How to Publish a Book on Amazon KDP: A Step-by-Step Guide
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) lets anyone publish a paperback, hardcover, or Kindle ebook and sell it in Amazon's stores worldwide. The platform is free to use β you only pay through the royalty split when a book sells. If you have never done it before, the process can feel opaque. Here is what actually happens, step by step.
1. Create your KDP account
Go to kdp.amazon.com and sign in with an Amazon account, or create one. Before you can be paid, KDP asks for two things:
- Tax information. A short interview determines which tax forms apply to you. This is required even if you never expect to owe anything.
- Bank and payment details. Royalties are paid by direct deposit in supported currencies.
Complete these once and they carry over to every book you publish.
2. Prepare and format your manuscript
KDP does not edit or lay out your book β it prints and sells exactly what you upload. For a print book, the most common choice is a 6 x 9 inch trim size, which works well for most nonfiction and general fiction and keeps printing costs reasonable.
Your interior file should have:
- Consistent margins, with extra room on the inside edge (the gutter) so text is not swallowed by the spine.
- A readable body font, usually 10β12 point.
- Correct page breaks between chapters and clean front and back matter (title page, copyright page, table of contents where relevant).
You can upload a DOCX file and let KDP convert it, or upload a print-ready PDF for more control over the final layout.
3. Design a cover that meets the spec
Every print book needs a full cover β back, spine, and front as a single file β sized to your page count, with bleed and a resolution of 300 DPI. Kindle ebooks need only a front cover image. The cover is the first thing a shopper sees, often as a small thumbnail, so legibility matters as much as artwork.
4. Write your metadata, keywords, and categories
Metadata is how readers find you. During setup KDP asks for:
- Title and subtitle β clear and searchable, not clever at the expense of clarity.
- Book description β the sales copy on your product page.
- Seven keyword slots β phrases a reader might actually type into the search box.
- Categories β up to a few browse categories that place your book in the right shelves.
Thoughtful metadata often does more for sales than any single other decision.
5. Choose your royalty option
For Kindle ebooks, KDP offers two royalty rates:
- 35% β available at any list price.
- 70% β available within a set price range (roughly the mid-range for most stores) and subject to a small per-book delivery cost.
The 70% option earns more per sale for most books priced in the eligible band, but the right choice depends on your price and market. Print books use a different model: your royalty is the list price minus Amazon's cut and the printing cost.
6. Submit and wait for review
When you publish, Amazon reviews the book before it goes live. Review typically takes up to 72 hours, though it is often faster. You can order a physical proof copy first to check the print quality before committing β a step worth taking for any paperback.
Where InkStant AI fits in
Most of the friction above is formatting and preparation, not writing. InkStant AI generates a KDP-ready manuscript, a cover that follows the spec, and draft metadata in English, Arabic, French, or Spanish β so you spend your time reviewing and refining rather than fighting with margins. You still own the result and still bring the final human judgment, which is exactly as it should be.
Ready to see what your book could look like? Start for free and take it from idea to a KDP-ready file.