Self-publishing can be a good way to start for a number of authors who want to be independent. Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is a good choice of platform especially for those who want to sell eBooks through Amazon. This is also a free platform which is also great. If you are thinking of self-publishing through KDP, you must know that there are certain formats that are supported in converting your files. Before you upload your manuscript, make sure that you have the correct format so you won’t have to upload again. These formats are required in order to convert them properly to the Kindle file, which will be sold in Amazon for the Kindle device and application users. The following are the formats that are supported by KDP.

 KDP accepts MS Word documents (.doc). But there may be some problems with converting .doc files especially when you have included complex formatting. Make sure that you have read KDP’s Simplified Guide to Making a Kindle Book to know how you will be troubleshooting errors on your conversion file.

 ePub files (.epub) can also be used for KDP as it converts unzipped files. However, make sure that you have validated your file prior to uploading. This will check whether your manuscript will convert to a Kindle file correctly.

 You can also upload your HTML files through KDP. If you have multiple pages, you can compress these files prior to uploading.  Adobe PDF files are also accepted but like any other files, there might be problems with photos and other complicated formatting. So, you will also have to check on your file.

 Text files (.txt) are also supported in KDP. It is advised that text files should only be used with books that don’t have images. Image locations on the text files won’t show in the converted file. This also includes rich text format files (.rtf). Lastly, KDP supports Mobipocket files (.prc or .mobi). However, KDP can only support the unencrypted files.

 KDP offers guides that you can check in case you are having problems with converting your files. They also provide additional information on how you should format your work to avoid problems with converting. They have information ready especially for those formats that frequently encounter problems with conversion. So make sure that you have read all the guidelines and information before uploading your files. This ensures that you won’t have any problems with formatting your work.