KDP Glossary  / Strategy

What is KDP Select?

KDP Select is Amazon's optional enrolment programme for Kindle eBooks. When you enrol, you agree to keep your eBook exclusive to Amazon for a 90-day term — no selling or distributing the eBook on other platforms (Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play, your own website, etc.). In exchange, your eBook becomes available to Kindle Unlimited subscribers and you gain access to KDP Select promotional tools: Free Book Promotions (up to 5 days per 90-day term) and Kindle Countdown Deals.

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Kindle Unlimited: the main KDP Select benefit

When your eBook is in KDP Select, Kindle Unlimited subscribers can read it as part of their subscription at no additional cost. You earn money based on the number of Kindle Edition Normalized Pages (KENP) read by KU subscribers, paid from the KDP Select Global Fund at a per-page rate Amazon announces monthly (typically $0.004–$0.005 per page). For authors with books over 200 pages in genres popular on KU — romance, fantasy, thriller, cozy mystery — KU page read income often exceeds direct Kindle sale income significantly.

Who should use KDP Select?

KDP Select works best for fiction series authors in KU-popular genres, authors who are new to KDP and want maximum Amazon promotional exposure during launch, and authors whose readers are predominantly Amazon-native. It works less well for non-fiction authors building a broad platform, authors with established audiences on Apple Books or Kobo, and authors who want full publishing independence. The 90-day term is renewable automatically — you must actively opt out if you want to go wide after a term.

Frequently asked questions

Can I leave KDP Select if I change my mind?

Yes, but not mid-term. You can opt out of auto-renewal at any time, which means your exclusivity ends at the conclusion of your current 90-day term. If you're 30 days into a term and want to go wide, you'll need to wait 60 more days before you can publish on other platforms.

Does KDP Select affect my paperback?

No. KDP Select exclusivity applies only to your Kindle eBook. Your paperback can be distributed through KDP, IngramSpark, or any other platform simultaneously, regardless of your KDP Select status for the eBook.

What is the KDP Select Global Fund?

Amazon sets aside a pool of money each month — the KDP Select Global Fund — to pay KU page read royalties. The per-page rate (KENP rate) is calculated by dividing the fund total by the total KENP pages read across all enrolled books that month. Amazon announces the fund amount and resulting per-page rate in your KDP dashboard after monthly payments are processed.

Related terms

Kindle Unlimited KENP Permafree Royalty Rate

Related niches

Romance NovelsMystery & ThrillerFantasy BooksParanormal RomanceDark Romance

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