Self Publishing in Amazon Kindle

 

Self-publish eBooks and paperbacks for free with Kindle Direct Publishing, and reach millions of readers on Amazon.

Get to market fast. Publishing takes less than 5 minutes and your book appears on Kindle stores worldwide within 72 hours.

Make more money. Earn up to 70% royalty on sales to customers in the US, Canada, UK, Germany, India, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Australia and more. Enroll in KDP Select and earn more money through Kindle Unlimited and the Kindle Owners' Lending Library.

Keep control. Keep control of your rights and set your own list prices. Make changes to your books at any time.

Publish in digital and print. Publish Kindle eBooks and paperbacks for free on KDP.

Get started today! Self-publish with KDP for free. Learn how easy it is.

Create a Book

KDP’s book setup makes it easy for you to upload, enter, and modify your book before publishing. The information you enter during this setup will be used in creating your book’s Amazon detail page. The detail page is where readers go to buy your book. If you want to sell your book as an eBook, hardcover, and paperback, be sure to create all formats in your KDP account and link them together.

Note: Before publishing your book, don’t forget to format your manuscript and cover. You can review our guidelines and recommendations on Paperback Formatting, Hardcover Formatting, and eBook Formatting in our Help Center.

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Enter Book Details

Entering your book details is the first step towards publishing your book. These details directly correlate with what shows up on the Amazon detail page for your book. You have full control over what is displayed. However, keep in mind that some of these fields can't be modified once your book is published. We recommend paying extra close attention to ensure all of these details are correct.

To see an example of how your book details will show up on your detail page visit J.K. Rowling’s page for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

To see a list of what details can and can't be changed after publishing, visit our Update Your Book Details page.

The title, subtitle, author name, series information, and ISBN in your manuscript file must match the details you enter during title setup. Kindle eBooks, paperbacks, and hardcover books are linked automatically if the author name and book title of both editions match exactly. During the publishing process, KDP tries to match book details like title and author name to other editions available in the Amazon catalog.

For low- content books, you can choose to either use your own ISBN or publish without an ISBN. Learn more about low-content books.

Entering your book details is the first step of the setup workflow. To begin, follow the steps below:

1. Go to your Bookshelf.
2. Click the “+ Create” button.
3. Click to choose which type of book to create.

For more specific information, tips, tricks, and recommendations on each detail, use the links below:

BOOK TITLE & EDITIONS How to write an effective title and when to use edition numbers. Learn more

AUTHORS & CONTRIBUTORS Instructions on how to add authors & contributors. Learn more

BOOK DESCRIPTION Learn how to write an effective book description and what HTML can be used. Learn more

KEYWORDS How to add/update keywords and best practices. Learn more

CATEGORIES How to choose and update your book's categories. Learn more

PRE-ORDER (eBook only) How pre-orders work. Eligibility and requirements. Learn more

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Upload and Preview Book

The next step in the setup workflow is to upload and preview your book. Here, you can upload your manuscript and preview it to see exactly what your book will look like.

This section of the setup workflow also contains information about your book’s ISBN. You will need a unique ISBN for each format of your book: eBook, paperback, and hardcover. To learn more about obtaining an ISBN for your book, visit our ISBN page.

Note:

• If you are publishing a paperback or hardcover book, you will have to enter your print options before previewing. To learn more, visit out Print Options help page.
• Ensure the manuscript you upload contains the books interior for the title and description you entered. Your book's description should describe the main plot, theme, or idea of the book. For eBooks, an error message will surface in case there is a mismatch. You'll be able to continue setting up your book after you upload the correct manuscript or go back and edit these book details.
  

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Set Rights & Pricing

The last step in our workflow is the Rights & Pricing section. Here you will set your book’s price, royalty rate, and agree to KDP’s Terms and Conditions before publishing. Your price can be modified at any time after your book is published.

Tip: Click the links and highlighted text you see in the setup workflow for extra tips, information, and guidance.

How do I choose the proper royalty rate? Check out our Price Your Book page for additional information.

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What's Next?

If you are publishing a paperback or hardcover book, it’s time to start thinking about ordering your proof copies. Ordering a proof is not mandatory, although it gives you the option to see your book in person before publishing. If you order a proof, you can submit your book for publication right away or wait until you’ve received and reviewed the proof. It’s up to you.

Want to learn more about proof copies? Check out our Proof Copies help page.

Format Your Paperback

When you create a paperback book on KDP, you need to format and upload two files: a manuscript file, which is the interior of your book including front matter, body matter, and back matter, and a cover file, which is the outside of your book including the front, back, and spine. Here we provide steps on how to format both files, plus tools and resources to help you get started.

Format your interior manuscript file

Format your interior file by following the steps below:

SET TRIM SIZE AND MARGINS Set the size of your book and margins. If you have visual elements that reach the edge of the page, set up your interior file with bleed.

CREATE FRONT, BODY, AND BACK MATTER Create your front, body, and back matter elements such as title pages, copyright page, chapter headings, and author bio.

SAVE MANUSCRIPT FOR UPLOAD Save your interior file the right way to avoid errors. Once saved, upload and preview your file.

Alternatively, use Kindle Create to turn your completed manuscript into a beautiful book. We recommend Kindle Create for text-heavy books with simple layouts.
Note: Kindle Create isn’t supported for paperbacks with tables, footnotes, or images that bleed.

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Format your cover file

Choose one of three ways to create your paperback cover:

USE OUR FREE TOOL Create a cover that meets KDP specifications with our Cover Creator tool.

DOWNLOAD A COVER TEMPLATE Create a print-ready paperback cover with any software that will open a .png or PDF file and save a PDF file using our cover calculator and templates.

CREATE YOUR OWN COVER Use our cover guide with detailed specifications to create your own cover. Our calculator can help with your book dimensions .

Format Your Hardcover

When you create a hardcover on KDP, you need to format and upload two files: a manuscript file, which is the interior of your book including front matter, body matter, and back matter, and a cover file, which is the outside of your book including the front, back, and spine. Here we provide steps on how to format both files, plus tools and resources to help you get started.

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Format your interior manuscript file

Format your hardcover interior file by following the steps below:

SET TRIM SIZE AND MARGINS Set the size of your book and margins. If you have visual elements that reach the edge of the page, set up your interior file with bleed.

CREATE FRONT, BODY, AND BACK MATTER Create your front, body, and back matter elements such as title pages, copyright page, chapter headings, and author bio.

SAVE MANUSCRIPT FOR UPLOAD Save your interior file the right way to avoid errors. Once saved, upload and preview your file.

Alternatively, use Kindle Create to turn your completed manuscript into a beautiful book. We recommend Kindle Create for text-heavy books with simple layouts.

Note: Kindle Create isn’t supported for paperbacks with tables, footnotes, or images that bleed.

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Format your cover file

Choose one of three ways to create your hardcover cover:

USE OUR FREE TOOL Create a cover that meets KDP specifications with our Cover Creator tool.

DOWNLOAD A COVER TEMPLATE Create a custom cover template based on your book’s exact specifications.

CREATE YOUR OWN COVER Use our cover guide with detailed specifications to create your own cover.

Note: We print case laminate hardcover books. This means your hardcover book will not have a dust jacket and the art is printed directly on the cover.