I’ll be the first, though, to admit that my “experience” is by trial and error, and because I can’t seem to locate the right kind of help/instructions for my learning type.

However clumsy or inefficient it may be to a professional, it DOES work, so I can say that, at least concerning my own process, I know what I’m doing.

Kindle formatting is hit-or-miss because the person who uploads it could upload a perfect document and it would come out crappily. You have to really know what you’re doing to get a K to look right.

What worked for me was formatting the HTML file for MOBI, then plugging the MOBI (because that’s what the K format is) into the digital upload platform. Comes out nearly identical. You just have to make sure your MOBI file is as perfect (and STREAMLINED) as it can be.

italics, bolding, or some other text-based characteristic

I suppose I should have clarified. I take those for granted, i.e., that’s just part of my process to include those because it is PART of the text.

, like section spaces, like hanging indents,

Yes, and paragraphs that are set off (like, say, news articles that the characters are reading). I believe that, too. Any way you can signify the author’s intent without driving yourself crazy with fancy formatting is what needs to happen. I don’t consider section breaks and set-off text to be “fancy.”

Dropcaps are usually the book designer’s call, not the author’s. Again, they’re Teh Pretteh that I don’t think has a high return on investment of time.

Margin illustrations . . . When you’re getting into books with margin illustrations, now, that’s a whole ‘nother animal.

Here’s the kicker when it comes to hard copy verses e-format, tough: I can read e-format quicker…probably because it’s easier to skip the parts I find boring and move on to the next best section. However, I find hard copy to be a more relaxing, leisurely pastime. Since I’ve read for decades and decades, mostly hard copy, I find it odd that I can move through an e-formatted novel faster than a real world book.