Amazon KDP Publishing: A Complete Walkthrough

Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) is where most indie authors publish their books — and for good reason. It offers direct access to the largest book retailer in the world, with royalty rates that traditional publishers can't match, and publishing timelines measured in hours rather than months.

This walkthrough covers everything you need to publish your first (or next) book on KDP correctly.

Setting Up Your KDP Account

Go to kdp.amazon.com and sign in with your Amazon account, or create a new one. If you're publishing as a business entity rather than an individual, use your business credentials.

After signing in, complete your account information:

Tax information — KDP requires tax identity information before paying royalties. US authors complete a W-9. International authors complete a W-8BEN. This takes about 10 minutes and must be done before your first payment.

Bank account — Add your bank account for direct deposit royalty payments. Payments are made approximately 60 days after the end of the month in which sales occurred.

KDP Author Page — Set up your Amazon Author Central page at authorcentral.amazon.com. This connects your books to a single author profile, allows you to add your bio, photos, blog feed, and upcoming events. It also enables the "Follow" button on Amazon that notifies subscribers when you publish.

ISBN Options

ISBNs are book identifiers used by retailers, libraries, and databases. KDP gives you several options:

Free KDP ISBN — Amazon provides a free ISBN at the time of publication. The catch: the publisher of record becomes "Independently published" (or the imprint you specify). This is fine for most indie authors and costs nothing.

Your own ISBN — You can purchase ISBNs through Bowker (the US ISBN agency) at bowker.com. A single ISBN costs $125; a block of 10 costs $295. If you plan to publish across multiple platforms and want consistent metadata, owning your ISBNs gives you more control.

No ISBN (ebook only) — For Kindle ebooks, an ISBN is optional. Amazon uses its own ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number) as the primary identifier. Many indie authors skip ISBNs entirely for their ebook editions.

Recommendation: For most indie authors, the free KDP ISBN is completely sufficient. Purchase your own ISBNs only if you're planning wide distribution through IngramSpark or Baker & Taylor and want a consistent publisher identity across platforms.

Manuscript Formatting Requirements

KDP accepts several file formats for your manuscript. Understanding the requirements prevents formatting nightmares.

Ebook Formats

Accepted file types:

.docx (Microsoft Word) — most common
.epub — the ebook standard
.html or .htm
.rtf, .txt (limited formatting support)

Kindle Create is Amazon's free formatting tool that converts .docx files into Kindle-optimized format. It handles reflowable text, chapter navigation, and the interactive table of contents. For most fiction, it works well. For complex layouts (poetry, books with heavy tables or custom fonts), you may need a professional formatter.

Core formatting rules for Kindle ebooks:

Use Heading styles (Heading 1 for chapter titles) for proper navigation
Avoid fixed-size fonts — ebook readers override them anyway
Don't use tabs or manual spacing for paragraph indents; use the paragraph style
Images should be 300 dpi and inline (not floating)
Table of contents should be hyperlinked

Print Formats (KDP Paperback)

For print books, KDP requires a PDF.

Accepted formats: PDF (the only reliably supported format for print)

Trim sizes: KDP offers standard trim sizes including 5"×8", 5.5"×8.5", 6"×9", and others. 6"×9" is standard for most nonfiction; 5.5"×8.5" is common for fiction trade paperbacks.

Margins:

Inside margin (gutter): 0.5"–0.75" depending on page count
Outside margin: 0.25"–0.5"
Top/bottom margin: 0.5"–0.75"

Fonts: Standard serif fonts (Garamond, Caslon, Palatino) for body text; size 11–12pt for most adult fiction/nonfiction.

Page count: KDP has minimum page counts for certain sizes. A 200-page manuscript at 6"×9" with 12pt type is typical.

Bleed: If your book has images that extend to the page edge, select "bleed" in your settings and add 0.125" to all edges in your PDF.

PublisherMate export generates KDP-ready PDFs automatically, handling margins, bleed, and font embedding.

Cover Specifications

Your cover is your most important marketing asset. KDP has specific technical requirements.

Ebook Cover

Dimensions: Minimum 625 × 1000 pixels; recommended 1600 × 2560 pixels
File format: JPEG or TIFF
Aspect ratio: Approximately 1:1.6 (width to height)
Color mode: RGB (not CMYK)
Maximum file size: 50 MB

The ebook cover is a single flat image — no spine, no back cover.

Print Cover

Print covers require a full wrap: front cover, spine, and back cover as a single PDF.

Spine width is calculated by KDP based on your page count and paper type. KDP provides a cover calculator at kdp.amazon.com/cover-calculator.

Bleed: Add 0.125" bleed on all outside edges.

Safe zone: Keep all critical text and design elements at least 0.25" from any cut line.

Color mode: CMYK (RGB images will be converted and may shift in color).

Embedded fonts: All fonts must be embedded in the PDF.

KDP provides free cover templates at kdp.amazon.com/cover-templates — these are calibrated for your exact book specifications.

Category and Keyword Selection

Keywords

KDP provides 7 keyword fields, each supporting up to 50 characters. These are critical for Amazon search visibility.

Best practices:

Use phrases, not single words ("paranormal romance Scotland" not "paranormal")
Think like your reader searching Amazon
Include series keywords if applicable
Don't repeat words from your title/subtitle (they're already indexed)
Don't use competitor author names or trademarked terms

Keyword research methods:

Type partial phrases into Amazon search and note autocomplete suggestions
Look at the keywords your top-competing books use (view their browse paths in their sales pages)
Use Publisher Rocket or Kindlepreneur's keyword tools

Pricing Strategy

Ebook Pricing and Royalty Rates

KDP offers two royalty structures:

35% royalty: Available at any price. Required outside the $2.99–$9.99 range.

70% royalty: Available only for books priced $2.99–$9.99 in most markets. Also requires enrollment in KDP Select or being priced within $2 of other platforms.

Practical pricing guidance:

| Book Type | Suggested Price | Royalty | |---|---|---| | Series book 1 (permanent) | $0.99–$2.99 | 35% | | Series book 1 (launch promo) | $0.99 | 35% | | Series books 2+ | $4.99–$6.99 | 70% | | Standalone fiction | $4.99–$7.99 | 70% | | Nonfiction | $7.99–$14.99 | 70% |

Paperback Pricing

KDP calculates a minimum price based on your print costs. You cannot price below this. Add your desired margin above the minimum.

Example: A 300-page 6"×9" paperback costs approximately $4.45 to print in the US. Priced at $14.99, you earn roughly $5.24 per copy (after printing and Amazon's 40% distribution fee).

KDP also offers expanded distribution which places your paperback with third-party retailers and libraries — but the royalty on expanded distribution sales is lower (typically 60% of your royalty after printing costs).

Setting Up Pre-Orders

Pre-orders build sales momentum before launch day. Every pre-order sale is counted toward your Day 1 rank on Amazon, which can drive significant visibility.

How to set up a pre-order on KDP:

Start a new title in KDP
In the "Kindle eBook Details" section, select "I am ready to release my book now" or choose a future publication date
Set your publication date at least 10 days in the future to enable pre-orders
Pre-orders can be set up to 12 months in advance

Pre-order considerations:

Your final manuscript must be uploaded at least 3 days before publication date
You can update the manuscript during the pre-order window, but final updates must be done 3 days before launch
Pre-order pages appear immediately on Amazon with your cover and description

KDP Select vs. Wide Distribution

This is one of the most debated decisions in indie publishing.

KDP Select (Kindle Unlimited)

What it is: An exclusivity arrangement where your ebook is only available on Amazon. In exchange, your book is included in Kindle Unlimited (KU) — Amazon's subscription reading service — and you earn a per-page-read royalty.

Benefits:

Access to Kindle Unlimited's subscriber base (millions of active readers)
Enrollment in KDP's promotional programs (Free promotions, Countdown Deals)
Per-page-read income from KU readers (currently ~$0.0045 per page)
Simplified accounting (one platform)

Drawbacks:

Exclusivity requirement (90-day renewable terms)
No ebook sales on Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, etc.
Income depends on Amazon's KU payout pool, which fluctuates

Best for: Genre fiction authors, especially romance, fantasy, and thriller. These genres have the most active KU readers.

Wide Distribution

What it is: Distributing your ebook across all platforms — Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, Smashwords/Draft2Digital, and others.

Benefits:

No exclusivity requirement
Revenue diversification (less dependence on Amazon)
Access to international markets (Kobo is dominant in Canada; Apple Books is large in Germany)
Platform flexibility for future promotions

Drawbacks:

More complex account management
Smaller potential for KU income
Promotion opportunities are more fragmented

Best for: Authors with established readerships, nonfiction authors, and authors building for long-term platform independence.

The KDP Select Decision Framework

Ask yourself:

Genre: Genre fiction (especially romance and fantasy) performs exceptionally well in KU. Literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry often do better wide.
Experience level: New authors often benefit from KDP Select because the KU exposure can reach readers who wouldn't otherwise risk buying from an unknown author.
Series vs. standalone: Series authors in KU often see significant page-read income. Standalone authors may find wide distribution more lucrative.
International goals: If building an international readership matters to you, going wide opens markets where Amazon isn't dominant.

A common strategy: Launch in KDP Select for the first 90 days to maximize visibility and KU income, then go wide with subsequent titles while keeping the first book in Select as a permanent loss leader.

Publishing Your Book — Step by Step

Step 1: Create a New Title

Step 2: Book Details

Fill in:

Book title and subtitle (optional)
Series name and number (if applicable)
Author name — use a consistent author brand across all titles
Description — paste your formatted Amazon description (HTML allowed)
Publishing rights — confirm you hold the rights to the content
Keywords — enter all 7
Categories — select 2

Step 3: Manuscript and Cover

Upload your formatted manuscript file
Upload your cover image
Preview in KDP's Previewer — check on both tablet and phone views
Fix any formatting issues before proceeding

Step 4: Pricing

Choose KDP Select or "not enrolled"
Set your territories (worldwide is typically best unless you have specific rights restrictions)
Set your price and confirm your royalty rate

Step 5: Review and Publish

Review everything carefully. Once you click "Publish," your book goes through a brief review period (typically 24–72 hours) before going live on Amazon.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Don't underformat your ebook. A badly formatted Kindle book gets 1-star reviews for technical issues. Test your preview thoroughly.

Don't neglect your back matter. The back of your book should include: a "Note from the Author," a request for reviews, information about your next book, links to your newsletter sign-up, and your author bio.

Don't price on emotion. Price your book based on genre norms and market position, not on how hard you worked on it.

Don't set and forget your keywords. Revisit your keywords every 3–6 months. Amazon search behavior shifts with trends.

Don't skip Author Central. Your Amazon Author Central page is free, takes 20 minutes to set up, and adds significant credibility to your listings.

Publishing on KDP is genuinely accessible to any author willing to learn the process. The technical barriers are low — the creative and marketing work is what distinguishes one book from the next.