Fixed-layout, for picture books.
Spread-aware EPUB and KPF for picture books, comics, design titles — the page is the page, on every device.
Key facts
- Service
- Fixed-layout EPUB and KPF for picture books, comics and design titles.
- Starting price
- From $320 per book.
- Typical turnaround
- 7 to 12 working days from final art to validated package.
- Output files
- Fixed-layout EPUB 3, Kindle KF8/KPF, PDF proof and editable source.
- Devices supported
- Apple Books, Kindle Fire and KFX, Kobo and Google Play — every spread retina-ready.
- Revisions
- One full revision round plus thirty days of corrections after sign-off.
The spread, preserved.
Where the layout itself is the story — picture books, cookbooks, comics, design — fixed-layout earns its keep.
- Fixed-layout EPUB 3 (FXL) for Apple Books, Kobo and Google Play — spread-aware, retina-ready.
- Kindle KF8/KFX twin for Amazon's fixed-layout pipeline, where the design survives the conversion.
- Pop-up text regions for children's titles — readable type over busy illustrations, tap-to-zoom on each block.
- Per-store trim variants — Amazon, Apple and Kobo all want different ratios; we ship all three.
- Read-along media overlays where the project supports them, with SMIL synchronisation.
- Image optimisation — sRGB, retina at 2× for iPad, sensible file-size compression without softening art.
- Side-by-side QA proofing — device screenshots from iPad, Kindle Fire and Android tablets before sign-off.
- Source bundle — EPUB, KF8, image assets, custom CSS — all yours at handover.
Five passes, then proof.
Fixed-layout lives in the detail. We plan a slow proofing pass, not a sprint.
The artboard.
We receive InDesign or PDF spreads, audit image resolution, plan the trim and aspect ratio across stores.
The spread build.
Each page composed as its own XHTML file, image placement locked to pixel coordinates, region maps drawn.
The pop-up text.
Text regions added where children, comics or design layouts demand legibility over illustration.
The device QA.
Side-by-side screenshots on iPad, Kindle Fire, Android — adjustments made where rendering diverges.
The handover.
EPUB FXL, KF8/KFX, source bundle and a notes file covering every platform-specific decision we made.
Recent fixed-layout builds.
A small sample of spreads that left the studio this year.
From the illustrators' studios.
A few notes left after sign-off.
Three editions.
Quoted per page count and asset complexity. No retainers.
- Fixed-layout EPUB 3 for Apple, Kobo, Google
- Spread-aware composition, region maps
- One revision round, source files released
- Device screenshots: iPad, Kindle Fire, Android
- EPUB FXL + Kindle KF8/KFX variant
- Pop-up text regions on every spread
- Per-store trim variants
- Two revision rounds, source files released
- Quiet proofing pass — we expect to refine
- SMIL read-along audio for children's titles
- Panel-by-panel comic builds, guided view
- Art-catalogue builds at iPad-native retina
- Series stylesheet, reusable across volumes
- Unlimited revisions until accepted
What we stand behind.
Each promise written into the proposal.
If Apple, Kobo or Amazon rejects the file, we re-cut at our cost and chase ingestion support until the title clears.
EPUB package, KF8/KFX, image assets, custom CSS — packaged on completion, yours to keep and update.
Every fixed-layout file ships with a passing EPUB 3.3 report and device screenshots from the major reading apps.
Spread tweaks, art swaps, pop-up text rewrites — fixed at no charge for the first month after the file goes live.
How to start a fixed-layout eBook project with ebookwriting.ai.
Four short steps from final art to validated FXL package.
- Send art and manuscript. Email final spreads at print resolution plus the manuscript with page-by-page text. We confirm receipt within one working day.
- Receive a fixed-price proposal. Within 48 hours, you get a written quote (typically $320 to $980 depending on spread count and animation), a timeline, and a one-page contract.
- Approve the device-tested proof. We send the FXL package and screenshots from Apple Books, Kindle Previewer and Kobo in 7 to 12 working days. One revision round is built in.
- Upload to the storefronts. We hand over Apple FXL, Kindle KPF and EPUB packages, plus the device test reports, ready for KDP and iTunes Producer.
More about our fixed-layout EPUB work.
Our fixed-layout EPUB services are the part of the studio that handles books where the page is the unit of design — picture book EPUB work, comic ebook formatting, art and photography books, cookbooks, and design-book EPUB titles. Reflowable text isn't the right tool for these; fixed-layout is. Most projects ship in seven to ten working days depending on spread count.
When fixed-layout KPF is the right answer for KDP
Amazon prefers a fixed-layout KPF for any title where words and pictures share a spread. Picture books, manga, graphic novels and visual non-fiction all sit better as FXL ebook files than as reflowable EPUB, because reflowable text will float away from its illustration on the reader's device. We build the master in Adobe InDesign or KDP Kids, then export to KPF and validate against the Amazon previewer.
For non-Kindle platforms we ship a fixed-layout EPUB 3. The same master file produces KPF for Amazon and EPUB for Apple Books, Kobo and Google Play. Picture book EPUB work typically involves 12 to 14 spreads; comic ebook formatting often 100-plus pages with panel reading order encoded in the file so manga and webcomic conventions are respected on each platform.
Where authors lose money on an FXL ebook
The most common waste we see is paying twice for design — once for the print interior, then again to rebuild for fixed-layout. We work directly from the InDesign source where you have one. If you don't, we set up the master from the supplied artwork so the same file can be reused for any future edition or translation without starting over.
Deliverables: validated KPF for Amazon, validated EPUB 3 for everywhere else, the InDesign source if we built it, and a per-platform upload note. The file is fully owned by you on delivery.
Questions we are asked.
Short, honest answers. Anything else, send to contact@ebookwriting.ai.
What does the starting figure include?
At ebookwriting.ai, the starting fixed-layout fee of $320 covers a fixed-layout EPUB 3 build up to an agreed page count, page-precise typography, image placement, region-based pop-up text for children's titles where required, and one revision round after your proof.
How long does a fixed-layout build take?
Most fixed-layout titles run two to four weeks, depending on page count and asset complexity. Children's picture books with read-along audio sit at the longer end of that range.
What if a spread doesn't sit quite right?
One full revision round is included, with light adjustments for thirty days after delivery. Fixed-layout work lives in the detail, so we plan a slow proofing pass with you rather than racing to sign-off.
Who owns the build files?
You do. The EPUB, the working source, image assets, and any custom CSS are handed over on completion so you can update, port, or hand the project on at any point.
What deliverables do I receive?
A fixed-layout EPUB 3, a Kindle KF8/KFX variant where required, a PDF proof, device screenshots, and the editable source file with a notes document covering any platform-specific decisions.
Will the file work on Kindle as well as Apple Books?
Where the design allows, yes — we produce parallel KF8/KFX and EPUB 3 versions and flag in advance any spreads or interactions that won't survive the conversion. Some features (read-along audio, certain pop-ups) are platform-specific and we'll tell you which platforms each one will reach.
Often paired with this.
Begin your fixed-layout build.
A fixed-price proposal in 48 hours. No retainers, no obligation.