I used Draft2Digital (D2D) to create a pdf for Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). Because pdf files are “print-ready,” Amazon can be sure your paper book looks the way you intended.
D2D was the handy choice because I wanted a 6″ X 9″ paperback layout. D2D can create a 6 X 9 pdf. The process is easy, but before you struggle with creating a pdf for print books, the eBook must be very close to what you want. This means that if you have made any changes to your manuscript, you should upload that and “Save and Continue” until you can view the eBook rendering in D2D.
From your D2D bookshelf, choose the title and find the pdf download at the bottom of the window. Choose the dimensions of the paper book and click download. The file downloads quickly and can be viewed by any application that can open pdf files.
I noticed two immediate problems. First, there were three blank pages. Two occurred immediately after the Dedication and the third between Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. I use a Mac, and Preview allowed me to delete the blanks immediately. When I uploaded the book to KDP, the margins were out of bounds. I also had “gutter” problems—the space between the right and left pages.
If this article helps with nothing more, this is important. Odd page numbers must be on the right, even pages on the left. You will remember I had three blank pages. Deleting the first two did not affect the left-right issue, but that third page was the killer. I didn’t bother to try to figure out why I had the two blank pages in a row because I could paginate without them.
Left with the problem, “Why is the end of Chapter 1 generating a blank page. It wasn’t occurring in the eBook, but something was clearly amiss. I turned on Invisibles and looked at the material between chapters. I am not sure what the ultimate answer was, but I deleted the chapter separation in Word (Well, LibreOffice) and replaced it. I found I could not put the usual “returns” before the chapter title. I am not sure why, but when I jammed Chapter 2 against the top margin, the blank page disappeared.
The second problem was that pages other than chapter openings had “George Beckman” in the header and “Members of the Cast” on alternate pages. I never learned why D2D created pdfs like that, but my file required some finessing with a pdf editor. Not monumental, but a pain.
Because using D2D for pdf creation may not be the “best” way, it is quick, and as a beginner, I liked the D2D “Deco” bling. If you can live without bling, or have the ability to create clever icons in Word, then getting the margin size correct may be the way to go. Remember, fix your Word file, so the beginning of Chapter 1 is on the right or that the odd numbers are on the right. The pdf will figure it out from there.
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