For the table of contents that appears inside a KDP book, treat it as a page in the book's reading order and decide exactly where that page belongs. It has a different reading role from the contents control supplied by a reading app.
This article focuses on preventing an omitted in-book contents page and choosing its position relative to the title page, preface, and body. The navigation mechanics used by a reading app, the wording of entries, and chapter-inclusion decisions are covered separately.
The in-book table of contents is a page the reader encounters
The in-book table of contents behaves like a title page or preface: a reader reaches it by paging through the book. It does more than offer links. It gives the reader a view of the book's shape before the main text begins.
The reading app's contents control serves a different moment. A reader opens it from the interface while already reading in order to move to another chapter. When checking whether a book “has a table of contents,” inspect these two roles separately.
First prevent the in-book page from being omitted
When assembling an EPUB manually, check three things:
- The XHTML file for the contents page is included in the EPUB
- The page is included in the book's reading order
- Its position relative to the title page, preface, and first chapter is intentional
The existence of an XHTML file alone does not mean a reader will encounter it while paging through the book. It also has to be part of the reading order.
Choose the position from the way the book should begin
There is no universal rule that the contents page must always be the first page after the title. If readers should see the book's structure immediately, placing it after the title page is clear. If a preface is meant to introduce the book first, placing the contents after that preface may be the better editorial choice.
Once you choose, inspect the recorded reading order rather than relying on file names. Writing it out as “title, contents, chapter one” makes an omission or unintended position easier to spot.
What was verified in rune Studio
I drove the rune Studio development build from the command line, exported an EPUB from two chapters, and inspected the result. Its reading order was title page, contents, chapter one, chapter two, colophon.
That result establishes that the contents file was present as a page in the reading order. The same file was also registered as the EPUB Navigation Document, but this article keeps its focus on the page's position inside the book.
Separate Rune's source unit from a KDP chapter or section
rune Studio can change contents inclusion for each manuscript unit arranged for export. That product control does not mean that an actual KDP chapter may be omitted from the logical table of contents. KDP's current guidance requires a working logical TOC and asks publishers to check that every chapter and section has an entry.
For a KDP edition, include every chapter and section in the logical TOC. Consider exclusion only for a page that is not a chapter or section, such as a title leaf or decorative divider.
In the product test, excluding a source unit labelled as the third chapter removed its entry while leaving its page in the reading order. That verifies that Rune's inclusion control is separate from reading order; it is not a recommendation to omit a KDP chapter.
Inspect presence, then read the order
rune Studio's inspection reported that navigation was present in the exported EPUB. For placement, read the EPUB's internal reading order separately and compare it with the order you intended.
The language setting changes the heading
With the book language set to Japanese, the page heading was the Japanese word for contents. With English selected, it became “Table of Contents.” Choose the book language before exporting an English edition so that the in-book page does not retain a Japanese heading.
Who benefits, and who may not need an in-book page
This check is useful for a KDP book with a preface and several chapters. You can decide what readers encounter at the book's entrance and verify that choice in the EPUB's internal order.
A short book with only a few sections and an immediate start may not need a separate in-book contents page. Avoiding an unnecessary front-matter page can be a valid editorial choice.
Scope note: what was verified is that the contents page was present in the EPUB and included in its reading order. Per-app display and controls were not verified.
Summary
- The in-book table of contents is a page that shows readers the shape of the book
- Prevent omissions by checking the EPUB reading order, not merely the existence of a file
- Choose the position according to whether the preface or the contents should introduce the book
- In the verified rune Studio export, the contents page appeared in the reading order
As a first step, decide between “after the title page” and “after the preface.” After export, inspect the EPUB reading order and confirm that the contents page appears in that exact position.
See the current product scope on the Rune Studio product page.
