Scene breaks in Kindle ebooks
In an ebook, a scene break made of a blank line can disappear when it falls at the end of a screen, and readers miss the shift entirely. A visible symbol or a small ornament fixes that. Try the settings below to see what readers see.
By the Proselis team · Updated
She closed the door behind her and did not look back.
The hallway was dark, and the stairs creaked under every step she took.
By the time she reached the street, the rain had started.
Screen 1
Three weeks later, the letter arrived.
It had been opened once already and sealed again with tape.
Screen 2
Readers can’t see this break. The blank line sits at the bottom of the first screen, and the second screen looks like the story simply jumped.
Why do blank-line scene breaks disappear?
Ebooks reflow text to fit each screen and font size. When the blank line lands at the bottom of one screen, the next screen starts with the new scene, and nothing marks the change.
Should you use a text symbol or an image?
A text symbol is lighter, and it scales with the reader’s font size. An image gives you a designed ornament, but use a gray or transparent image so it stays visible in dark mode.
Questions
Does KDP remove scene breaks?
KDP keeps visible symbols and images. It can collapse extra empty lines, which is another reason not to rely on blank space.
How big should a scene break image be?
Show it at about the height of a line of text, and export it at two to three times that size so it stays sharp on high-resolution screens.
Can I use these scene breaks in a book I sell?
Yes. The symbols are standard characters anyone can use, and the 50 ornaments are free to use in any book, in print or as an ebook, with no credit required.
Should every scene break in a book look the same?
Yes. Pick one design, and use it throughout so readers learn what it means on the first page.
Use these scene breaks in your book
All 50 of these designs are built into the Proselis themes. Choose one in the theme settings, and it appears at every scene break in your book. Writing is free. Publishing a book as an EPUB and a print-ready PDF is a one-time $20.