Platform guide · Amazon KDP
How to publish a book on Amazon KDP
If you want to publish a book on Amazon, start by deciding which edition you are preparing. Kindle Direct Publishing supports Kindle ebooks, paperbacks and hardcovers. A manuscript document is the source for that work, but a print interior, print cover wrap and readable ebook are separate deliverables. This guide helps you organize those decisions before uploading anything.
You can use KDP directly or commission help with particular production tasks. Publishing Core offers optional editing, cover design, formatting and publishing support. Keep the project brief separate from Amazon's account agreement, and keep the account and release decisions under your control.
Choose the editions before commissioning files
Write down the first version readers should receive: a reflowable Kindle ebook, a paperback, a hardcover, or a planned combination. Note illustrations, tables, poetry or other content that needs special handling. Readability on a small screen and the design of a printed page are different problems. Ask for a sample that includes the book's most demanding material, not only an attractive opening chapter.
Create a simple edition sheet with title, subtitle, author spelling, format and the person approving it. When several people work on the book, this sheet prevents an early subtitle or outdated cover from becoming the published version.
Set up your own KDP account and rights record
Use contact and recovery details you control. Complete Amazon's identity, tax and payment requirements directly through KDP. A production specialist can prepare a metadata sheet and explain the upload stages without taking ownership of your main login. Never put account passwords, bank details or identity documents in a public consultation form.
Collect permissions for photographs, illustrations, quoted passages and other supplied material. Tell your editor and designer about any restrictions before production. For an existing edition, check its identifier and publication details against KDP's current guidance rather than assuming an old listing can simply be duplicated.
Finish editing, then build the reading files
Resolve substantive manuscript changes before final formatting. A late paragraph can shift page breaks, the final page count and the cover's spine calculation. Keep one approved manuscript and one corrections list; emailing several competing versions makes proof review harder.
For Kindle, check navigation, contents links, image descriptions where appropriate and adjustable text settings. For print, inspect margins, running heads, chapter openings and intentional blank pages. Proofreading after layout catches different problems from an earlier copyedit. Agree which of those checks your service includes.
Match the cover, listing and final interior
Confirm the production choices before generating a print cover template. The front, spine and back need to fit the actual edition; a promotional mockup cannot establish those measurements. Review the title at thumbnail size as well as on a full-size proof. The ebook's front-cover image and a print cover wrap should be identified clearly in the handover.
Prepare a concise book description that tells the intended reader what to expect. Choose relevant categories and search terms that describe the book accurately. Keep author names, series details and edition information consistent across the files and listing. Avoid putting unsupported bestseller, award or endorsement claims on a cover or product description.
Decide whether KDP Select suits the ebook
Publishing through KDP and enrolling an ebook in KDP Select are different choices. KDP Select carries ebook exclusivity requirements. Before choosing it, check the current enrollment terms against any other ebook stores, distributor agreements or copies available through your own website. Do not assume a wide ebook plan and an exclusive program can run together.
Make this an explicit author decision in your release checklist. Record which edition is affected, who will monitor the enrollment and how a future change will be managed. A print-distribution plan should be reviewed separately rather than inferred from the ebook's program selection.
Review the uploaded edition and keep the handover
Use the platform preview to inspect the actual submitted files. Review a physical proof where available, consolidate corrections and approve the revised edition. A successful upload is a technical milestone, not a guarantee that every detail is correct or that readers will buy the book.
Keep the release files, metadata sheet, cover specification, approval record and agreed editable sources together. Record how to update the book later. Platform review and processing remain Amazon's responsibility; paid production support does not guarantee acceptance, sales or a particular search position.
Your next step
Bring your manuscript stage, intended editions and current account arrangements to a free initial consultation. We can identify the next production task and discuss a paid scope if you want support; you remain free to prepare and publish the book yourself.
Further reading
Official guidance for the topics above. Platform requirements can change; check the provider's current information for your edition.
- Amazon KDP: Start publishing with KDP
- Amazon KDP: KDP Select enrollment
- Amazon KDP: Print Cover Calculator and Templates
References identify external guidance. Publishing Core is independent and does not claim an affiliation or endorsement from these organizations.
If you want support
Discuss the work your book needs.
A free initial consultation helps identify a useful next step. Editing, design, formatting and publishing support are paid services, with deliverables and fees agreed separately before work begins. Read our publishing standards for account ownership and service responsibilities.
Request a free initial consultation