Resources Formatting Guides
How to Use Page Breaks in a Book
How page breaks work in a book, why you should never use blank lines to force one, and how to get them right in ebook and print.
Page breaks are invisible when they are done right and glaring when they are not. Get them right and each chapter starts cleanly on a fresh page. Get them wrong, usually by faking them with blank lines, and you end up with gaps in the middle of pages, chapters that start halfway down, and an ebook that looks broken on half the devices that open it. This guide explains how page breaks actually work and how to get them right.
The mistake almost everyone makes
The most common formatting error in self-published books is using blank lines to push content onto the next page. You press Enter until the next chapter appears at the top of a fresh page, and on your screen it looks fine. The problem is that it only looks fine at that exact font size, on that exact screen. Change the font, the device, or the trim size, and all those blank lines land somewhere else, leaving awkward gaps and misplaced text. Ebooks make this worse, because they reflow the text to fit every reader's screen.
What a real page break does
A real page break is an instruction, not empty space. It tells the layout to end the current page and start the next one here, no matter what font size or screen the reader is using. Because it is a structural instruction rather than a pile of blank lines, it always lands in the right place. This is why proper formatting relies on page breaks and structure, never on repeated returns.
Where page breaks belong
Page breaks go at the start of each chapter, at the start of each major section, and before standalone pages such as the copyright page, the dedication, or the about-the-author page. You should almost never need to place one in the middle of running text. If you find yourself wanting to, it is usually a sign the content should be its own section.
Page breaks in Koberger
Koberger handles page breaks through structure rather than by hand. Each section you create, a chapter, a dedication, a copyright page, starts on its own new page automatically, in both the ebook and the print PDF, so you never insert a break or a blank line yourself. If you are importing from Word, it also helps to prepare your manuscript by removing manual blank-line breaks first. You can format your book for free and preview the page flow before exporting.
Frequently asked questions
How do you add a page break in a book?
Use a real page break, not blank lines. In a formatter, each chapter or section starts on a new page automatically, so you do not insert breaks by hand. If you are working in Word before importing, use its page-break command rather than pressing Enter repeatedly.
Why should you not use blank lines for page breaks?
Blank lines are the single most common formatting mistake. They only look right at one font size and one screen. Change either, and the blank space lands in the wrong place, leaving gaps in the middle of a page or pushing content around. A real page break always lands correctly.
Do page breaks work in ebooks?
Yes. A proper page break tells the ereader to start a new page, and it works regardless of screen size or font. What does not work in ebooks is faking breaks with blank lines, because ebook text reflows and the blank space ends up wherever it falls.
Where do page breaks go in a book?
At the start of each chapter and each major section, and before standalone front and back matter pages like the copyright page or the about-the-author page. A formatter places these for you based on your book structure.