Will my EPUB work on Amazon Kindle?

Yes. Since late 2022, Amazon accepts EPUB directly. Email the file to your @kindle.com address, use the Send to Kindle web interface, or sideload via USB. Kindle Direct Publishing also accepts EPUB as a source format for publishing. Amazon converts internally to their format, but you upload standard EPUB.

Only for commercial retail distribution through most bookstores — Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, and most physical retailers expect one. Amazon KDP and Google Play accept ebooks without an ISBN and assign their own internal identifiers. For personal, internal, or free distribution, a UUID (which our tool generates automatically) is sufficient.

Why is my EPUB being rejected during upload?

The most common cause is validation errors detected by EPUBCheck. Our tool produces output that validates, but issues can creep in if you hand-edit the XHTML after export — unclosed tags, malformed entities, broken links between files. Run your EPUB through a public EPUBCheck service before uploading to strict distributors like Apple Books, and fix any errors reported.

Can I include multiple authors?

Yes — enter multiple names separated by commas in the Author field (e.g., 'Jane Smith, John Doe'). For more control over author roles (editor, illustrator, translator), you'd need to hand-edit the OPF file after export. The Dublin Core metadata in EPUB supports rich contributor roles, but most readers only surface the primary author anyway.

Does my ebook need a cover?

Technically no — the EPUB will validate and open without one. Practically yes — every reader shows a generic placeholder if there's no cover, which looks unprofessional and makes your book harder to find in a grid of other ebooks on a reader's home screen. Even a simple title card is better than nothing.

Can I update the EPUB after publishing?

You can re-export a new version anytime with updated content. For retail distribution, each retailer has its own update process — KDP allows you to upload new versions that push to customers who bought previous ones. Apple and Google similar. If you're distributing directly, you just send the new file. Consider bumping a version string in your title or description so readers know they have the latest.

How to Create an EPUB Ebook (2026)

📖

Try EPUB Builder

Free, no signup →