The difference in one sentence
An EPUB reflows: the text re-wraps to the reader's screen and font size. A PDF fixes the page: every reader sees the same layout at the same size, which is what a printer needs and what a phone screen hates.
Which format where
| Destination | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Kindle (KDP ebook) | EPUB | KDP converts it to Kindle format on upload |
| Apple Books | EPUB | EPUB only |
| Kobo, Google Play, aggregators | EPUB | Some also accept PDF, but EPUB reads better |
| KDP paperback interior | Fixed pages at the trim size, fonts embedded | |
| Print cover | One wide image: back, spine, front | |
| Direct sales, workbooks, samples | Either | PDF if the layout matters; EPUB if reading on phones matters |
Why not just sell the PDF?
Because readers read on phones. A PDF page designed for 6 × 9 paper becomes a pinch-and-zoom exercise on a five-inch screen, and the stores know it: Apple Books will not take one, and Kindle treats PDFs as second-class. An EPUB gives every reader the font size they want and lets the store's app do its job.
Why not just sell the EPUB?
Because print is a different product. Paperbacks need fixed pages, real page numbers, a spine, and a cover with bleed. That is a PDF job. The good news is that both come from the same manuscript: the EPUB Creator exports an EPUB and a print-style PDF from one project with the same chapter styling.
A simple plan
- Format the manuscript once, with Heading 1 chapters and clean scene breaks.
- Export the EPUB and upload it to every ebook store.
- Export the print PDF, check it against the printer's interior rules, and use it for the paperback.
- Design the print cover as a PDF and the ebook cover as a JPEG.