I was quoted $2,000 to format my book. Is that the going rate?
Short answer
Professional interior formatting for print and ebook typically costs a few hundred dollars up to about $1,300, and Reedsy's 2026 guide puts the average at $800. A $2,000 quote can still be fair for a long book with images, tables or footnotes, because per-page rates add up fast.
What it costs with me, Jooneyd: My print + ebook formatting is $249 for books up to 120 pages, $349 up to 350, $399 up to 550 and $449 for longer books.
What the market data says
All figures here are in US dollars. No neutral survey in pounds or euros was found.
- Reedsy (updated 13 Aug 2026): book interior design averages $800, and around 50% of projects fall between $475 and $1,275.
- EFA 2026 member survey: layout for books and print media runs $50–$55 per hour, or $5.00–$7.50 per page.
- At those EFA per-page rates, a 300-page book comes to $1,500–$2,250, so a $2,000 quote for a long book isn't unusual.
What pushes the price up
A text-only novel is the simplest job. Long books, images, tables, footnotes, poetry and picture-book layouts take more time per page. So do separate files for each store.
One book, three sets of files
A professional job usually means three deliverables, each meeting its own platform's rules.
- Print for Amazon KDP: margins set by page count, and 0.125 in bleed when art runs to the edge.
- Print for IngramSpark: a single-page PDF (no spreads), PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-3, with fonts embedded.
- Kindle ebook: a reflowable EPUB, DOCX or KPF file.
When doing it yourself is enough
Many authors format simple novels for $0. Common tools are Draft2Digital's free formatting, Vellum, Atticus and Kindle Create. If your book is plain text and you have time to learn the tool, that can be enough.
The rules at a glance
| What | The rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| KDP inside margin | 0.375 in (24–150 pages) up to 0.875 in (701–828 pages) | Amazon KDP Help |
| KDP bleed | 0.125 in | Amazon KDP Help |
| IngramSpark interior | Single-page PDF (no spreads), PDF/X-1a or X-3, fonts embedded | IngramSpark Help |
| Kindle ebook | Reflowable EPUB, DOCX or KPF | Amazon KDP Help |
Checked 27 October 2026 on the stores’ own help pages.
Formatting before the editing is finished, so every later text change means new files.
“The layout and formatting work exceeded my expectations. The poems were beautifully arranged, and the overall design of the book was elegant and visually appealing. He paid meticulous attention to detail, ensuring that each poem had the perfect spacing, alignment, and font choice to enhance its impact. … What impressed me most was the quick turnaround time without compromising on quality.”
Srishti
Need it done?
I format your book for print and ebook, with files for Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, Lulu and Draft2Digital. Book formatting from $249.
Related answers
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- Reedsy: Cost to self-publish a book (Aug 2026)
- Editorial Freelancers Association: 2026 rate chart
- r/selfpublish: How much does everyone pay for formatting?
- Amazon KDP Help: Set trim size, bleed and margins
- IngramSpark File Creation Guide (8.24.26)
- Amazon KDP Help: Supported eBook formats