KDP Publishing Checklist for First-Time Authors
Written by ebookwriters.us Editorial Desk. Reviewed by Hannah Collins, Managing Editor. Published . Updated . 7 min read
This KDP publishing checklist takes you from a finished manuscript to a live Amazon listing, in the order KDP asks for things. Amazon KDP is self-serve, which makes it accessible, but it is unforgiving of missing pieces. If you upload before the text is final, you spend your launch on a book you will re-upload next week. If you rush the metadata, the book lands in a category nobody searches. Work the eight stages below in order, tick every line, and leave the publish button for last.
Quick answer
Amazon KDP publishing works when the manuscript, cover, EPUB or print files, categories, keywords, and metadata already match. Keep the KDP account in your name. Do not upload a rough draft and hope the listing will fix it.
Stage 1: Lock the manuscript
Nothing else on this list matters until the text is final. Final means three separate passes, in this order: the structure is settled, a professional has edited it, and someone has proofread it. An under-edited book collects poor reviews that a later re-upload cannot remove.
Before you go further, check off each of these:
- Developmental issues are resolved: structure, chapter order and gaps in the argument. Our developmental editing vs copyediting guide explains the difference.
- Someone other than you has copyedited and proofread the text.
- Front matter is drafted: title page, copyright page and an optional dedication.
- Back matter is drafted: author bio, a call to action or link, and any other books you have written.
- You have read the formatted file once, start to finish, rather than the Word document.
Stage 2: Prepare the files KDP accepts
For the ebook, upload a validated EPUB. KDP also accepts DOCX, or KPF from Kindle Create, but EPUB tends to give the most predictable results. For a paperback you need a print-ready PDF at your chosen trim size, with the correct margins and bleed.
Formatting is its own craft: a working table of contents, clean chapter starts, and fonts and spacing that behave on every device. The full walkthrough is in how to format an ebook for Amazon KDP. If you would rather hand it off, every package on our pricing page includes editing, a cover, and EPUB and PDF files.
Stage 3: Cover that passes and sells
KDP recommends an ebook cover of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels (a 1.6:1 ratio), as a JPEG or TIFF under 50MB. Meeting the spec is the minimum. The cover's real job is to win a click at thumbnail size against every other book in your category.
Genre signals matter more than personal taste. Scroll the top 20 books in your category; your cover should look like it belongs on that shelf while still standing out.
A paperback needs a full wrap (front, spine and back) built to the final page count. To see genre-matched covers, browse our portfolio; the service itself is ebook cover design.
Stage 4: Account, tax, and ownership
Open the KDP account in your own name and with your own email. Complete the tax interview, which guides both US and non-US authors to the right forms, and connect your own bank account for royalties.
This is where some publishing services take control. They publish through their own account and forward royalties to you. Avoid that setup: if the account is not yours, the book, its reviews and its sales history are not under your control. Our KDP service publishes through the author's own account, and the Amazon KDP service page explains how.
Stage 5: Metadata (title, description, keywords, categories)
The book details page is your search marketing. Most authors fill it in once and rarely revisit it, so draft it a few days before upload. For the description, see our step-by-step guide on how to write a book description.
Work through each field:
- Title and subtitle: match the cover exactly. A nonfiction subtitle is a good place for search terms, such as "for nurses and night-shift workers."
- Description: about 150 to 200 words of sales copy. Open with a hook, then the promise, then what the reader gets, then a prompt to buy.
- Keywords: KDP gives you 7 slots. Use all of them, with phrases real buyers type into Amazon, and skip words already in the title.
- Categories: choose up to 3. Smaller, accurate categories usually work better than large ones you cannot rank in.
- AI disclosure: KDP asks whether the book contains AI-generated content, and you must answer. Text, images or translations created by an AI tool count as AI-generated even if you edited them. Content you wrote yourself and only refined with a tool counts as AI-assisted and does not need declaring.
Stage 6: Pricing and royalties
KDP offers two royalty options for ebooks. On Amazon.com, a list price from $2.99 to $12.99 qualifies for the 70% option, minus a small delivery fee per megabyte. Outside that range the rate is 35%. Many first nonfiction ebooks are priced somewhere between $2.99 and $7.99, which reads as a real book to buyers and keeps the 70% rate.
Paperbacks work differently. On Amazon.com you earn 60% of a list price of $9.99 or more (50% below that), minus the printing cost. Check that your page count leaves a reasonable margin before you announce a price.
You can change prices whenever you like after launch. A poor category choice is harder to recover from. For the full math, see KDP royalties explained.
Stage 7: The KDP Select decision
KDP Select puts your ebook in Kindle Unlimited and gives you promotional tools such as free days and Countdown Deals. The cost is 90 days of ebook exclusivity to Amazon, so Apple Books, Kobo and your own website are off the table while you are enrolled.
As a rule of thumb, books in categories where readers browse heavily through Kindle Unlimited, such as genre fiction, tend to do well in Select. Business books that double as lead generators usually do better staying wide and selling direct.
For a practical nonfiction guide, look at what readers in your category actually do. Enrollment renews every 90 days, so you can change course, but make the choice deliberately.
Stage 8: Upload, preview, publish, verify
Before you click publish:
- Upload the manuscript and cover, and fix every error and warning KDP reports.
- Open the online previewer and check phone, tablet and e-reader views, including table of contents links, chapter breaks and images.
- Confirm pricing in every major marketplace, not only amazon.com.
- Click publish. Ebooks typically go live within 72 hours, often sooner.
After the book goes live
Check the listing page, buy a copy yourself to confirm delivery works, then claim the book in Author Central and link your author profile.
Mistakes that cost first-time authors the most
These five are common, and each costs far less to prevent than to repair:
- Publishing an unedited draft and planning to fix it later
- Using a homemade cover against professionally designed competition
- Leaving keyword slots empty or filling them with words already in the title
- Pricing at $0.99 for exposure, which locks the book into the 35% royalty rate
- Publishing through a vendor's account instead of your own
Plan the whole timeline
To see the full journey on a calendar, from writing to going live, read how long it takes to write and publish a book.
FAQ
How much does it cost to publish on Amazon KDP?
Publishing on KDP itself is free. Amazon takes its share of each sale through the royalty split. Your real costs are production: editing, a cover and formatting, which together can range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars when done professionally.
Do I need an ISBN to publish a Kindle ebook?
No. Amazon assigns every Kindle ebook a free ASIN. A paperback does need an ISBN, and KDP provides one free; if you buy your own, you can list your own imprint as the publisher.
How long does KDP take to approve and publish a book?
Usually within 72 hours of clicking publish, and often within a few hours. Paperbacks can take a little longer while the print files are reviewed.
Should a first-time author enroll in KDP Select?
It depends on your category. If many readers in it use Kindle Unlimited and you want the promotional tools, enroll. If the book supports a business and you want it in every store and on your own site, stay wide; enrollment runs 90 days at a time, so you can switch later.
Can I update my ebook after it is published?
Yes. You can upload new files, change the cover, adjust the price, and update keywords or categories at any time. What you cannot undo is a launch that collected reviews of an unfinished book.
What to do next
Print this checklist and work the stages in order, and publishing day becomes routine paperwork.
If you would rather have the production stages (editing, cover, formatting and upload checks) handled as one managed package while the account stays yours, that is what our Amazon KDP ebook writing service does. You can get a scoped quote through our contact page.
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