Your next steps on Amazon
Your files are ready. You’ll publish through your own Amazon KDP account; we cannot submit the book for you. This guide covers the decisions, checks and waiting around the seven book-specific steps on your book’s page.
Get your account ready first
KDP needs to know who is publishing and where to send the money. Do this before planning a launch date: account checks and book review are separate waits.
Watch out:KDP generally permits one account. A different book or pen name does not need another.
Watch out:Putting a pen name in legal or payment fields can cause verification problems.
Watch out:An unresolved identity check can prevent publishing. Follow requests inside KDP rather than sending documents to an unfamiliar email address.
Watch out:Incorrect bank details can leave royalties unpaid even when your book is selling.
Watch out:Incomplete or invalid tax information can block publishing or payment. This interview does not replace your local tax return.
Watch out:There is no single approval time for the whole account. Use KDP’s displayed status, not a launch date you have already advertised.
Payment is not immediate. KDP generally pays royalties about 60 days after the sales month ends, or about 90 days for Expanded Distribution. Payment thresholds, account holds and bank processing can affect when the money arrives.
Start with the edition you have
KDP charges no upload or publication fee for paperback, Kindle ebook or hardcover. Proofs and author copies cost money; formatting services, an ISBN and advertising may also cost money if you choose them.
Watch out:Paperback first is a practical default, not a rule. Do not select several formats because the buttons are there.
Watch out:Your print PDF is not automatically a good ebook. Small text, fixed pages and large image files can make it awkward to read and expensive to deliver.
Watch out:A paperback cover PDF will not fit a hardcover. The interior may also need changes to meet the available specifications.
Watch out:Ticking a large-print box does not enlarge the text. Larger type changes page count, spine width and printing cost.
Watch out:Select is not ordinary KDP publishing. Its exclusivity can prevent you from selling or giving away the digital book through another shop or your own site, apart from permitted exceptions.
You can add another format later. Matching title and author details help Amazon recognise editions of the same book, but each format still needs its own setup and review.
Choose an ISBN without the mystery
An ISBN identifies a particular edition and format; it does not register copyright. The useful question is whether you want this print edition tied to KDP or available through other publishing services too.
Watch out:Not every activity book is low-content. Use KDP’s definition rather than guessing from the number of words.
Watch out:That ISBN can only be used through KDP. It does not make your text exclusive, but another publishing service cannot use the same free number.
Watch out:Owning an ISBN does not put a book in shops. KDP’s title, author and imprint information must also match the agency’s record.
Watch out:You cannot swap the ISBN on a published edition. Moving from a free ISBN to your own generally means publishing a new edition.
If your immediate plan is an ordinary paperback sold through Amazon, the free ISBN is often enough. Choose your own because you need its flexibility, not because a paid number makes the book more legitimate.
Use your book’s ready-made checklist
Your book’s page already contains the seven steps with its actual text, files and suggested price. Use those for the book-specific fields; the checks here cover decisions that a copy button cannot make.
Watch out:Owning a downloaded file does not necessarily give you publishing rights. Choose worldwide rights only if you hold them.
Watch out:The cover fits a particular page count, paper and size. Changing those settings can make a finished cover the wrong size.
Watch out:The checklist prepares the form; it does not replace the royalty and proof checks below.
Watch out:A less relevant category is not a useful shortcut to visibility. Amazon can adjust placement, and category structures differ between stores.
Watch out:Other authors’ names, misleading claims and phrases such as “bestseller” can breach metadata rules. Keywords do not guarantee search placement.
The old advice to ask support for ten categories is out of date. Change your available selections through Edit book details. Use KDP Help’s Contact Us option for an incorrect placement or unavailable relevant option, not as a way to obtain extra category slots.
Check what one sale pays you
Your suggested price is a starting point, not a promise of profit. Use KDP’s current royalty estimate for the actual format, files and marketplace before accepting it.
Watch out:Older guides often assume every paperback pays 60%. Page count, colour printing and local price thresholds can substantially change what remains.
Watch out:A higher selling price does not necessarily leave a higher royalty. Hardcover printing costs are different.
Watch out:Selecting 70% does not make every sale earn 70%. Some territories and sales still qualify only for 35%.
Watch out:An image-heavy ebook can lose a noticeable amount to delivery charges. Seventy per cent is a rate, not your take-home amount.
Watch out:A price can meet KDP’s minimum and still leave too little for your plans. Minimum price is not the same as a sensible margin.
If you enable Expanded Distribution for an eligible paperback, its royalty is currently 40% of the applicable list price minus printing cost, not the Amazon-store rate. Confirm the displayed calculation before opting in.
Give the book one real-world check
A digital preview catches layout problems; a paper proof catches things a screen cannot. Ordering a proof is optional, but it is usually worth considering for your first print book.
Watch out:Passing the automated checks does not mean the layout looks good. A previewer cannot judge whether the type is comfortable to read.
Watch out:Requesting a proof is not the same as placing the order. Proofs cost the copy price plus shipping and applicable tax, and carry a “Not for Resale” marking.
Watch out:Ordering a proof pauses nothing. It does not block submission, reserve a launch date or stop a submitted book from going live.
Watch out:Screen brightness can hide dark images and weak contrast. The proof’s warning markings are normal; missing text and an unreadable spine are not.
Watch out:A replacement file needs another preview check. For substantial changes, another proof may be worthwhile.
A proof is for checking, not selling. Once the book is live, author copies are available at printing cost plus shipping and applicable tax; those purchases do not earn royalties.
Submit, then allow for the wait
Pressing Publish sends the edition to KDP for review; it does not put it on sale immediately. Each format has its own review and can become available at a different time.
Watch out:Title, primary author, ISBN and some print settings are not freely editable after publication. KDP restricts changes, and some corrections require a new edition.
Watch out:Saving a draft or approving a preview does not submit the book.
Watch out:You generally cannot edit an edition while it is in review. Availability, search results and different Amazon stores may update at different times.
Watch out:Resubmitting unchanged files does not resolve the problem. A corrected submission goes through review again.
Watch out:Creating another listing to escape a delay can create duplicate-book problems. Keep working from the existing entry.
Do not schedule ads around the moment you press Publish. Schedule them around a book that readers can actually buy.
Make sure the shop window is ready
A live book can still have an unfinished-looking Amazon page. Use the first week to check availability, connect your author identity and catch listing problems.
Watch out:“Live” in KDP does not mean every store has updated or every customer sees a useful delivery date.
Watch out:Your KDP account is not your public Author Page. Author Central is separate from Seller Central, which you do not need for this.
Watch out:Edition linking depends on matching book details. Category correction is not a request for unlimited additional categories.
Watch out:A series name in the subtitle is not a series page. Not every book type or marketplace supports the same series features.
Watch out:A missing sample on day one does not mean the upload failed. Availability varies, and low-content books published without an ISBN have sample limitations.
Watch out:Do not buy reviews, swap reviews or offer gifts or refunds for them. Close friends and family are not a safe review pool, and no review is guaranteed to appear or remain.
Use the existing Bookshelf entry for routine corrections and updates. Changes can need another review, so a live listing is editable in places, not instantly repairable everywhere.
Let the listing settle before paying for visitors
Day one is often too early because availability, edition links and the sample may still be catching up. There is no required waiting week or minimum review count; readiness matters more than the calendar.
Watch out:An ad can send readers to a page that is live but not ready to sell the book properly.
Watch out:A daily budget is not always a hard cap for each individual day. Read Amazon’s current budget rules and monitor cumulative spend.
Watch out:Campaign approval does not guarantee impressions, sales or profit. Your listing keywords and your advertising targets are separate settings.
Watch out:A $12 book sale is not $12 of income for you. Reports also lag, and cancellations or returns can change the figures.
You do not have to advertise. If you do, treat the first campaign as a paid test with a stopping point, not a promise that the book will find its readers.
You can leave it in draft
You do not need to finish this in one sitting. Use KDP’s save buttons, keep copies of the files and listing text you submit, and return when you are ready. Publish because the book, page and numbers have been checked—not because the button is there.
Your book's own title, description and keywords — ready to paste, with the upload state of both PDFs — are on its listing page.