Table of contents

In an EPUB, the table of contents isn't just a visual list: it has to be encoded in a navigation file (nav.xhtml) that e-readers use to let you jump straight to a chapter. A poorly structured table of contents can make EPUB validation fail on some platforms.

For a how-to book or a guide (unlike a novel), a clear table of contents from the first page is also a selling point: the potential reader immediately sees what the book covers.