How to Publish a Book on Amazon KDP

Before touching KDP, your manuscript should be edited and proofread. Uploading a rough draft and updating it later is allowed, but early reviews follow you — a book that launches with typos and awkward pacing rarely recovers from the first wave of ratings.

Print (paperback/hardcover) and Kindle are two different files. Print needs a fixed trim size, correct margins and gutter, consistent running headers, and proper page numbers. Kindle needs reflowable text with a clean table of contents and correct heading structure.

KDP will let you upload a Word document, but a purpose-built interior file gives a noticeably better result.

You need two covers: an ebook cover (a single front image at the right pixel dimensions) and a print cover (a full wraparound with front, spine, and back, sized to your exact page count and trim). KDP provides a cover template calculator once you know page count and trim size.

Inside KDP you'll enter title, subtitle, series info, author name, description, keywords, and categories. Metadata is where a lot of first-time authors underperform — the description isn't just a blurb, it's a sales page, and keywords should reflect how real readers search, not just how you'd describe the book.

Amazon lets you pick two BISAC categories at upload, but you can request to be added to more via KDP support. Keywords (up to seven) are search phrases, not single words — think in terms of what a reader would actually type.

Choosing categories where your book can realistically compete is more valuable than aiming for the largest possible category.

For ebooks, the 70% royalty tier applies between $2.99 and $9.99; outside that band you drop to 35%. Print royalties are what's left after Amazon's print cost and their share. KDP Select is optional — it gives you Kindle Unlimited inclusion and promotional tools in exchange for ebook exclusivity to Amazon for 90 days.

Always order a physical proof before hitting publish. On the screen everything looks fine; in your hand you'll catch spine alignment, cover color shifts, and interior spacing issues that are invisible in a PDF preview.

Once live, review your Amazon page like a reader — the cover thumbnail, description, "Look Inside" preview, and category placement all matter.

We handle the whole KDP setup as part of our book publishing services — from print-ready files to metadata to launch. If you want us to look at your specific book, submit your manuscript and we'll come back with a plan.