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Getting Started 6 min read

Quick Start

Create your first book, write a chapter, preview it, prepare KDP metadata, and export a KDP-aware EPUB.

This is the fastest path from an empty library to a KDP-aware EPUB. Follow the steps in order — the whole run takes only a few minutes.

1. Create a book

  1. On the dashboard, click New Book in the top-right corner.
  2. Fill in the form. Title is required; Author, Description, and Language (defaults to en) are optional and can be changed later in Settings.
  3. Click Create Book.

The app creates a project folder for you and opens the editor automatically. Behind the scenes it generates a starter structure with a title page, a copyright page, and a first chapter. For more detail, see creating books.

2. Find your way around the editor

The editor has three main areas:

  • File tree (left): your manuscript organized into Front Matter, Chapters, and Back Matter sections.
  • Markdown editor (center): where you write.
  • Live preview (right): a rendered view of the current file (open on wider screens; toggle it with the Preview button).

See the editor for the full tour.

3. Write your first chapter

  1. In the file tree, expand Chapters and click chapter-01.
  2. The file opens in the editor with starter frontmatter and an # Chapter Title heading.
  3. Replace the placeholder text and start writing in Markdown:
---
title: "The Arrival"
epubType: chapter
---

# The Arrival

The train pulled into the station just after midnight...

Use the formatting shortcuts as you go — Ctrl/Cmd+B for bold, Ctrl/Cmd+I for italics, and Ctrl/Cmd+H to cycle a line through heading levels. The full list is in the editor.

4. Preview your work

The live preview updates as you type, so you can see roughly how the chapter will look in the finished EPUB. If the preview is hidden, click Preview in the app bar.

5. Save

Press Ctrl/Cmd+S or click Save in the app bar. An Unsaved changes indicator appears whenever you have edits that haven’t been written to disk; it clears once you save. The app also autosaves the current file when you switch to another file.

6. Prepare your KDP metadata

  1. Click Settings in the app bar.
  2. Work through the tabs — Basic, Description, Series, Discovery, and Specs — filling in what applies:
    • Basic: title, subtitle, author, publisher, language.
    • Description: your back-cover copy (a live character count helps you stay within limits).
    • Discovery: up to 7 keywords and your KDP categories.
    • Specs: print interior, trim size, and paper if you’re doing paperback.
  3. Each KDP-ready field has a copy button so you can paste it directly into the KDP submission form.
  4. Click Save to write the metadata into book.json.

7. Validate and export an EPUB

  1. Back in the editor, click Export EPUB in the app bar.
  2. The app validates your manuscript and builds the EPUB. When it finishes, a notification shows the compliance score, the number of chapters, and any warnings or errors it found.
  3. Review any warnings — they’re surfaced so you can fix issues before uploading to KDP.
  4. Click Download in the notification to save the .epub file. Exports are also written to your project’s exports/ folder.

EffortlessAuthor produces a KDP-aware EPUB and flags likely issues, but it can’t guarantee KDP approval — always review your export and KDP’s own requirements before publishing.

What’s next