Many PLR ebooks arrive as a Word file with basic formatting, and many first ebooks start life as a messy draft. You don’t need expensive layout software to turn either one into a clean, professional product. Google Docs is free, runs in a browser and can export both a PDF and an EPUB from the same file.
This guide walks through a practical workflow: setting up styles, building a clickable table of contents, preparing images, and exporting versions for your store and for Kindle. If you haven’t decided which formats to offer yet, start with our guide to PDF, EPUB and editable files, then come back here.
Before you start: get the content right
Formatting comes last. Polishing the layout of a chapter you later cut is wasted time. Before you touch styles:
- Finish your edits and rewrites, especially on PLR content you are rebranding.
- Decide on your final title, subtitle and author or brand name.
- Gather your images, with their licenses, in one folder.
- Check the PLR license allows the formats and stores you plan to use.
If you are starting from a PLR Word file, upload it to Google Drive and open it with Google Docs. Then do a quick cleanup pass: delete the original seller’s branding, old links and any leftover placeholder text.
Step 1: Use paragraph styles, not manual formatting
The single most useful habit in ebook formatting is using styles. Instead of selecting a heading and making it bigger and bold by hand, you apply a style. Google Docs offers Title, Subtitle and Heading 1 through Heading 6 under Format > Paragraph styles.
Styles matter for three reasons:
- They make your table of contents work, because the contents list is built from headings.
- They carry through when you export to EPUB, giving the e-reader a clear structure.
- They make the PDF more accessible, since screen readers rely on real headings. Our guide to making PDF products more accessible goes deeper.
A simple style plan
For most ebooks, this is enough:
- Title for the book title on the title page
- Heading 1 for each chapter title
- Heading 2 for sections inside a chapter
- Heading 3 for small subsections, if you need them
- Normal text for everything else
Once a heading looks the way you want, you can update the style so every heading of that level matches. Pick one or two fonts and stick to them. A consistent, plain look reads better on small screens than a mix of decorative fonts.
Clean up PLR leftovers
PLR files often contain text that looks like a heading but is really bold body text, or random font changes copied from elsewhere. Select the whole document and clear the formatting if it is badly mixed, then reapply your styles chapter by chapter. It takes a little time, but it fixes problems you would otherwise chase one by one.
Step 2: Build the front and back matter
Readers expect a few standard pages. Keep them short:
- Title page with title, subtitle and your name or brand.
- Copyright or rights page with your copyright line for the parts you created, any disclaimer and, if relevant, a note on what buyers may do with the file.
- Table of contents (see the next step).
- The chapters.
- About the author or brand, with one link to your site or list.
- A next step, such as a related product or a free resource.
For PLR-based ebooks, be careful with the copyright page. You usually hold a license to the original text, not ownership of it, so keep the wording general. Check your license and, for anything unusual, ask a professional.
If your product has its own license for buyers, our guide to writing clear license terms can help.
Step 3: Add a clickable table of contents
Once your headings are in place, the table of contents is quick. According to Google’s help page, you click where you want it, then go to Insert > Page elements > Table of contents and pick a look. Each item links to the matching heading in your document.
A few tips:
- If you add or rename a heading later, click Refresh on the table of contents so it updates.
- You can choose which heading levels appear. For most ebooks, chapter titles (Heading 1) and maybe sections (Heading 2) are enough. A contents page that runs for three screens is hard to use.
- Check that every chapter actually uses Heading 1. A chapter missing from the contents list is the most common sign of a heading that was formatted by hand.
Step 4: Prepare your images
Images can make an ebook more useful, but they are also where many files break or bloat.
- Insert images in line with text rather than letting text wrap around them. Wrapped layouts often fall apart in EPUB, where text reflows to fit the screen.
- Keep images simple and wide enough to read on a phone. Tiny text inside a chart becomes unreadable on small screens.
- Add alt text to images that carry meaning, so screen reader users don’t miss them.
- Watch file size. Large photos make the download slow. Our guide to shrinking big files shows how to compress them first.
- Check the license. Images bundled in PLR packs don’t always carry the same rights as the text.
Step 5: Set up the page for PDF
A PDF keeps a fixed layout, so page setup matters here in a way it doesn’t for EPUB.
- Use File > Page setup to choose your page size and margins. US Letter is familiar to US buyers who print; a smaller size can feel more like a book on a screen.
- Make sure the document uses pages rather than the pageless format if you want page breaks and a fixed layout in the PDF.
- Insert a page break before each chapter so every chapter starts on a fresh page.
- Add page numbers through the header or footer if your ebook is long.
Then export with File > Download > PDF Document (.pdf). Open the exported file and check it page by page. Look for orphaned headings at the bottom of pages, images that jumped, and links that don’t work.
Step 6: Export an EPUB
EPUB is the reflowable format used by most e-readers and reading apps. Text adjusts to the reader’s screen and font size, so there are no fixed pages.
Google Docs has exported EPUB since 2016, when Google announced the feature for authors and publishers who want readable digital books on phones, tablets and e-readers. Today you’ll find it under File > Download > EPUB Publication (.epub).
Because EPUB reflows, some things that look fine in the PDF won’t carry over:
- Manual spacing, like pressing Enter several times to push text down
- Text boxes and wrapped images
- Headers, footers and page numbers
- Complex tables, which can be hard to read on a phone
Keep the EPUB version plain and structured. Open it in an e-reader app or reading software on your computer and check it on a narrow window to see what a phone reader will see.
Step 7: Preparing a Kindle version
If you plan to publish on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), check the format rules first. KDP’s help page lists Word (DOC/DOCX), Kindle Package Format (KPF) and EPUB as its suggested and most commonly used formats. It also accepts HTML, RTF, plain text and, in certain languages, PDF. KDP says EPUB files must meet the Kindle Publishing Guidelines, and it recommends validating them with Kindle Previewer before upload. KDP no longer accepts MOBI files for fixed-layout ebooks.
That gives you two simple routes from Google Docs:
- Download a .docx (File > Download > Microsoft Word) and upload that.
- Download an EPUB and test it in Kindle Previewer first.
Kindle Previewer is a free desktop app for Windows and Mac. It shows how your book will look on Kindle e-readers, tablets and phones, in different orientations and font sizes, and lets you jump to elements such as images, lists and tables. KDP’s Kindle Create app, which produces KPF files, is another option if you want more control over the Kindle layout.
Before you publish a PLR-based ebook on Amazon, read our KDP checklist for PLR ebooks. Amazon’s content rules matter as much as the file format.
Step 8: Package and deliver
Once both files look right, prepare them for delivery:
- Give each file a clear, descriptive name, such as your-book-title.pdf and your-book-title.epub. Our file naming guide has a simple system.
- Add a short “Start here” note explaining which file to open on which device.
- Design a cover that matches your brand. See how to design an ebook cover.
- Keep your editable Google Doc as the master copy. When you update the ebook, edit the master and export fresh files.
A quick final checklist
- Every chapter title uses Heading 1 and appears in the table of contents
- All links work in the PDF and the EPUB
- Images are compressed, licensed and have alt text where needed
- No leftover branding or links from the original PLR seller
- The PDF page size and margins suit your buyers
- The EPUB reads cleanly on a narrow screen
- Kindle files were checked in Kindle Previewer
With a clean, style-based master document, you can produce a polished PDF and EPUB from the same source, and update both in minutes when you improve the content.
Sources
- Google Docs Help: Add a table of contents
- Google Workspace Updates: Export Google Docs files as EPUB publications
- GeeksforGeeks: How to download a Google Doc
- Amazon KDP Help: Supported eBook formats
- Amazon KDP Help: Kindle Previewer
Featured image: Photo: StockSnap (CC0)