Are You an ePub Author?

What you need before you start

Structure your manuscript

ePub readers build the table of contents from your document's headings. Getting this right takes two minutes and makes the entire book navigable on every device.

Add a title page

Make the very first content in your document the title page. Readers see this when they open the ebook:

# The Name of Your Book
## A Subtitle if You Have One

*by Your Name*

---

Images inside the book

Drag images directly into FusionMD's editor. They embed in the document and export into the ePub automatically.

Create your cover image

Your cover is the single most important marketing asset for your book. A poor cover signals a low-quality book before anyone reads the first sentence. Both platforms have specific requirements — a single file satisfies both.

Free tools to create your cover

Complete the Metadata panel

Open the right panel in FusionMD (⌘2) and click the Metadata tab. These fields travel inside the ePub3 file — every export carries them automatically.

Export and test your ePub3

1. Apply the ePub Book text theme. In the right panel → Document Styles, select ePub Book. This sets a serif body font, first-line paragraph indents, and generous leading — the standard layout used by published fiction and narrative non-fiction. Adjust or choose a different theme if your book's genre calls for it.
2. Review the live preview. Widen the preview pane and scroll through the entire manuscript. Verify:
   • Chapter headings appear correctly and at the right level
   • Images are where you expect them and not distorted
   • No heading appears without body text below it
3. Export. File → Export… → ePub3 (or ⌘⇧E, then choose ePub3 from the format picker). Name the file using your book title with hyphens instead of spaces: my-book-title.epub
4. Test in Apple Books before uploading anywhere. Double-click the .epub file — Apple Books opens it immediately. Check:
   • Cover appears on the book's front page and as the library thumbnail
   • Table of contents lists all chapters with correct hierarchy
   • Body text renders in the expected font at readable size
   • All images appear and are correctly sized
   Fix any issues in FusionMD and re-export. It takes seconds.

Publish on Apple Books Connect

Apple Books Connect is Apple's self-publishing portal. There is no fee — Apple takes a 30% commission on each sale. Free books are allowed.

1. Go to authors.apple.com and sign in with your Apple ID.
2. Click "Add a New Book."
3. Book Details. You already have all of this:
   • Title and subtitle
   • Author name
   • Description (paste from your Metadata panel)
   • Language
   • Category — choose up to two; pick the most specific ones that fit your book
4. Upload the cover. This is the store thumbnail — upload your 1600 × 2560 px JPEG here. This is separate from the cover embedded in the ePub file.
5. Upload the ePub file. Drag your .epub into the upload field. Apple validates it automatically. If validation fails, the error list includes reference numbers with descriptions — fix the issue in FusionMD and re-upload.
6. Set territories and pricing. For worldwide release, select all territories. Apple uses price tiers — choose a tier and it sets the price in each territory's currency automatically. You can price in US dollars and let Apple handle currency conversion, or set prices per territory.
7. Submit for review. Apple reviews ebooks within 24–72 hours. You receive an email when it is approved and live on the store.

Publish on Amazon KDP

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is free to use. Amazon takes 30–65% depending on the royalty plan and your book's price.

1. Go to kdp.amazon.com and sign in with your Amazon account.
2. On the Bookshelf, click "+ Kindle eBook."
3. Page 1 — Kindle eBook Details.
   • Language (critical — must match the manuscript language)
   • Book title and subtitle
   • Author name
   • Description (paste from FusionMD's Metadata panel)
   • Publishing rights: check "I own the copyright and I hold the necessary publishing rights"
   • Keywords (up to 7): think about what a reader would search for to find your book
   • Categories (up to 2 BISAC categories): choose the most specific subcategories available
4. Page 2 — Kindle eBook Content.
   • ISBN: leave blank — Amazon assigns a free ASIN. You only need your own ISBN if you plan to sell the same edition through other retailers who require one.
   • Upload manuscript: click "Upload eBook Manuscript" and select your .epub file. Amazon converts it internally to their format.
   • Book cover: upload your 1600 × 2560 px JPEG cover separately. Even though it is embedded in the ePub, Amazon uses the separately uploaded version as the store thumbnail and Kindle device display image.
   • Kindle eBook Preview: click "Preview on Kindle" — Amazon's previewer shows how the book looks on Kindle devices and apps. Verify chapter navigation, image display, and text rendering before continuing.
5. Page 3 — Kindle eBook Pricing.
   70%

   Books priced $2.99–$9.99

   Amazon deducts a small delivery fee (~$0.15 per MB of file size). For a standard ebook this is pennies. This is the standard option for most self-published books.

   35%

   Books priced outside $2.99–$9.99

   No delivery fee deducted. Required for free books and books above $9.99. The $2.99–$9.99 range is the sweet spot for most ebook genres.

   KDP Select: Skip it. KDP Select gives access to Kindle Unlimited (page-read royalties) but requires 90-day exclusivity with Amazon — meaning you cannot also sell on Apple Books during that period. You can enroll later if you decide you want to try it.

   Territories: Choose "Worldwide rights — I own all rights." Set your US price; Amazon calculates suggested prices for all other territories automatically.

6. Click "Publish Your Kindle eBook." Amazon reviews within 24–72 hours and emails you when it is live on the Kindle Store.

Reach a bigger market — publish in other languages

A translated edition is a separate, independent book listing that earns alongside the original. It costs nothing to produce with FusionMD's on-device translation, and it puts your book in front of readers who will never search in English.

How to produce a translated edition in FusionMD

1. Translate the manuscript. In FusionMD, open the right panel → Translation tab. Set the target language. Click "Translate to New Document." FusionMD opens a translated copy in a new window. Your original document is untouched. The new document's language is automatically set to the target language.
   Requires macOS 15 Sequoia or later. Language packs download once from Apple; all subsequent translations run offline.
2. Review and edit the translation. Machine translation handles narrative prose, exposition, and dialogue well. Give special attention to:
   • Proper nouns — character names and place names usually stay untranslated
   • Idiomatic expressions — "break a leg" should not be translated literally; find the target-language equivalent
   • Dialogue voice — different characters may have distinct registers that machine translation flattens
   • Genre-specific vocabulary — legal, medical, and technical terms may need verification by a domain expert
   You can also send the exported ePub to a professional editor or native-speaker proofreader for a review pass before publishing.
3. Update the Metadata panel in the translated document:
   • Language — already set automatically; verify it is correct
   • Description — translate it into the target language, or write a version tailored to that market
   • Cover — for major markets, consider commissioning a cover with the title in the target language; a localised cover significantly improves click-through rates in regional stores
4. Export as a separate file: my-book-title-es.epub for Spanish, -de.epub for German, and so on.
5. Create a new book listing on both Apple Books Connect and Amazon KDP. It is a separate book, not a new edition — it gets its own ASIN on Amazon and its own listing on Apple Books. Fill in all metadata (title, description, keywords) in the target language. On Amazon KDP, set the Language field to the correct language — Amazon routes the listing to the appropriate regional stores based on this.