Publishing a Kindle ebook on Amazon is free, and the form takes under an hour once you have the files ready. What takes longer is getting those files and words right, so this guide covers what to prepare first and then walks through the form in the order KDP asks.
Before you start: what to have ready
- The manuscript as an [EPUB](/glossary/epub). KDP also accepts Word files, but an EPUB is built for ebooks: it reflows to any screen and keeps your headings and contents page working.
- A cover image. A JPEG, taller than it is wide. KDP’s ideal is 1,600 × 2,560 pixels and its minimum is 625 × 1,000.
- A description of 150–300 words that says who the book is for and what they get (more on this below).
- Seven keyword phrases people might search for.
- A price, and an idea of which royalty band you want.
1. Set up 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 your tax information and bank details. You can start a book without them, but finishing them first means nothing stops you at the end.
2. Kindle eBook details
Choose Create → Kindle eBook. The first page is the listing itself, and it matters more than any other page in the form, because it is what people read before they buy.
- Language, title and subtitle. Put the outcome in the subtitle: “Pricing Your Design Work: What to Charge and How to Say It Out Loud”. The subtitle is searchable.
- Author. Your name or a pen name, the same on every book you want readers to connect.
- Description. Open with the reader’s problem, say what they will have after reading, list what is inside, and end with who it is for. Short paragraphs; no hype.
- Publishing rights. Choose that you own the copyright and hold the rights, if the book is yours.
- Keywords. Seven boxes. Use phrases a reader would type (“freelance pricing guide”, “how to raise your rates”), not single words, and don’t repeat words already in your title.
- Categories. Pick the most specific ones that really fit. A narrow category is easier to be visible in than a broad one.
- Age and grade range, only for children’s books.
There is also a question about AI-generated content. If AI wrote or drew any of the text, images or translations, answer yes for each. It is recorded for Amazon, not printed in the book or shown on the listing. Can you sell AI-written books on Amazon? explains the difference between AI-generated and AI-assisted.
3. Kindle eBook content
- 1[DRM](/glossary/drm). Choose whether to apply digital rights management. It cannot be changed after publishing, so decide now; many independent authors leave it off.
- 2Manuscript. Upload the EPUB. KDP converts it and tells you if anything is wrong.
- 3Cover. Upload your JPEG, or use KDP’s Cover Creator to make one.
- 4Preview. Open the online previewer and look at it as a phone, a tablet and a Kindle. Check the contents page links, the chapter starts and anything with a table or a list.
- 5ISBN. Not needed for a Kindle ebook — Amazon gives it an ASIN instead. See ISBN for when you would want one.
4. Kindle eBook pricing
Two choices on this page. KDP Select is optional enrolment in Kindle Unlimited; it adds the book to the subscription library but asks for ebook exclusivity, so you can’t sell the ebook anywhere else while enrolled. Selling an ebook without Amazon weighs that up honestly.
Then the royalty band and price. The 70% band applies within a price window and deducts a small delivery fee based on the file’s size; outside it you get 35% with no fee. The ebook royalty calculator shows what a given price pays, and the ebook price calculator helps choose the price in the first place.
Need the book first? Describe it in one sentence and BookArc plans it, writes it, and gives you the EPUB and the cover.
Start your ebook5. Publish, and what happens next
Press Publish your Kindle eBook. Amazon reviews it — usually within 72 hours — and emails you when it is live. Until then it shows as “In review”. If something is wrong, the email says what to fix.
Once it is live, the work changes from making the book to helping people find it: a link wherever your readers are, a cover and description you keep improving, and, if you want one, a paperback of the same book using the same listing. Your first ten ebook sales covers that part honestly — it takes effort, and nothing about it is guaranteed.
The mistakes that cause trouble
- A description that describes the book instead of the reader’s problem. Nobody buys “This book covers seven topics”.
- Keywords stuffed with brand names or other authors. Against the rules, and a reason for a listing to be blocked.
- A cover that is unreadable as a thumbnail. Look at it at the size of a fingernail before you upload it.
- Skipping the previewer. A broken contents page or a missing chapter is the first thing a reviewer mentions.
- Uploading lots of similar books at once. Amazon limits how many titles an account can publish and removes books that disappoint readers. One good book beats ten thin ones.
How BookArc fits in
BookArc does the part before KDP: you describe the book, approve a chapter plan, and it writes each chapter and draws a cover. The download menu gives you an EPUB for Kindle, Apple Books and Kobo; a print-ready PDF if you later want a paperback; a PDF to share; a Word file to edit; and the cover image, which is above KDP’s minimum size. Downloads come with a paid plan. The KDP form, the description and the decision to publish stay yours — and so does the book.
