Writing an E-book on a Kindle is often seen as one of the easiest and fastest ways to get your book out to the digital world for people to read, whether this is for a current fanbase who have been waiting for the latest installment in a series for a few months or years, or new readers checking out a new author for the first time.

While there are a lot of additional tools and functionalities provided on a Kindle to help you create and design an ebook the way you want it, because there are so many options to choose from, it can make knowing how to include the essentials a little more confusing, and this includes adding a table of contents to the beginning of your book.

So that you don’t leave out this necessary addition, here is how you can create and include a table of contents for your very own kindle ebook.

Why Is A Table Of Contents Important To Include?

While a table of contents can initially slip the mind of many authors once they get stuck into the actual content itself between the pages, it is actually one of the most important pages to include in a book, not only to keep the book looking as professional and organized as possible, but also to grant greater accessibility to the readers.

When you include a table of contents, you grant the reader the ability to jump between chapters as they please, and while this is incredibly important for non-fiction books, it is also useful in fiction when the reader may want to go back over a part of the story which they can find in a particular chapter.

Adding a table of contents also assists the author by keeping the contents concise and organized so that you can effectively pace the story.

How To Add Table Of Contents On A Kindle Book?

Method 1 – Using Kindle Create

Make sure that your Kindle is already connected to a PC or MAC since you will need to visit a few different pages in order to insert a table of contents, however, this will be well worth it in the end. Here is how you can add a table of contents to your Kindle book using Kindle Create:

Step 1. Download Kindle Create

Start by downloading Kindle Create which is a free interior formatting tool that will allow you to make use of a few additional tools and features to edit your ebook. Once you’ve downloaded Kindle Create, double-click on the downloaded installer so that it becomes an attachment on your PC.

Step 2. Import Your Manuscript

Start Kindle Create and click the ‘Create New’ option where you will then be prompted to choose a doc/docx file that you want to upload and edit. Select the book that you want to add the table of contents to and import it onto the program.

Step 3. Check The Chapters Are Correct

Once the manuscript is imported, Kindle Create will automatically detect the chapter titles within the pages and then format them into the table of contents. While this will usually be 100% accurate, it is worthwhile just making sure that none of your chapters have been missed out.

Step 4. Click ‘Accept Selected’

Next to each of the chapter titles will be a clear box. Tick each of the titles that you want to include in the table of contents before then clicking on the ‘Accept Selected’ option in the bottom right.

Step 5. Test The Table Of Contents

Your interactive table of contents will automatically be added to the Kindle menu and will be accessible from anywhere in the book. Try clicking on each of the chapters to make sure that they direct you straight to the specific section of the book correctly.

Method 2 – Using Microsoft Word

Another method you can try is creating the table of contents in Microsoft Word and adding hyperlinks that will direct readers straight to the page. This can be done quickly, easily and is a great alternative if you don’t want to download Kindle Create. Here is how you do it:

Step 1. Upload Your Manuscript

Start by uploading your ebook Kindle manuscript onto a Word document with the chapter titles on their correct pages.

Step 2. Change Styles

When you have opened Microsoft Word, you will need to adjust the wording so that it follows a Kindle format. To do this, click on the ‘Change Styles’ option near the top right, select ‘Style Set’ from the drop-down menu and then select ‘Simple’.

Step 3. Set The Chapter Headings To H1

Type out your chapter headings on the first page. Once you have done this, highlight each title and set them to ‘Heading 1’ which can be found in the middle of the top toolbar. This should be done for anything you wish to include in the table of contents such as the introduction, conclusions, or even figures for any pictures you may have included.

Step 4. Set The ‘Table Of Contents’ To H1

You will also want to make sure you type in the ‘Table of Contents’ at the top and also set this to Heading 1. This is actually an effective trick because a lot of the time on a Kindle reader, when you select the table of contents it won’t always take you to that page and will instead just display the items included in the table.

By setting the title to H1, this will take readers directly to the page itself to make it more organized and easier to access.

Step 5. Select ‘References’

Next, you will want to select the ‘References’ option at the top left of the screen and then click on the ‘Table of Contents’ prompt at the far left of the menu that appears. A drop-down menu will appear with the option ‘Insert Table of Contents’ at the bottom, click on this.

Step 6. Insert Hyperlinks

Finally, you will be taken to a new menu where you will first want to de-select the ‘Show Page Numbers’ option and instead, make sure the ‘Use Hyperlinks Instead of Page Numbers’ option to the right is selected instead. This will allow Word to detect where the same title appears in the book and will create an automatic hyperlink to that page.

If you choose to do so, you can also edit the ‘Show Levels’ option near the bottom which will make any heading 2 titles move further along the page, however, most authors will usually keep this on 1 since it allows the chapters to look neat, concise and easier to understand for the reader.

Step 7. Test The Chapter Titles

Now that the table of content chapter titles have been linked, hold down ctrl and click each chapter to test that they direct you to the correct page.

Summary

While you will need to flick through a few menus in order to add a fully functional table of contents to your Kindle book, it is a vital addition to make sure your readers can navigate around each section how they would like, making for a more professional and enjoyable experience.