How To Fix Common Errors When Formatting Ebooks?

One of the biggest frustrations I’ve had with ebook formatting is inconsistent spacing between paragraphs. Some look fine, others are crammed together. The fix? Use CSS to define paragraph margins uniformly. If you’re not tech-savvy, apps like Vellum make this easy with drag-and-drop tools.

Another issue is text appearing too small or too large on certain devices. This happens if you hard-code font sizes. Instead, use relative units like ‘em’ or ‘%’ in your CSS. That way, the text scales properly across different screens.

Tables and lists often break in ebooks too. Avoid complex tables—simplify them or use images instead. For lists, stick to basic HTML tags like

and
• . Previewing on a Kindle or iPad helps catch these problems early.

When formatting ebooks, I always run into weird page breaks mid-chapter. To fix this, adjust the ‘page-break’ properties in CSS. Also, avoid manual page breaks—they rarely work well across devices.

Another common error is missing or duplicate page numbers. If your ebook has them, ensure they’re auto-generated in the TOC. Manual numbering often leads to mistakes.

Lastly, some readers complain about slow loading times. This usually happens if the file is bloated with unused fonts or high-res images. Optimize images and remove unnecessary code to keep the file lean.

I’ve formatted dozens of ebooks, and the most common error I see is broken hyperlinks. This happens a lot when converting from Word to EPUB. To fix it, manually check each link in the editing software and update any dead ones. Another frequent issue is chapters not linking correctly in the table of contents. Use tools like Kindle Previewer to test navigation—it’s a lifesaver.

Metadata errors are also a big deal. If your title or author name shows up wrong, readers won’t find your book. Always fill out the metadata fields carefully in Calibre or another editor. Also, watch out for weird characters or symbols appearing in the text. This usually comes from copy-pasting content from websites. A quick find-and-replace can clean it up.

Lastly, make sure your EPUB passes validation checks. Tools like EPUBCheck can spot issues you might miss, like missing tags or improper nesting. A little extra effort here saves tons of headaches later.

Formatting ebooks can be tricky, especially when you encounter common errors like messed-up paragraphs or inconsistent fonts. One issue I’ve faced is text alignment problems—sometimes the text just won’t stay justified or centered properly. To fix this, I recommend using software like Calibre or Sigil to clean up the formatting. These tools let you edit the HTML/CSS directly, which is super helpful for fine-tuning.

Another annoying problem is random line breaks or extra spaces. This usually happens when converting from PDF to EPUB. A quick fix is to use the ‘Replace All’ feature in your editing software to remove double spaces or unnecessary line breaks. Also, always preview your ebook on multiple devices before publishing to catch any weird formatting quirks.

Images not displaying correctly is another headache. Make sure they’re embedded properly and the file paths in the code are correct. If the cover isn’t showing up, double-check the metadata and ensure the image file isn’t too large. Lastly, font issues can ruin the reading experience. Stick to standard fonts like Arial or Times New Roman, or embed custom fonts properly in the EPUB file.