For self-publishing authors

From first draft to finished book.

Paperlight typesets your book like a professional designer would: print-ready for Amazon, IngramSpark, Barnes & Noble, Lulu and Bookvault, plus an ebook for every store. Bring the manuscript you have, or write it here.

I have a manuscriptFormat my book Drop in your Word file and see it as a real book in seconds.I’m still writingStart writing free Outline, goals and a story bible. It’s a book the moment you finish.

Free to write, preview and make your ebook. Print files $24 a year. No account, nothing uploaded. Open a sample book

Chapter 1The wolves came down from the ridge at dusk, three of them, ~~gray~~ grey as the stones.Mara watched from the porch with the rifle across her knees and did not move.

Chapter OneThe Wolf Roadhe wolves came down from the ridge at dusk, three of them, grey as the stones. Mara watched from the porch with the rifle across her knees and did not move.She had known this winter would bring them. The deer had gone early and the river froze in November.Her father had always said a hungry winter brings the pack to the door.By the time the light was gone they had circled the barn twice. The old dog whined under the steps and would not come out.Mara set the lantern on the rail where they could see it, and waited for the grey one to make up its mind.

Your book, in Moonhowl

Set by Paperlight in its Moonhowl style, with the wolf initial in colour.

Three steps to a book you’re proud of

The manuscript you have, the book your readers hold

Double spacing, typed indents and blank lines are how manuscripts are written. Paperlight reads them the way a professional formatter would and sets the words on proper book pages.

A double-spaced manuscript page in Times New Roman — Your Word file

The same opening set as the first page of chapter one in a printed book — The same words, printed by Paperlight

129 styles, each made for a shelf. Or design your own.

From literary fiction to grimdark, gothic, fairy tale, art deco, space opera, LitRPG and light novels, with system windows for every [Quest accepted]. Click any style to see the page up close, or design your own with full control: 91 typefaces (or your own), frames, ornamental initials, page numbers and every ornament below.

Same words, every look

One opening page, set exactly as each style prints it. Point at it to hold a look.

From the shelf

Real opening pages. Turn the shelf and open any of them on the sample book.

Moonhowl

Drag to turn, click a page to try it

540 drawn ornaments. Make the book yours.

Dragons and runes, wolves and roses, fairies and ivy, skulls and ravens, maces and swords, Celtic knotwork, castles and heraldry, pen flourishes, filigree, art deco and starships. Put them above or below a chapter title, either side of it, between scenes, at the end of every chapter, or in a frame round every page: fine rules, ornaments down the sides, or corner pieces. Every one is drawn for print and stays crisp in ebooks, in light or dark mode.

Longsword
Crossed swords
Dagger
Battle axe
Heater shield
Iron crown
Dragon eye
Dragon wings
Castle tower
Potion flask
Crystal cluster
Rune circle
Open book
Chalice
Wizard staff
Knight’s helm

And 97 ornamental initials, in any colour

Open each chapter with a drawn initial: woodcut, illuminated, Victorian engraved, tall filigree, fairy-tale gold on black, Celtic knotwork, wolves and roses, the letter set in blackletter, uncial, script or any font you like. Print it in ink, or give any letter a colour scheme or your own colours for a colour edition. Or put your monogram on the title page.

By the numbers

Enough choice to make every book its own

Every style, ornament, ornate letter and trim size is included. Write for free; pay only when you print.

Free writing desk

Write it in its finished look.

Choose from 129 looks before the first word, and write on a page that already looks like your book, with the real printed pages beside you. It’s the same style the formatter uses, so what you write in is what prints. When you finish, press “Format and download” and it’s a book. Free for as long as you’re writing.

Formatted as you writePick your book’s look first. Its headings, ornaments, ornate letters and scene breaks appear as you type, with the printed pages beside you.
An outline you can rearrangeEvery chapter with its word count. Move one and its scenes go with it.
Goals and streaksSet a target and a deadline; Paperlight works out the words a day.
A story bibleCharacters, places and things, and where each first appears.
Saved versionsOne kept every day, and any time you ask. Going back never loses a word.
Focus modeJust the page, until you press Esc.
Saved to your own folderPut it in OneDrive, Dropbox or iCloud and your book follows you to every computer.

Start writing free

Paperlight’s writing desk in the Moonhowl look: the chapter heading with its wolf and moon, a woodcut wolf initial and the scene break as you type, and the printed page beside it — Writing in the Moonhowl look, with the printed page beside it. Switch to a plain page any time.

See it work in about a minute

A Word manuscript goes in, the chapters are found, and the whole book re-sets as styles change. Then the same book as an ebook on a phone and an e-reader. Recorded in Paperlight, not mocked up.

Everything a printed book needs

The details readers notice without knowing why, and the rules printers reject files for.

Chapters found for you: Heading styles, “Chapter One” lines, bare numbers, prologues and epilogues all become chapters. Scene breaks like *** and # become proper breaks.
Full, even pages: Justified text with hyphenation, every page filled to the same bottom line, no lonely last lines at the top of a page.
Front and back matter: Title, copyright and contents pages with real page numbers. Your bio, newsletter and “Also by” page, written once and kept current in every book.
A cover for every printer: Design your cover in Paperlight, or on a template sized for each printer: the spine worked out from your page count, bleed or hardcover wrap, safe lines and the ISBN barcode. Download a print-ready cover PDF for each one.
Built to each printer’s rules, then checked: Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, Barnes & Noble Press, Lulu or Bookvault, or several at once. Paperlight checks your saved PDF against each one before you upload.
A free ebook for every store: An EPUB with your cover and chapter style that passes EPUBCheck and the DAISY Ace accessibility check. Preview it on a phone, e-reader or tablet first.
Every edition from one file: Paperback, a 16 pt large-print edition, hardcover and colour, each with its own page-count rules checked.
Series and box sets: Books in a series share a look automatically. A box set stays in step with the books inside it.
Maps and chapter art: A map or family tree before chapter one, a small picture atop every chapter, checked for print resolution.

Footnotes at the foot of the page
Curly quotes, dashes and ellipses fixed
IngramSpark PDF/X-1a (beta)
Store-specific ebooks
Reviewer copies and free samples
Full style editor: frames, drop caps, page numbers
Cover designer and templates for every printer
Chapter numbers your way
91 commercial-use fonts
No AI, ever

Write free. Publish for $24 a year.

Paperlight Pro

$24a year

That works out to $2 a month. Every book, every edition, all year.

Print-ready PDF with the fonts embedded
Packs for Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, B&N Press, Lulu and Bookvault
Print cover PDFs at each printer’s exact size, with the ISBN barcode
IngramSpark PDF/X-1a, converted in your browser (beta)
Store-specific ebooks with the right links in each
Large print, hardcover and colour editions
Box sets that stay in step with their books
Advance reader copies and free sample chapters
Back matter that stays current across all your books
Unlimited books and re-exports all year

Format my book

Free, always

Write your book: outline, goals, story bible, saved versions, focus mode
Saved to your own folder as you write (Chrome, Edge, Opera, Vivaldi, Brave)
Your words as Word, Markdown or text, any time
Import your Word manuscript
Your ebook (EPUB) with its cover, for every store
Every book style and trim size
The full live preview, every page
Fine-tune fonts, size, spacing and scene breaks
Check any PDF against each printer’s rules
Cover designer and cover templates sized for each printer
Standard manuscript .docx for agents

What formatting a book costs. Prices checked October 2026.
Paperlight Pro	$24 a year	Windows, Mac or Chromebook
Vellum Press	$249.99 once	Mac only
A freelance formatter	from about $20 a book	Changes and new editions usually cost extra
A professional book designer	about $800 a book	Industry average, 2026

See Paperlight next to Vellum, Atticus, Reedsy, Kindle Create and more →

Questions

Will the printer accept the files?

Paperlight builds every PDF to the published specifications of the printers you pick: the exact trim size, the inside margin each requires for your page count, embedded fonts, no text under 7 pt, odd page numbers on the right. Then it checks the PDF you saved against each printer’s rules. The EPUB passes EPUBCheck, the validator the ebook stores use.

Do I need a Mac?

No. Paperlight runs on Windows, Mac, Linux or a Chromebook, in Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera, Vivaldi, Arc, Firefox or Safari. Writing, the preview and the ebook work in all of them. Saving the print PDF is tried and tested in Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera, Vivaldi and Arc, and in beta in Firefox 95+ and Safari 18.2+.

Can I write my book in Paperlight?

Yes, free. The writing desk has an outline, word-count goals, a story bible, saved versions, focus mode, comments and suggestions. When you finish, the book is already in the formatter. Writing in Word works just as well: bring the file in.

What if I clear my browser, or change computers?

In Chrome, Edge, Opera, Vivaldi or Brave, choose “Save to a folder” and Paperlight keeps a copy in a folder on your computer as you write. Pick one in OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive or iCloud and link it on your other computer: your books come across. In any browser you can also save a backup file.

Is my manuscript uploaded anywhere?

No. Your book is written, read, laid out and saved inside your own browser. Nothing is sent to a server.

Does Paperlight use AI to change my writing?

No. Paperlight never writes, rewrites or “improves” your words. It only sets them on the page.

Why a yearly price instead of paying once?

Because a published book keeps changing. Readers find typos, you add a newsletter link, each new release belongs in the “Also by” page of every earlier book. With Paperlight each of those is a two-minute re-download, as often as you like, for $24 a year.

What’s free?

Writing your book with every writing tool, importing your manuscript, every style and trim size, fine-tuning, the full preview of every page, the PDF checker, and your ebook with its cover. You pay only for the print files and the extras: the print PDF and PDF/X, the publishing packs, large print, hardcover and colour, box sets, store-specific ebooks, advance copies and samples.

Your book is closer than you think.

See it laid out, every page, before you pay a cent.

Format my book Start writing free

From first draft to finished book.

Three steps to a book you’re proud of

Your book

Bring your Word file

Chapters

Choose how it looks

Fonts, ornaments, letters, frames

Publish everywhere