Hermes gives you two things for print: the interior as a Word file — for BoD built on BoD's official typesetting templates, for KDP in the matching trim size — and the front cover as an image. Back cover, spine and barcode are created at the provider, which has its own tools for exactly that. You find both under Downloads in your book.
Who does what
| Task | Hermes | You | Provider |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interior in the right format | ✓ | ||
| Imprint details (ISBN, ©) | dialog | fill in | |
| Word → PDF (BoD only) | ✓ | ||
| Refresh table of contents | ✓ (F9 in Word) | ||
| Front cover image | ✓ | ||
| Spine, back cover, barcode | ✓ | ||
| ISBN | ✓ |
Route A: BoD (Books on Demand)
Order matters: your ISBN only exists after you have created the book project at BoD — and that exact ISBN has to appear in the interior's imprint. So: BoD project first, then export.
- Create the book project at BoD. On myBoD, create a project and pick the same book format as in Hermes (e.g. 13.5 × 21.5 cm). In step 2 of the project BoD assigns your ISBN — write it down.
- Export in Hermes. Downloads → choose the BoD template. In the imprint dialog, enter the ISBN (mandatory for published titles) plus publisher, editing and cover credits as needed. The lines "Verlag: BoD · Books on Demand GmbH, …" and "Druck: Libri Plureos GmbH, …" are already in the template and must stay — they are mandatory parts of the BoD imprint.
- Check in Word. Refresh the table of contents (click into it, press F9); review the front matter. Leave space at the top center of page 4 — BoD automatically prints the FSC seal there.
- Create the PDF. BoD only accepts PDF: "File → Save as → PDF" with "Embed fonts in the file" enabled.
- Upload and approve. Upload the PDF to myBoD, check the print preview and approve it. BoD adds blank pages itself for odd page counts.
- Cover. Easiest route: easyCOVER → "Own design" and upload your Hermes cover image (JPG/PNG) — dimensions, spine, back cover and barcode are handled by BoD. Do not put the BoD logo on your cover.
Limits: 900 pages maximum (24 minimum). Images at 300 dpi or better; leave color images in RGB. And importantly: BoD rejects books "created exclusively or predominantly with AI" — document your own share of the work; the Hermes provenance overview shows what you wrote, dictated and revised yourself.
Route B: Amazon KDP (paperback)
- Create the book at KDP. Set up a paperback with trim size = the same format as in Hermes (e.g. 5 × 8 in = 12.7 × 20.32 cm). ISBN: take the free KDP ISBN or bring your own — then title, author and publisher must exactly match the ISBN registration.
- Upload the manuscript. You can upload the Hermes Word file to KDP directly — KDP converts it itself. If you print an ISBN in the imprint, it must exactly match the one on file at KDP; when in doubt leave the field empty.
- Cover. Use your Hermes front cover as an image in the Cover Creator — spine, back cover and barcode are added by KDP automatically.
- Check the previewer. Most frequent complaints: text outside the minimum margins, title/author on the cover not matching the KDP book details, ISBN mismatches.
Limits: 24 to 828 pages (paperback). 5 × 8 does not exist as hardcover. Images at 300 dpi or better.
Very thick books
If your book exceeds BoD's 900-page limit in the standard typesetting (KDP: 828), there are three ways out: pick a larger book format (more text per page), split the book into volumes, or use denser typesetting (smaller font, tighter leading) — the latter currently requires rework in Word or a typesetting program.
As of 2026-08-28, checked against the official BoD (bod.de/hilfe) and KDP (kdp.amazon.com/help) documentation.