To publish an eBook on Amazon, create or sign in to a Kindle Direct Publishing account, complete the publisher, tax, and payment profile, prepare an edited eBook and cover, then create a Kindle eBook from the KDP Bookshelf. The setup has three practical parts: enter book details; upload and preview the eBook content; set territories, pricing, royalty choice, and other applicable terms. Review every field, accept the current terms, and submit for publication.
For most text-led books, upload a validated reflowable EPUB and test the processed result in Kindle Previewer and KDP’s preview workflow. Do not make legacy MOBI the default master. Fixed-layout content requires a separate decision and substantially more device testing.
You must have the rights required to publish the content in every selected territory. Rights include the manuscript, images, cover elements, fonts, quotations, translations, maps, tables, and any commissioned material.
If a previous publisher controls the eBook rights, a contract has not reverted, or the work includes material you cannot license, do not upload it. KDP may request proof of rights. Preserve contracts, permission letters, public-domain research, contributor agreements, and source records.
Ordinary KDP publication and KDP Select are not the same decision. A standard KDP eBook can generally be distributed through other permitted channels. Enrolling the digital edition in KDP Select introduces exclusivity requirements and access to program-specific benefits under current terms.
Read the KDP Select rules before enrollment. Check how they affect direct sales, retailers, libraries, subscriber copies, bundles, and content posted elsewhere. Do not enroll merely because an old case study promises rankings or page-read income.
A Kindle eBook, paperback, and hardcover are separate product formats. Create each intended format in KDP and keep the title and author details consistent so Amazon can try to link the editions. A print file is not an eBook file, and an eBook EPUB is not a print-ready PDF.
|
Format or product |
Use when |
KDP setup |
| Reflowable Kindle eBook | Text-led content | Kindle eBook |
| Fixed-layout Kindle eBook | Composition is essential | Kindle eBook |
| KPF workflow | Using current Kindle authoring tools | Kindle eBook |
| DOCX workflow | Simple, consistently styled manuscript | Kindle eBook |
| Paperback or hardcover | Physical edition | Separate print format |
| Audiobook | Narrated edition | Separate audio platform workflow |
An audiobook is a separate production and distribution path. Enhanced content, workbooks, journals, and highly interactive or consumable products may have platform-specific restrictions or usability issues. Confirm that KDP supports the intended content type before production.
Use a long-term account controlled by the rights holder or authorized publisher. Avoid creating duplicate KDP accounts without authorization; follow current account rules and contact KDP if ownership or access needs to change.
Complete:
Choose reflowable EPUB for novels, memoirs, essays, and most text-led nonfiction. It lets readers change font, size, spacing, margins, orientation, and theme. Structure the book with semantic headings, paragraphs, lists, figures, captions, notes, and navigation.
Choose fixed layout only when page composition is essential, such as some picture books, comics, or highly illustrated works. It limits reader control and creates more accessibility and device-testing work. Verify current Kindle fixed-layout guidance and feature support.
A clean DOCX may be suitable for a straightforward book, especially when converted through a current KDP tool. It must use real styles and page breaks, not tabs, spaces, or empty lines for design. Always preview the processed result.
Kindle Package Format may be generated by Amazon’s current authoring tools. It can support KDP-specific workflows, but keep an editable source and, where practical, an interoperable archival master. Test the exact KPF that will be uploaded.
Use logical reading order, headings, real lists and tables, descriptive links, language metadata, meaningful image text alternatives, and reader-controllable typography. Do not convey meaning only through color or visual position.
KDP publishes Accessibility for eBooks guidance. Apply it during production, not after a rejection or complaint. The European Accessibility Act and other laws may affect commercial eBooks in relevant markets; obtain qualified advice for legal requirements.
The eBook cover is a separate image uploaded during Kindle eBook content setup. It must match the title and author information and meet current KDP cover requirements.
A strong cover:
In the current KDP interface, choose the option to create a Kindle eBook. KDP’s Create a Book guidance describes a three-stage setup: book details, eBook content, and rights and pricing.
Save as you go. Do not rely on a browser session remaining open. Use the canonical publication brief so fields do not drift.
Select the language of the content. Tag language correctly inside the EPUB, including changes for quoted material or multilingual passages.
Enter the exact title shown on the title page and cover. Do not put HTML, search terms, promotional claims, price, bestseller assertions, or category names into the title fields unless they are genuinely part of the published title and allowed.
Subtitle should clarify the work, not become a keyword dump. Material title changes after publication may require a new edition rather than a metadata edit.
Add series information only when the book genuinely belongs to a series. Use consistent spelling and numbering across formats. Confirm that a prequel, box set, companion, or workbook is labeled accurately.
Use consistent author names. Add editors, illustrators, translators, foreword writers, or other contributors in the correct roles. Secure contractual permission. Pen names are publishing identities, but the KDP account and tax profile must still use the required legal information.
Explain the reader problem or story premise, central benefits or stakes, and what the book contains. Follow KDP metadata rules: the description must not contain reviews or testimonials, website URLs, contact details, prices, alternative ordering instructions, review requests or unrelated keywords. Keep claims accurate and use only supported formatting.
Select the response that accurately reflects whether you own the necessary rights or the work is public domain. Public-domain publication has additional content and differentiation rules. Keep evidence.
Use accurate phrases readers might use. Do not include other authors’ names, trademark manipulation, unrelated categories, misleading claims, or terms prohibited by KDP. Avoid duplicating the title mechanically when better contextual terms exist.
Choose the most accurate categories available in the current interface. Category systems change. Do not force the book into an irrelevant low-competition category merely to claim a rank.
KDP’s current setup asks publishers to disclose certain AI-generated content. Follow the exact current definition and instructions. Review all content for rights, accuracy, privacy, quality, and reader value. Disclosure does not transfer responsibility to the tool.
Upload the exact approved files. Confirm that the manuscript belongs to the title and description entered. KDP notes that a mismatch can trigger an error.
Wait for processing to finish. Record the filenames and versions. If KDP reports a problem, read the specific message, correct the source, create a new version, and re-upload. Do not rename an unchanged file and assume the defect is fixed.
Use KDP’s online preview and the current Kindle Previewer where appropriate. Test representative phones, tablets, and Kindle device modes. Change font size, font, margins, line spacing, theme, and orientation.
Check every chapter, not only the first. Pay special attention to:
A Kindle eBook can be published without an ISBN; Amazon assigns an ASIN. If you assign an ISBN for a broader digital distribution plan, use one for that publication product and keep paperback and hardcover identifiers separate. Check the ISBN assignment guide before uploading.
Choose worldwide rights only when you control the eBook rights worldwide. If rights are limited by country, language, previous license, or contract, select the accurate territories.
Translations require rights to the underlying work and the translated text. A translator agreement should define ownership or license, credit, payment, and permitted markets. A public-domain original does not automatically make a modern translation, annotation, introduction, illustration, or cover public domain.
KDP offers royalty options subject to current eligibility, pricing, territory, delivery, content, and other terms. The headline “up to 70%” does not mean every sale pays 70% of list price.
Review the current Kindle eBook royalty page for:
KDP Select is an optional program for Kindle eBooks. It can make the eBook available through Kindle+ and enable program-specific promotional tools under current rules, but it requires digital exclusivity during the enrollment term.
Before enrolling, list every current or planned digital channel:
Before clicking publish:
KDP’s public site says publication may appear within a stated timeframe, but review and availability can vary by book and store. Do not promise a launch time until the product page is live and verified.
After publication, verify:
Open the sample. Buy or obtain an authorized quality-check copy where appropriate and permitted. Confirm that the delivered book matches the preview.
Some fields and files can be updated; others may require support, a new edition, or a new title. KDP’s rules determine whether customers receive an updated file and whether a correction is significant enough to require notification.
Use version control:
KDP does not charge an upfront listing fee to create the Kindle eBook. Publishing still has production and operating costs, and Amazon applies current royalty and delivery terms to sales. Budget for editing, cover design, conversion, accessibility, marketing, and taxes as applicable.
For most text-led eBooks, a validated reflowable EPUB is a strong master. KDP also supports other current upload paths and tools for certain workflows. Use KDP Supported eBook Formats and preview the processed result. Do not default to legacy MOBI.
KDP states that an ISBN is not required for a Kindle eBook; Amazon assigns an ASIN. If you use an ISBN, it should belong to that eBook edition and comply with the authorized ISBN agency’s rules. Print formats use separate ISBNs.
No. An identifier for one product form should not be reused for another. Paperback, hardcover, eBook, and audiobook are distinct format decisions.
Generally, yes when you own the rights and have not accepted an exclusivity restriction. If the eBook is enrolled in KDP Select, follow the program’s current digital exclusivity requirements.
KDP accepts EPUB, DOCX and KPF for applicable workflows. MOBI upload support has ended. Retain an editable source and test the retailer-processed preview.
KDP’s 35% and 70% eBook royalty options have different eligibility, territory and deduction rules. The amount received depends on the actual sale.
The current Select enrollment page specifies a 90-day term and Kindle eBook exclusivity, with a stated public-library exception. Check the renewal date and full terms before making the edition available elsewhere.
For the complete production process, use the manuscript-to-eBook workflow. Professional eBook conversion is useful when complex content needs specialist repair and testing.
