Setting Up Your KDP Account
Go to kdp.amazon.com and sign in with your existing Amazon account, or create one. You'll need to complete your tax information (a W-8BEN if you're outside the US, or a W-9 if you're in the US) and add a payment method before you can receive royalties. KDP pays by direct deposit or cheque on a 60-day delay — money earned in January arrives in late March.
Your KDP account is separate from your Amazon seller or buyer account, but uses the same email. You can publish under multiple pen names from a single KDP account by creating separate author profiles for each name.
eBook vs. Paperback vs. Hardcover
KDP offers three formats: eBook (Kindle), paperback (print-on-demand), and hardcover (print-on-demand). Most indie authors launch all three simultaneously.
eBook: Lowest barrier, highest royalty potential (70% on books priced $2.99–$9.99). Formatted as a .mobi or .epub file. Most readers read on Kindle devices or the free Kindle app.
Paperback: Print-on-demand — Amazon prints and ships each copy as ordered. Royalty is 60% of list price minus printing cost. A 300-page paperback priced at $12.99 earns approximately $4.78 per copy.
Hardcover: Higher price tolerance, same print-on-demand model. Best for premium books, gift-oriented titles, and non-fiction where readers want a physical reference.
Formatting Your Manuscript
KDP accepts Word (.docx), PDF, and ePub files. For eBooks, ePub is the recommended format — it reflowable text adapts to any screen size. For print, a properly formatted PDF or Word document works well.
eBook formatting essentials:
- Use heading styles (H1, H2, H3) rather than manually bolded text — KDP uses these to build the table of contents
- Remove headers and footers — they don't work in eBooks
- Use page breaks between chapters
- Keep images at 72–150 DPI for eBooks (300 DPI for print)
Print formatting essentials:
- Mirror margins for the interior (inner margin 0.5" larger than outer to account for binding)
- Bleed settings if your cover or interior extends to the page edge
- Correct trim size dimensions — 6"×9" is the standard for most non-fiction and literary fiction
Free tools: Reedsy Book Editor (free, produces ePub + print PDF), Draft2Digital (free formatting), Atticus ($147 one-time, popular choice for most authors).
Cover Requirements & Best Practices
Your cover is your most important marketing asset. KDP requires a minimum of 2,560 × 1,600 pixels (at 300 DPI) for eBook covers. Print covers must be sized to your trim size + bleed + spine width (which depends on page count and paper type).
KDP cover requirements:
- eBook: 2,560 × 1,600px minimum, JPG or TIFF, under 50 MB
- Print: Full wrap (front + spine + back) as a single PDF file at 300 DPI
- Spine width calculator available on KDP — enter your page count and paper type
What makes a cover convert:
- Genre-appropriate design — wrong genre signals kill discoverability
- Title readable as a thumbnail (how it appears in search results)
- Professional design (not Canva templates visible to experienced readers)
If budget is tight, 99designs.com starting at $199, or hire a cover designer from the KDP community (Reedsy marketplace, KGBS Facebook group). Free options (Canva, DALL-E) are usually identifiable as amateur.
Writing Your Book Description
Your book description is the second-most important conversion element after the cover. KDP supports a limited set of HTML tags: ``, ``, ` `. Structure that converts for non-fiction: Structure that converts for fiction: Use Amazon's supported HTML in your description — bold headers and bullet points increase scan-ability and dramatically improve conversion compared to a plain text block.
`, ``–`
`, `
`, `
- Hook opening sentence addressing the reader's pain point
- What's inside (bulleted list of key topics)
- Who this is for
- Call to action
- Character + conflict in the first two sentences
- Stakes — what happens if the protagonist fails
- Tone signal ("Perfect for fans of...")
- CTA
Choosing Your KDP Categories
KDP lets you select 2 categories during the upload process. But here's what most authors miss: you can request up to 10 categories by emailing KDP support after publishing.
Why categories matter: Your category determines which bestseller lists your book appears on. A book ranked #4,000 overall can be a "#1 Bestseller" in a small subcategory — which generates a badge visible in search results and on your product page.
Category research strategy:
1. Browse Amazon for books similar to yours
2. Scroll to the bottom of their product page and note which categories they rank in
3. Find categories where the #1 bestseller has a BSR over 15,000 — these are achievable
4. Choose a primary category that broadly describes your book and secondary categories that are niche-specific
Use Pubscout to see BSR data on any Amazon page and evaluate category difficulty as you browse.
Backend Keywords (7 Keyword Fields)
KDP gives you 7 keyword fields (up to 50 characters each) in the publishing dashboard. These are your "backend keywords" — not visible to readers but used by Amazon's search algorithm to categorise your book.
Keyword strategy:
- Don't repeat words from your title or subtitle — Amazon already indexes those
- Use long-tail phrases (3–5 words), not single keywords
- Think about reader intent: "workbook for overcoming anxiety" vs just "anxiety"
- Include theme keywords, trope keywords (for fiction), and comparison keywords ("books like [popular author]")
- Use all 7 fields and fill them to capacity
What to avoid:
- Competitor author names or book titles (against Amazon ToS)
- Misleading keywords unrelated to your content
- Keyword stuffing (repeating the same word across multiple fields)
Pricing Strategy
eBook pricing tiers:
- $0.99–$2.98: 35% royalty. Use only for short content (under 10,000 words) or loss leaders in a series.
- $2.99–$9.99: 70% royalty. The primary pricing range for most indie eBooks.
- $10.00+: Drops back to 35% royalty. Generally not viable unless you have a large existing audience.
Non-fiction eBook sweet spots: $4.99–$7.99 for standard-length books; $9.99 for comprehensive reference books.
Fiction eBook sweet spots: $3.99–$4.99 for series books; $0.99–$1.99 for book 1 of a series (loss leader strategy to drive series read-through).
Paperback pricing: Check competitor print prices in your category. Price within $1–$2 of the category average. Too cheap signals low quality; too expensive loses casual browsers.
Hardcover pricing: Typically $3–$6 higher than paperback equivalent.
KDP Select vs. Going Wide
KDP Select (exclusive to Amazon):
- Enrol for 90-day terms
- Your book becomes available in Kindle Unlimited (KU) — you earn per page read
- Access to KDP promotional tools: Kindle Countdown Deals and Free Book Promotions
- Works best for fiction in high-KU genres (romance, fantasy, sci-fi, thriller)
Going Wide (publishing on multiple platforms):
- Publish on Kobo, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and more
- No exclusivity requirement
- Diversifies income — Amazon outages or policy changes affect you less
- Better for non-fiction and books with non-US audiences (Kobo is dominant in Canada)
Rule of thumb: Fiction in mainstream KU genres → start with KDP Select. Non-fiction, literary fiction, international audiences → consider going wide from launch.
Launch Strategy
30 days before launch:
- Finalise cover and description
- Build an ARC (Advance Review Copy) reader list — email these readers 2–3 weeks before launch
- Set up your Author Central page on Amazon
- Plan your launch price (consider $0.99 for the first 48–72 hours to accelerate early sales velocity)
Launch week:
- Email your ARC list and ask for honest reviews
- Post on social media on launch day
- If enrolled in KDP Select, use a Kindle Countdown Deal starting at $0.99 or $1.99
- Ask your network to share, not just buy
Post-launch:
- Respond to any editorial reviews or Q&A questions on your product page
- Consider Amazon Ads once you have 5+ reviews (without reviews, ads convert poorly)
- Monitor your BSR and category rankings with Pubscout
Sales velocity in the first 30 days heavily influences Amazon's algorithmic push. The more sales you generate early, the more Amazon recommends your book to similar readers.
Related How-Tos
Explore KDP Niches
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does KDP publishing take?
KDP typically reviews and publishes eBooks within 24–72 hours. Print books take 3–5 business days for the first proof review. Subsequent updates are faster — usually 24–48 hours.
How much does it cost to publish on KDP?
Publishing on KDP is free. You pay nothing to upload, list, or publish your book. Amazon takes a percentage of royalties as their fee — 30% for eBooks in the 70% royalty tier, and printing costs plus 40% of list price for print books.
Can I publish on KDP and other platforms at the same time?
Yes, unless you enrol in KDP Select. KDP Select requires exclusivity with Amazon for 90-day terms. Without KDP Select, you can publish on Kobo, Apple Books, and other retailers simultaneously.
What is the ISBN requirement for KDP books?
eBooks on KDP do not require an ISBN — Amazon assigns an ASIN. Paperbacks and hardcovers can use a free KDP-assigned ISBN (which lists Amazon as the publisher of record) or your own purchased ISBN. If you plan to distribute to bookshops or libraries, a purchased ISBN with your own imprint is worth the investment.