File Format Guide

Choosing the right file format ensures the best results from Bookshift's services.

Supported Formats

Book Translation & Proofreading

Cover Services

Book-Aware Cover Generation Manuscripts

Format Recommendations

For Book Translation

Best choice: EPUB

EPUB files preserve:
- Chapter structure and headings
- Paragraph formatting
- Text styling (bold, italic)
- Table of contents

Good choice: DOCX

DOCX files work well when:
- You use Heading 1 or Heading 2 styles for chapter titles
- You remove headers and footers before uploading
- Formatting is consistent throughout

Acceptable: TXT

Plain text works but:
- No formatting is preserved
- Chapter breaks must be clear
- You may need to reformat after translation

Formatting Tips

DOCX Best Practices

1. Remove headers and footers - Running headers (author name, book title) will be translated as body text if left in
2. Use heading styles - Apply "Heading 1" or "Heading 2" to chapter titles for best structure detection
3. Check chapter breaks - Ensure chapters are clearly separated
4. Clean up artifacts - Remove any unwanted characters or formatting glitches

EPUB Best Practices

1. Remove DRM - Files must not have copy protection
2. Check for errors - Use an EPUB validator if you've edited the file
3. Ensure proper structure - Well-formed EPUBs translate better

General Tips

• Don't worry about perfection - Bookshift fixes chapter markers and subheadings automatically
• Typos are okay - Grammar and spelling errors in the original are typically fixed during translation
• Explicit content is fine - You don't need to sanitize your manuscript

Cover Upload Tips

1. Use the highest resolution cover file you have - Cover translation depends on readable source text.
2. Export design files first - Bookshift cannot read PSD, Canva, or InDesign source files directly.
3. Use EPUB for extracted covers - If your cover is embedded in an ebook, upload the EPUB in the cover translation workflow.
4. Use manuscripts only for context - DOCX, EPUB, TXT, and MD uploads help book-aware cover generation understand the book; they are not used as image files.

Why Not PDF?

PDF is not supported for manuscript input because:

1. Text extraction is lossy - PDFs don't store text in a logical reading order
2. Formatting artifacts - Line breaks, columns, and headers become garbled
3. Structure is lost - Chapter headings and paragraphs may not be preserved
4. Quality degrades - Translation quality suffers from poor text extraction

What to Do Instead

If you only have a PDF:

1. Convert to DOCX using Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Word, or Google Docs
2. Clean up the formatting - Fix any conversion artifacts
3. Save as EPUB or DOCX before uploading to Bookshift

Minimum Word Count

All manuscripts must be at least 3,000 words for book translation. This minimum ensures the translation system has enough context to produce quality output.

Images and Diagrams

Bookshift translates text only. The system does not:

• Translate text within images
• Preserve diagrams, charts, or illustrations
• Include internal images in the output

For books with significant visual content (cookbooks, textbooks, etc.), you may need to handle images separately.

Helpful Links

• How Pricing Works
• Translate a Book: Step-by-Step
• File Format Guide
• Help Center Home
• Bookshift Guides Hub
• Translate by Language Hub
• Publishing by Market Hub