Do’s and Don’ts When Formatting Your eBook for Smashwords

Smashwords’ conversion system, known as the Meatgrinder, is stricter than most other platforms — small formatting choices that work fine elsewhere can trigger “autovetter” errors here. Here’s what to avoid.

Don’t Use Tables

Why: Tables don’t survive the conversion process and will trigger autovetter errors. Fix: Convert the table into a .jpg or .png image (avoid other image formats).

Don’t Use Textboxes

Why: Same issue as tables — textboxes don’t convert cleanly and will be flagged. Fix: Convert the textbox into a .jpg or .png image.

Avoid Page Numbers in the Manuscript

Manual page numbers are read by the Meatgrinder the same way as a textbox, and will trigger the same autovetter error.

Be Careful With Special Characters

Certain special characters — arrows in particular — commonly cause autovetter errors. Fix: Convert the character into an image rather than typing it directly.

Keep Images Inline

Images should be placed inline with the text, with no text wrapping. Text-wrapped images are a common source of autovetter errors.

Check Your Cover Size

Your cover must meet the minimum size requirement of 1600 x 2400 pixels — a cover below this size will trigger an error on upload. (See our guide to resizing your book cover if you need help with this.)

Match Your Author Name Exactly

The author name in your book’s interior and on your cover must be identical to the Pen Name on your Smashwords account — a mismatch will keep your book out of Smashwords’ Premium Catalog (which is what gets you distributed to retailers).

Already uploaded and hit an error? See our guide to fixing Smashwords corrupted image errors.