Amazon KDP book formatting: what do you do yourself and what do you outsource?

Formatting is the part of publishing nobody warned me about. My manuscript is finished, but Amazon KDP book formatting has turned out to be far more confusing than I expected. Margins, trim sizes, page numbers and fonts all seem to have rules, and one small mistake can get a file rejected.

I’ve been comparing options, including formatting it myself, using software, and hiring a professional. I also came across Pacific Press Publishing while researching, and I’m curious how a publishing company’s formatting help compares with a freelancer or a template. If anyone has used them or a similar service, I’d like to hear how it went.

Here is what I’m trying to figure out:

Can a beginner handle Amazon KDP book formatting without the result looking amateur? If you did it yourself, which tools did you use and how long did it take?

Which trim size and layout did you choose, and did it affect your print costs or reviews?

How much does professional formatting cost? I’ve seen very different prices for the same page count, so real numbers would help.

What mistakes should I avoid? Blurry images, bad margins and broken table of contents links seem to be common problems.

Do you format the ebook and paperback separately, or can one file handle both?

Any advice, tips or lessons learned are welcome. Thanks for reading!