 2. **Save the file:** Choose where to save the `.epub` file. Once written, the row offers **Open** (to inspect it in an e-reader app or Kindle Previewer) and **Show in folder** (to find the file for uploading it to your store). > **What is included in InkSpine Free vs InkSpine Core** > > On **InkSpine Free**, you can configure presets, check book metadata, and read your entire book in the live device preview, as well as export the whole book as Markdown (`.zip`) or HTML via **Quick export…** in the Export screen's header. Writing an `.epub`, `.docx`, or `.pdf` proof file requires **InkSpine Core** (a one-time purchase, or start a free trial inside the app with no account required). For more detail on what goes into the generated package, see [EPUB for KDP](https://inkspine.app/epub-for-kdp), [InkSpine vs Vellum](https://inkspine.app/vs/vellum), and [Pricing](https://inkspine.app/pricing). ## In InkSpine - **⌘E / Ctrl+E → Export**: Opens the Export screen for the current book from anywhere in the app. - **Export → Ebook for KDP**: Built-in EPUB 3 preset for ebook stores such as Amazon KDP. - **Adjust → Contents, Edition**: Chooses included chapters, chapter heading style, scene breaks, and per-edition ISBN and publication date. - **Export → Quick export…**: Writes the whole book (or the open chapter) as Markdown (.zip) or HTML on every plan, including Free. ## Questions ### Is exporting an EPUB included in InkSpine Free? Adjusting presets and paging through the live device preview are included in InkSpine Free, along with Quick export… to Markdown (.zip) and HTML. Exporting an .epub, .docx, or .pdf file requires InkSpine Core or an active free trial. ### Is the exported EPUB checked against the EPUB 3 standard? InkSpine builds an EPUB 3 package with a table of contents, linked footnotes and an EPUB 2 cover tag for older Kindle devices, and checks the structure of the EPUB 3 file with epubcheck as part of how it is built and tested. No tool can promise that a particular store will accept a file, so preview it here and look at the result in the store's own previewer before you publish. ### What happens to chapters marked Cut, Planned, Draft or Revising when I export? Chapters with status Cut are listed in the Contents section but greyed out as "cut · never exported", so they are left out of the ebook. If any included chapter is still marked Planned, Draft or Revising, InkSpine warns you before writing the file. ## Related reading - [Bring a Word manuscript into InkSpine](https://inkspine.app/guides/import-word-manuscript): Click Import on the Welcome screen, pick your .docx file, choose which Word heading level marks chapters, and review the chapter list before importing. - [Compare an earlier version and copy back a passage](https://inkspine.app/guides/compare-versions-copy-passage): Open the inspector's History tab (⌥⌘5 / Ctrl+Alt+5), click a saved version to open Compare, and click ⤴ copy beside any passage to bring it back. - [Why your book lives in plain files](https://inkspine.app/blog/why-your-book-lives-in-plain-files): InkSpine stores your book as a folder of plain Markdown chapters and JSON notes on your computer, so you can read and open your manuscript anywhere.