For a horizontal, reflowable Kindle EPUB, the priority is not preserving fixed page positions. It is preserving reading order and navigable headings. A dependable finishing sequence checks manuscript references, writing direction, chapter order, contents, cover, and finally the exported EPUB.
This article follows that sequence in rune Studio, from horizontal settings through export and inspection. The mechanics of reflow are covered separately; the focus here is the production decision at each stage.
Find fixed-position references first
In reflow, line and page breaks change with screen width and type size. Print-oriented wording therefore needs review:
- "see the diagram on page 35"
- "as in the table on the previous page"
- "continued on the next page"
- "compare across the spread"
- "the figure above" or "the photograph below"
Do not stop after one search for "page". Search separately for contextual forms such as "previous page", "next page", "spread", "above", and "below", and open the destination of any internal link. A zero count is not proof that the manuscript is safe. Another expression or an unsearched reference may still remain.
Workspace search returns the file name, line number, and matching line. Review that result list rather than treating the total as the answer. "The diagram on page 35" can become "the structure diagram in chapter two". "Compare across the spread" may require reorganising the explanation rather than substituting a phrase.
Name figures and settle their reading order
A figure and its explanation may not stay on one screen. Naming the figure — "the structure diagram in chapter two" instead of "the figure above" — keeps the reference understandable when they separate.
It can also help to place the explanation before the figure. The goal is a sequence that makes sense from the text order alone, without relying on a particular screen position. Finish this manuscript work before moving on to EPUB settings.
Set the series information to horizontal
In rune Studio, set writing direction to horizontal in the series information, then confirm language, title, author, publisher, and output file name. Review the volume's edition, publication date, and cover image as well, and run validation to resolve empty or incompatible settings.
Inspecting an EPUB exported from the development build with horizontal settings showed horizontal text flow and left-to-right page progression recorded inside it. Two-digit numbers in the body did not receive the treatment used for vertical export. This verifies that the horizontal setting reached the EPUB; it does not predict every store or device result.
Check reading order and contents inclusion separately
Select the manuscript files and arrange them in reading order. Confirm the positions of the title page, body chapters, and colophon, then review whether each chapter should appear in the contents.
Reading order and contents inclusion are separate settings. A chapter can be in the right place but absent from the contents, leaving no contents entry for navigation. A page can also remain in the book while being omitted from the contents. Horizontal direction alone is therefore not a completion check.
In the verified cover example, the reading order was cover, title page, contents, body, and colophon. The colophon was generated from the series and volume information entered earlier.
Review the plan, export, and inspect the EPUB
Before export, display the plan and review selected files, their order, contents inclusion, and the cover. Then build the EPUB.
Inspect the result for:
- the intended reading order
- navigation and chapter destinations
- missing images
- manuscript markup left unconverted
- recorded horizontal flow and left-to-right progression
Inspection establishes the internal state of the exported file. It does not guarantee Kindle acceptance or rendering on every device. Check current KDP requirements and its prescribed preview or validation process separately before submission.
Books this suits, and books that need another format
This workflow suits practical, technical, and explanatory books in which text carries the argument and figures support it. It works when chapter and heading order are enough to communicate the material.
Photo books and picture books are different. If exact placement or the spread itself carries meaning, consider a fixed-layout format instead. Do not expect a horizontal setting to solve a conflict between reflow and the work's layout.
Summary
- Search several forms of positional language, then review each result and link destination rather than relying on a count
- Name figures and make the text sequence understandable even when figure and explanation separate
- Set horizontal direction and language, then check reading order and contents inclusion independently
- Set the cover, review the export plan, and build the EPUB
- Inspect reading order, navigation, images, leftover markup, and recorded horizontal direction
As a first step, search for "page", "previous page", "next page", "spread", "above", and "below", then inspect each result in context. Once those references are settled, move on to horizontal settings and chapter order.
See the current product scope on the Rune Studio product page.
