How to Self-Publish a Book on Amazon KDP (2026 Step-by-Step Guide)

What do you need before you open a KDP account?

Have four things ready: a finished and edited manuscript, a cover, a book description, and a rough idea of your price. Publishing is free, but a book that sells almost always has had real effort or money put into editing and cover design first. Readers forgive a modest story far more readily than they forgive typos or a cover that looks amateur.

Decide which formats you want. Most authors publish an ebook and a paperback, and some add a hardcover. Each format has its own file requirements, so deciding early saves rework. The ebook needs a reflowable file and a front cover image. The paperback needs a print-ready interior PDF and a full cover file that includes the spine and back.

Budget honestly. Costs range from almost nothing, if you do the work yourself, to a few thousand dollars with professional editing and design. Editing is usually the biggest line. If you are unsure where your money should go, a budget tool helps you plan before you spend.

How do you set up your KDP account and tax details?

Go to kdp.amazon.com and sign in with an existing Amazon account or create one. Before Amazon can pay you, you must complete your author details, a tax interview and your bank information. Do this early, because you can build and save a book before it is finished, but you cannot be paid until these sections are done.

The tax interview matters more than most new authors expect. Amazon is a US company, so it withholds US tax on royalties by default, and the standard rate is 30%. Authors outside the United States can often claim a lower rate, or none, under a tax treaty between their country and the US, but only if they complete the interview correctly. Answer it carefully, and check with a tax adviser if your situation is unusual.

Royalties are paid monthly, roughly 60 days after the end of the month in which the sales happened. That delay surprises first-time authors, so do not plan around launch-month income arriving in the next month.

How do you format and upload the manuscript and cover?

For the ebook, KDP accepts several file types, including DOCX and EPUB. EPUB usually gives the cleanest, most predictable result. The file needs a title page, a copyright page, properly styled chapter headings and a linked table of contents so readers can jump between chapters. Use real heading styles, never manual spacing or tabs, or the layout will break on some devices.

The paperback is stricter because it is a fixed layout. You choose a trim size, set margins with a wider inside (gutter) margin that grows with page count, and make sure fonts are embedded in the PDF. Your cover file must match your page count and paper type, because the spine width depends on them. A paperback also needs a minimum page count set by KDP. Formatting by hand in a word processor is possible but fiddly, and a tool that outputs print-ready PDF and EPUB, such as CruxOne, can save hours.

Use KDP's online previewer on every file, and order a printed proof copy of the paperback before you publish. A proof costs only the printing price and shipping, and it shows problems no screen preview will: text too close to the spine, a cover that prints darker than expected, or a spine that is slightly off. For the cover itself, design for the thumbnail first, since most shoppers see it the size of a stamp, and make sure it signals your genre clearly.

How do you fill in the book details, categories and keywords?

The details page is where readers find and choose your book. You enter the title and subtitle, series information if relevant, author name, description, keywords and categories. Your title and author name must match the cover. Put the book into a series if it belongs in one, because that links your listings and helps readers move from book one to the next.

Write the description as sales copy, not a plot summary. Lead with a hook, keep paragraphs short, and end on an open question. Amazon shows only the first few lines on mobile before a Read more link, so the opening has to work alone. For keywords, KDP gives you seven slots. Use phrases readers actually type, such as a sub-genre plus a trope, rather than single broad words you could never rank for. For categories, pick the most specific ones that genuinely fit, because ranking well in a narrow category is far easier than in a broad one.

You will also choose your rights and territories, and you must say whether the content includes AI-generated material. KDP's rules ask you to disclose AI-generated text, images or translations, while AI-assisted work, where you edited and shaped the output yourself, is treated differently. Read the current wording on KDP's help pages before you answer, because the policy can change. For ISBNs, KDP can give you a free one for a paperback, but that ISBN lists KDP as the publisher and cannot be reused elsewhere. If you plan to sell through other stores or print channels, buying your own is worth considering.

How do you price your book and what royalty will you earn?

KDP has two ebook royalty options. The 70% option applies to books priced between $2.99 and $9.99 in the main markets, and Amazon subtracts a delivery fee based on file size. The 35% option works at other prices with no delivery fee. Rates and price bands can differ by country and can change, so check KDP's pricing page before you settle on a number. Fiction often sells best at the lower end of the 70% band, while non-fiction can support the higher end.

Paperbacks pay 60% of the list price minus the printing cost. Printing cost depends on page count, ink type, trim size and the marketplace, and Amazon updates the figures from time to time, so do not rely on any number you saw in an old blog post. KDP shows the exact cost and your royalty on the pricing page as you type a price. The key point is that a long, colour or large-format book needs a much higher list price just to earn anything.

Before you publish, run your numbers for each format, because the format with the highest price is not always the one that pays you best. A royalty tool shows what you keep at each price, and a pricing guide helps you choose a launch price and a longer-term price that suit your genre.

Should you enrol in KDP Select?

KDP Select is optional. In return for making your ebook exclusive to Amazon for 90-day terms, your book joins Kindle Unlimited, where you are paid for pages read rather than sales, and you gain access to promotional tools such as Kindle Countdown Deals and free promotion days. Exclusivity applies to the ebook only. You can still sell the paperback anywhere.

Select often suits fast-paced, binge-friendly fiction in a series, where Kindle Unlimited readers are plentiful. It can be a poor fit for authors who want to sell on Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play and in libraries, or for non-fiction whose readers buy rather than borrow. The payout per page changes monthly, so treat any figure you read as a snapshot.

A sensible approach is to treat each 90-day term as an experiment. Note your sales and page reads, compare them with what you would expect to earn wide, and decide at the next renewal. Auto-renewal is on by default, so turn it off if you do not want to be locked in again.

What happens after you hit publish, and how do you launch?

After you click Publish, Amazon reviews the book. This can take up to 72 hours, and it is often quicker. If something fails, such as a file error or a metadata issue, KDP emails you with the reason. Fix it and resubmit. Once approved, the ebook and paperback appear on separate pages that Amazon normally links together. If they are not linked after a few days, contact KDP support.

A launch is easier if you plan it. Consider setting up an ebook pre-order, so readers can buy before release day and early reviewers have time to read. Build an advance reader team from your mailing list or social followers, and ask for honest reviews, never paid or incentivised ones, since Amazon's review rules are strict. Claim your Author Central page, so your bio, photo and books appear together.

Do not judge the book by its first week. Most self-published books grow through a combination of reviews, a mailing list, tidy metadata and, for many authors, more books in the same series. Check your listing a month in, refine your keywords, categories and description from what you have learnt, and then start writing the next book.

Frequently asked questions

Is it free to publish on Amazon KDP?

Yes. Uploading your ebook or paperback costs nothing. Amazon takes a share of each sale, and for paperbacks it also deducts the printing cost.

How long does it take for a KDP book to go live?

Amazon says review can take up to 72 hours, and many books go live sooner. Allow the full three days before any planned release date.

How much royalty does KDP pay?

Ebooks pay 70% in the eligible price band, minus a delivery fee, or 35% otherwise. Paperbacks pay 60% of list price minus printing cost. Check KDP for current terms.

Do I need an ISBN to publish on KDP?

No. Ebooks do not need one, and KDP offers a free ISBN for paperbacks. That free ISBN names KDP as publisher and cannot be used elsewhere.

Can I publish on KDP from outside the US?

Yes, authors worldwide can publish. Complete the tax interview correctly, because it decides whether you can claim a treaty rate and reduce US withholding on royalties.