How to Format a Book for FREE in Google Docs for Amazon KDP

About this video

Sean walks through formatting a book for Amazon KDP for free in Google Docs, as an alternative to Microsoft Word or Reedsy and to paying a formatter, which he says could cost $30, $50, $100 or more. Step one is page setup: he uses a similar Amazon book as a reference for trim size, notes 5.5 x 8.5 inches and 6 x 9 inches as common non-fiction sizes, sets portrait orientation and margins in Page Setup, and applies it to the whole document. Step two is overall formatting: select all and change the default font to a clean option such as Times New Roman size 12, justify the text (re-centering the title page), set line spacing to 1.25 or 1.5, show non-printing characters, and use page breaks (Ctrl+Enter) rather than repeated Enter keys to separate the title, copyright, table of contents, introduction, chapters and conclusion. Chapter titles become Heading 1, bold and centered, subchapters become Heading 2, with the font changed back after applying a style; non-fiction uses paragraph spacing while fiction uses indentation. Step three inserts an automatic table of contents from those headings, using the hyperlinked style for an ebook. Step four is downloading as DOCX (EPUB is also offered), then double-checking the result. He closes by naming Fiverr formatters he says he has used for those who prefer to outsource, and mentions his KDP mentorship.

Key takeaways

• Set trim size and margins first in File > Page Setup, applying to the whole document; 5.5 x 8.5 in and 6 x 9 in are presented as common non-fiction sizes, and a similar Amazon book can guide the choice.
• Format globally with Select All: a clean font such as Times New Roman 12, justified alignment, and 1.25 or 1.5 line spacing, then re-center pages like the title page.
• Use page breaks (Ctrl+Enter), not repeated line spaces, to separate front matter, chapters and back matter so the layout does not shift and cause errors.
• Apply Heading 1 to main chapters and Heading 2 to subchapters consistently, resetting the font afterwards, so the headings appear in the sidebar and can generate a table of contents.
• Insert the table of contents via Insert > Table of contents, choosing the hyperlinked style for ebooks, then turn off non-printing characters and download as DOCX and proof-check the file.

Episode details: published October 10, 2025 · 14:01 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Sean Dollwet’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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