Plan or import the manuscript
Start blank, prepare an outline or import a supported manuscript and review its chapter split. Keep chapter titles, book context and continuity notes available during drafting.
How to create an ebook, from idea to EPUB
To create an ebook, decide what it is for, outline the chapters, write or import the text, structure it with real headings so it can reflow, export an EPUB (and a PDF if you give it away), then add a cover and distribute it. EPUB is the W3C standard format that Apple Books, Google Play Books and Amazon KDP accept. This guide walks each step and shows where a free tool is enough and where a book workspace like Gixo Folio helps.
Folio · real output
An actual manuscript. A complete export to inspect.
Open the finished book and the brief that produced it. Planning, chapter drafting, editorial passes and a frozen publishing edition have different scopes.
Six Weeks to a Daily Writing Habit
A six-week workbook of short exercises and reflection prompts for adults who want to start a daily writing habit. Each week is one chapter with ten-minute exercises to do with pen and paper, blank lines to write on and a page to look back on the week. Folio wrote it from one paragraph; each chapter runs about 3,000 to 3,800 words where the brief asked for about 2,800.
Inspect the source brief or data
A six-week workbook of short exercises and reflection prompts for adults who want to start a daily writing habit. Each week is one chapter of about 2,800 words with a few ten-minute exercises the reader does with a pen and paper, and a short page to look back on the week. Audience: Adults who want to write a little every day and have never kept the habit. Tone: Encouraging and practical. Do not state any statistic, study, survey, quotation, case study, testimonial or named person, and do not describe what research shows. Do not describe hypothetical writers or give anyone a name: speak to the reader as 'you'. Every exercise is something the reader does themselves with a pen and paper.
Read the sample review notes
Screened mechanically for what the brief forbade (a statistic, study, survey, quotation, case study, testimonial, named person or a claim about what research shows): the only figure is the ten minutes an exercise takes, and no person is named. It carries blank lines for the reader to write on. Nobody has edited the text, and nobody has read it for quality.
Review chapter by chapter
Draft individually or use Folio's sequential chapter batch. Inspect continuity findings and evidence, then accept, reject or defer editorial issues. Editorial findings do not overwrite manuscript text on their own.
Proof the exported edition
Choose the format and chapter scope separately. For print, inspect trim, margins, gutter, bleed, matter and rendered page count. Freeze the edition, annotate its exact proof and track corrections before preparing the publishing handoff.
Chapter batches, continuity and editorial passes
Review the imported chapter split or planned outline, then draft individual chapters or a sequential batch. Continuity entries can retain characters, frameworks, sources, story time, applicable chapters and who knows a fact. Editorial passes retain reading coverage and quoted evidence; accept, reject or defer findings without allowing the model to overwrite the manuscript automatically.
Format, chapter scope and print geometry
Choose the format separately from the full-book, current-chapter or selected-chapter scope. Print controls cover trim, margins, mirrored gutter, bleed, running matter and page numbering. A paperback wrap uses the rendered page count with the selected paper and ink choices. Fixed-layout EPUB spreads remain unavailable in the current UI.
Frozen editions, figures and international versions
Freeze the manuscript and export settings, inspect the exact proof, annotate corrections and compare it with later chapter changes. Saved Prism figures retain their own revision and accessibility text; updating the source visual does not silently replace an edition's snapshot. Translation creates a separate edition with its source revision, progress and export to review.
Folio chapter batching is separate from Quill CSV bulk generation. Fixed-layout EPUB spreads are not offered in the current UI. Print preflight and a publishing checklist do not guarantee retailer acceptance or perform a retailer upload. Chapter word goals guide a draft and do not fix its length, as the sample above shows, so check each chapter's count after drafting.
EPUB 3
The W3C standard for ebooks; version 3.3 became a W3C Recommendation.
6 steps
Purpose, outline, writing, structure, export, cover and distribution.
1,400 px
Apple Books' minimum cover size on the shorter side, in RGB.
Free tool
A short lead-magnet ebook can be built in the browser with no account.
Review the exact edition before its publishing handoff
A format list is the starting point. Inspect print and ebook controls, freeze the manuscript and settings, then review the actual artifact that will leave the workspace.
Choose the actual print and ebook controls
Set standard or custom trim, mirrored margins, bleed and page headers. Inspect measured figure warnings; the paperback wrap uses the rendered interior's page count.
PDF is RGB, not PDF/X. EPUB 3 is reflowable; fixed-layout spreads and automatic index/bibliography generation are not provided.
Freeze and inspect the proof
Save a frozen edition, inspect its PDF or ebook artifact, add proof notes and corrections, and reproof changed files. Editorial clearance stays with that edition.
Approval is your recorded decision for one artifact. Later manuscript or layout changes need a new proof.
Prepare the author handoff
Choose the reviewed file, confirm provenance and destination requirements, then download the author handoff package and upload it yourself.
Folio does not issue ISBNs, publish to retailers or certify acceptance. Translation and audio are separate workflows.
Start blank, import and manually edit your own book. Its downloads and proofs do not need an active Folio subscription. New AI planning, drafting and editorial assistance need eligible access; translation and narration use separate edition conditions. Existing book view, comment and edit permissions apply.
Review the book workflow · Compare current Folio plans · Check supplied publishing details
01Brief the book
02Shape the outline
03Draft chapters
04Review the manuscript
05Export the edition
Folio is a strong fit whenThe manuscript still needs structure, revision, and a finish line.
Use the persistent book workspace when the outcome is a real guide, authority book, training manual, client asset, or exportable edition.
Consider another tool whenYou only need one narrow part of the publishing job.
If your manuscript is already finished and you only need specialist formatting or a dedicated fiction system, a focused tool may be the simpler choice.
Which ebook are you creating?
The purpose decides the format, the length and the tool.
Lead magnet
A short guide you give away
Usually 10 to 40 pages, delivered as a PDF by email. Design and a clear promise matter more than length.
Store ebook
A book you sell
Delivered as a reflowable EPUB through KDP, Apple Books or Google Play; length and structure matter more than design.
Course or training
A manual or workbook
A structured guide for a course or team, often exported as PDF, or SCORM when it goes into a learning system.
Repurposed
Posts or a newsletter, collected
Existing articles shaped into chapters — quick to assemble, but repetition across pieces needs fixing.
How to create an ebook in six steps
The same order works for a free lead magnet and a book you sell.
1
Decide what the ebook is for
A lead magnet is a short PDF you give away; a store ebook is a reflowable EPUB you sell. Decide first, because it sets the length and the format.
2
Outline the chapters
List the chapters with one job each, in the order a reader needs them. For a short guide, five to eight sections is plenty.
3
Write or import the text
Draft each chapter against the outline, or import existing writing and shape it into chapters. Remove repeated passages as you go.
4
Structure it so the text can reflow
Mark chapter titles and sections as headings, avoid manual page breaks and spacing, and give every image alternative text.
5
Export the EPUB, and a PDF if you give it away
Export EPUB 3 for ebook stores; export a PDF for a download or email attachment. Check the EPUB in a validator before uploading.
6
Add a cover and distribute it
Make a cover at the store's size — about 2,560 × 1,600 pixels for KDP — then upload to your stores or attach the PDF to your sign-up flow.
Which ebook file does each destination need?
Store requirements read from Apple, Google and Amazon help pages on 25 September 2026.
| Destination | File | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon KDP | EPUB or DOCX (KPF also accepted) | Ideal cover 2,560 × 1,600 px, 1.6:1 |
| Apple Books | EPUB | Cover in JPEG or PNG, at least 1,400 px on the shorter side, RGB |
| Google Play Books | EPUB 3.3 preferred; EPUB 3 and 2 accepted | Reflowable EPUB recommended |
| Email or website download | Fixed layout, so design holds on every device | |
| Editing or a co-author | DOCX | Editable, tracked changes |
Sources
Where the requirements come from
The EPUB 3.3 status is from the W3C Recommendation. Store requirements were read on 25 September 2026 from Apple's book asset guide, Google Play Books partner help and Amazon KDP's help pages. Kobo's accepted formats could not be confirmed on its own page that day, so they are not listed.
Free tools or a book workspace
Match the tool to the length
A short lead magnet does not need a book workspace. Folio's free ebook creator builds one in the browser with no account, and its DOCX to EPUB converter and EPUB checker handle a manuscript you already have.
A full-length ebook is different: it needs a chapter plan, drafting, a pass for repetition and consistency, and clean exports. That is what the Gixo Folio workspace does — plan the chapters, draft them with AI from your outline, audit the manuscript, then export EPUB 3, DOCX and a print PDF from the same book.
Writing an ebook with AI
Draft with it, then own every chapter
AI can draft ebook chapters quickly from an outline and notes, but it cannot know which claims are true in your field. Revise every chapter, check facts and examples, and remember that Amazon KDP asks you to disclose AI-generated text when you publish there.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I create an ebook?
Decide what it is for, outline the chapters, write or import the text, structure it with heading styles, export an EPUB (and a PDF if you give it away), then add a cover and upload it to stores or your sign-up flow.
How do I make an ebook for free?
For a short guide, use a free browser tool such as Folio's ebook creator, or write it in Google Docs with heading styles and download it as EPUB or PDF.
What format should an ebook be in?
EPUB for ebook stores — it is the W3C standard that Apple Books, Google Play Books and KDP accept — and PDF for a free download, where a fixed layout keeps the design intact.
How long should an ebook be?
A lead-magnet ebook is often 10 to 40 pages; an ebook sold as a book usually runs like a short print book, commonly 20,000 to 60,000 words for practical nonfiction. Use the page count calculator to turn words into pages.
Can I write an ebook with AI?
Yes, as a drafting aid. A workspace like Gixo Folio drafts chapters from your outline, but you revise every chapter and check every claim. KDP asks you to disclose AI-generated text when you publish there.
What size should an ebook cover be?
For KDP, about 2,560 × 1,600 pixels at a 1.6:1 ratio. Apple Books asks for at least 1,400 pixels on the shorter side, in RGB.
Tools and guides for your ebook
Free tools for short ebooks, and guides for the rest.
Product
Gixo Folio landing page
See the public Books positioning and strongest-fit use cases.Product
Books product page
Review the monthly Folio Author and Pro plans and the core manuscript workflow.Guide
Books Studio guide
Walk through the manuscript flow from setup to final export.Tool
Free ebook creator
Build a short lead-magnet ebook in the browser.Tool
DOCX to EPUB converter
Turn a Word manuscript into an EPUB.Tool
EPUB checker
Check an EPUB before you upload it.Use case
AI ebook generator
Plan, draft and export a full-length ebook.Guide
How to publish a book on Amazon
The KDP steps once the ebook exists.
More Gixo Folio pages
Related book writing, publishing, and alternative pages.
Guide
How many words in a book
Word counts by genre from three publishing sources.Guide
Book trim sizes
Standard paperback sizes and how they change page count.Overview
AI book writer
See the main Gixo Folio workflow for full manuscripts.Workflow
Write a book with AI
Move from a loose prompt into a real manuscript process.
Updated
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