How to Publish a Book on Amazon KDP: A Step-by-Step Guide for First-Time Authors

To publish a book on Amazon KDP, create a free account at kdp.amazon.com, complete your tax and payment details, then set up each format (eBook, paperback or hardcover) by entering the book details, uploading a print-ready manuscript and cover, and choosing rights and pricing. After you click Publish, Amazon reviews the book and it typically goes live in about 3 business days.

The process itself is simple. What trips up first-time authors is the detail: a cover sized for the wrong page count, metadata that breaks policy, or a price set below the printing cost. This guide walks through each step in the order KDP asks for it, with the checks that save you a rejection.

Key takeaways

• KDP is free to use; paperback printing costs are deducted from each sale, not paid upfront.
• Each format is set up separately in three tabs: Details, Content, and Rights & Pricing.
• Paperbacks get a free KDP ISBN; eBooks don't need one.
• You must disclose AI-generated text, images or translations during setup.
• Expect about 3 business days to go live, and royalties about 60 days after the end of the month of sale.

Before you start: what you need ready

Gather these before you open the Bookshelf. Having them ready turns a two-evening job into an hour.

If you are publishing a print book, decide your trim size first. Everything else, including margins, page count and spine width, depends on it. Our guide to KDP paperback cover size and spine width covers the math.

Step-by-step: publishing your first book

1. Create and verify your KDP account

Sign in at kdp.amazon.com with an Amazon account (a separate one for your publishing business is cleaner). KDP then asks for:

1. Author/publisher information, including your legal name and address.
2. A tax interview. Every author, US or not, completes KDP's online tax interview. It determines how much US tax is withheld from your royalties, and treaty benefits (where your country has one) are claimed here, so answer carefully and keep a copy.
3. Payment details. Add a bank account. KDP pays monthly by direct deposit, wire or check depending on your bank's country.

You can upload a book before your account is fully complete, but you cannot publish until tax and payment details are in place.

2. Start a new title

On your Bookshelf, click + Create and choose Kindle eBook, Paperback or Hardcover. You will fill three tabs for each format.

3. Fill in the Details tab

• Language, title and subtitle. Title plus subtitle must be under 200 characters. KDP's metadata guidelines ban stuffing the title with generic keywords like "notebook" or "gift", references to other authors, or words like "bestselling".
• Series (optional). Not available for low-content books.
• Author and contributors. Pen names are allowed as long as they do not mislead buyers.
• Description. Write it like back-cover copy. No reviews, quotes, URLs, email addresses or time-sensitive promotions.
• Publishing rights. Confirm you own the rights, or mark the work as public domain.
• Primary audience and the sexually explicit content question.
• Keywords and categories. You get up to seven keyword boxes and three categories. See our KDP keywords and categories guide for how to pick them.
• Low-content checkbox (print only). Tick it only for notebooks, planners, journals and log books. Puzzle and coloring books are generally not low-content.

4. Fill in the Content tab

ISBN. For paperbacks, take the free KDP ISBN unless you need your own imprint name on the listing. Free KDP ISBNs only work on KDP, and each format needs its own ISBN.

Print options. Choose ink and paper (black on cream, white or groundwood; standard or premium color), trim size, bleed setting and cover finish (matte or glossy). Ink type is locked after publication, so decide now.

Manuscript upload. Upload the PDF. KDP's automated checks flag text outside margins, low-resolution images and size mismatches.

Cover upload. Upload your cover PDF or use Cover Creator. The cover's spine width must match your final page count and paper type.

AI content question. KDP requires you to say whether the text, images or translations are AI-generated. If an AI tool created the content, it counts as AI-generated even if you edited it heavily. AI used only to edit, brainstorm or error-check your own work is "AI-assisted" and does not need disclosure. Read our KDP AI content disclosure rules before you answer.

Previewer. Open the online previewer and page through every spread. Look for text in the gutter, images that stop short of the trim, and blank pages KDP did not expect.

5. Order a proof (print books)

For print, order a proof copy before publishing. You pay the printing cost plus shipping. A proof is the only reliable way to check color, cover alignment and readability of small text. For buyers outside the US, shipping can be slow, so build that time into your launch date.

6. Set rights and pricing

Choose territories (worldwide if you hold world rights), then set a list price for your primary marketplace. KDP shows your printing cost and minimum list price on this page.

• Paperbacks earn 60% of list price minus printing cost at or above $9.99 on Amazon.com, and 50% below that.
• eBooks earn 35% or 70%. As of October 2026, the 70% option on Amazon.com applies to list prices from $2.99 to $12.99.

The KDP royalties and printing costs guide has worked examples.

Expanded Distribution offers your paperback to other retailers and libraries at a 40% royalty minus printing. It rarely pays off for new authors and is not available for low-content books.

KDP Select (eBooks only) is a 90-day exclusivity program. Enrolled eBooks are included in Kindle+, the subscription Amazon renamed from Kindle Unlimited in October 2026, and you earn from page reads in addition to sales.

7. Publish and wait for review

Click Publish. KDP's stated timeline is about 3 business days for a new book to go live. Low-content books can take 3 to 4 weeks. If KDP needs changes, you get an email describing the issue; fix it and resubmit.

8. Link formats and claim your Author Central page

Once both formats are live, KDP links them on one detail page, typically within 48 hours to a week. Then claim the book in Amazon Author Central to add a bio and photo. This is also required before you can run some Amazon Ads formats.

From experience: When we published puzzle and activity books on KDP, the steps that took longest were never the upload itself. They were proofing print files and getting the cover spine right after the final page count changed. Lock the interior first, then build the cover.

Common reasons KDP rejects or delays a book

1. Cover and manuscript don't match. Title or author name on the cover differs from the metadata.
2. Spine text on a thin book. You cannot put text on the spine below 79 pages.
3. Content outside the margins. Text or page numbers in the gutter or too close to the trim.
4. Low-resolution images. Aim for 300 DPI for print.
5. Misleading metadata. Keyword-stuffed titles, fake "bestseller" claims, or categories unrelated to the book.
6. Freely available content. Public-domain or web content you don't own, without meaningful added value.
7. Wrong low-content setting. Ticking or not ticking the low-content box incorrectly.

How and when you get paid

KDP pays royalties monthly, about 60 days after the end of the month in which the sale happened (90 days for Expanded Distribution). Direct deposit has no minimum; wire and check payments require a minimum balance, such as 100 USD for Amazon.com. If you are outside the US and want to understand how foreign income reaches your local account, read how to receive international payments in Pakistan.

Pre-publish checklist

• [ ] Tax interview and bank details complete
• [ ] Trim size, paper and ink chosen and final
• [ ] Interior PDF exported at the exact trim size (plus bleed if used), fonts embedded
• [ ] Cover built from KDP's cover calculator for the final page count
• [ ] Title, subtitle and author identical on cover and in Details
• [ ] Description free of reviews, links and promotions
• [ ] Seven keyword slots and three categories chosen
• [ ] AI-generated content question answered honestly
• [ ] Proof copy ordered and checked
• [ ] Price above minimum list price, with royalty you're happy with

Next steps

• Choose your trim size and build your cover template with the cover size and spine width guide.
• Run the numbers on price and page count with the royalties and printing costs guide.
• Research seven keywords and three categories before you open the Details tab.
• If you're making an activity title, follow how to make a puzzle book for KDP.
• Building a publishing business with a website or store around your books? Get in touch.

Sources

• KDP Help, Timelines: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G202173620
• KDP Help, Supported eBook manuscript formats: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G200634390
• KDP Help, Paperback Royalty: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201834330
• KDP Help, eBook List Price Requirements: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G200634560
• KDP Help, What is an ISBN and Imprint?: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201834170
• KDP Help, Content Guidelines (AI content): https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G200672390
• KDP Help, When will I get paid?: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GK2MKZUL6U3SFBPZ

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