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Last updated on Jul 19, 2023

Amazon KDP: A Writer’s Guide to Kindle Direct Publishing

Kindle Direct Publishing is Amazon’s publishing platform allowing independent authors to access readers worldwide. In a matter of hours, anybody can create an author account, upload their book, and sell paperbacks, hardbacks, and ebooks through Amazon — without any setup cost. It’s unquestionably the most accessible platform for self-publishing authors.

In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about the experience of publishing on KDP, from setting up your book to mastering keywords and categories . But first, let’s take a bird’s eye view and try to see how Amazon has become the go-to retailer for self-publishing authors.

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KDP ignited the self-publishing revolution

Launched concurrently with Amazon’s ebook reader in 2007, KDP opened up the publishing world. Readers could now not only buy indie ebooks through Amazon.com but also directly from any Kindle device. 

Thanks to KDP, authors of niche genres have gained access to readers that previously could have only reached through traditional publishing.

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Indie publishing’s kingmaker

This accessibility has led to multiple waves of bestselling authors who have found mainstream success through self-publishing , including E.L. James ( Fifty Shades of Grey ), Hugh Howey ( Wool ), and Andy Weir ( The Martian ). In addition, there are now countless other indie writers — especially in the romance genre — who earn significantly more than their traditionally published counterparts, thanks mainly to KDP’s favorable royalty rates .

Any author can reach over 80% of US readers 

Amazon is the largest bookstore in the world, full stop. While they don’t have the same iron grip in non-English language book markets, one retail news site suggests that in the US, Amazon held an 83% market share of ebooks in 2019 — with the remaining 17% spread between its competitors.

If you’re looking to sell books in the United States and the United Kingdom, KDP is a platform you can’t afford to ignore — especially once you see how they can help you reach readers across different formats.

Pro-tip: Get a read on your audience early by downloading this author market research checklist. 

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You can sell print, digital, and audio in one place

While many people associate “Kindle” with ebooks, that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the various versions of your book that you can publish through KDP. But let’s not gloss over the convenience of their digital publishing option…

Instant ebook publishing

Through KDP’s author platform, you can set up an account, upload a manuscript, and publish it by the end of the hour. Of course, you’ll likely want to format and edit your book to a professional standard first, but the publishing process on Amazon is otherwise very straightforward.

Once it’s live on the Kindle Store, readers can purchase your digital book and read it on their tablets, e-readers, phones, or desktop computers — just as they would any ebook published by a major press.

Guide to Kindle Direct Publishing | KDP's homepage interface

Paperbacks and hardcovers through KDP Print

Despite the ebook revolution, print books aren’t going anywhere. Several print-on-demand (POD) services are available for self-publishing authors who want a handsome paperbound edition to put in their bookcases (or, you know, to sell to paying customers). With POD, a supplier will churn out copies only when someone orders them — making this system an affordable alternative to large-scale print runs.

Kindle Direct Publishing offers a service called KDP Print ( formerly known as Createspace ), which manages print-on-demand. Authors need to upload immaculately formatted print files (different from the ebook format), after which they can start selling physical copies from their existing KDP account. 

Get in your readers’ ears with Audible

An author recites her book, and it is heard across the world.

As a one-stop-publishing platform, KDP allows authors to focus most of their efforts on a single retailer without fear of losing out on too many potential sales — plus, you’ll only have to handle taxes on your earnings made from a single source.

As you’ll learn later in this guide, it isn’t always the best idea to sell exclusively on KDP, but it certainly is convenient — and the royalties that Amazon offers can be rather sweet.

Earn royalties of up to 70%

Illustration of an author joyfully receiving her royalty check

While these percentages are by no means exclusive to KDP (you can expect similar royalties with Kobo or Apple Books), Amazon is the market leader and has effectively cemented these as the prevailing rates.

Terms and conditions apply

These royalty rates may sound pretty attractive to you, but you should be aware of certain limitations. For example, the 60% royalty on print-on-demand books will look a lot slimmer once you subtract the actual printing costs.

On the digital side of things, the premium 70% ebook royalty isn’t available in all territories and requires you to price your title between $2.99 and $9.99. So if you change your book’s price to above $9.99 on Kindle, your royalty rate will suddenly drop to 35%. This is fine for most authors (if your ebook costs more than $10, you might be doing something wrong), but if you’re selling a box set — where you bundle multiple books into a single product — you’ll be penalized. In contrast, Apple Books and Kobo have no such price ceiling.

But before you make any rash decisions and abandon the Amazon ship, it’s worth sticking around to see what other perks Amazon offers its authors.

Kindle gives unprecedented visibility to indie authors

As we mentioned at the start, one of Kindle’s big innovations is that they’ve effectively leveled the playing field for self-publishing authors 一 but what does it mean, exactly?

An algorithm-led store levels the playing field

Where Apple Books, Kobo, and other online retailers have groups of humans who choose new titles to promote (or authors whose backlist they’ll feature), Amazon doesn’t have a merchandising team 一 they let their algorithm decide which books to feature and promote.

Why is this good news? Won’t the algorithm just promote famous authors and big new releases?

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Well, actually, that’s not always the case!

It’s as if The Terminator worked at Barnes & Noble: the algorithm is a heartless book-selling machine that doesn’t get star-struck by big-name authors. It looks purely at data to determine — in its cold, calculating way — which books to put in front of more readers. Indie authors have an equal chance of seeing their book rise in its category — as long as your book page is optimized to generate pre-sales, sales, and user reviews . This may sound like a big ask, but it’s much easier than calling up every bookseller around the country and begging them to stock your book.

Guide to KDP | The Terminator as a metaphor for Amazon's Algorithms

The ups and downs of going ‘exclusive’ with Kindle

Kindle Direct Publishing offers free promotional opportunities that can be accessed through their KDP Select program. You can check out our deep dive into KDP Select for all the juicy details, but in short, they include access to:

  • Kindle Unlimited – Amazon’s subscription-based service (Netflix for books)
  • Kindle Free Promotions — Turbocharge your downloads by making your book available for free (for five out of every 90 days)
  • Kindle Countdown Deals — Run a week-long price drop that will see your book promoted in the Kindle store’s Countdown Deals section .

As you might expect, there are minor downsides to enrolling in KDP Select. To get your hands on all these delicious marketing tools, you must make your ebook exclusive to Amazon. This might sound like no big deal (after all, most books are sold on Amazon). However, Kindle’s market share isn’t as all-consuming in countries outside the US and the UK. If you aim to reach the broadest possible audience of readers, then being tied to Amazon — if only for the length of a promotion — might be less than ideal.

So far, the downsides of publishing with KDP could be best described as “inconveniences” more than anything else. But before you throw your lot in with Amazon, it’s worth acknowledging the bigger picture.

You have to be okay with enriching a global giant

Monopolies are not a good thing for consumers. As Jeff Bezos’s empire continues to absorb a bigger market share of book sales, retail, web hosting services , logistics, streaming entertainment, and groceries, we should be concerned about feeding the Amazon beast. However, as anyone who’s marveled at ordering an obscure item and watching it arrive the next day can attest, using Amazon makes things a lot easier.

Guide to KDP | Jeff Bezos presented in a mosaic, styled after Alexander the Greta

If you’re concerned that you’re contributing to the inevitable Amazon monopoly by selling through the Kindle store, you might be right. But you could also argue that there’s no way to make a living as an author without them and that selling through Amazon is a compromise you need to make, or else struggle to make a profit. If it helps, focus on the fact that Amazon has created a platform that disrupted publishing and tilted the balance of power away from ‘gatekeepers’ and towards creatives.

For some, Amazon’s patchy record of ethics might not be a dealbreaker — but it is something every author needs to consider at the very least.

If you're ready to take the plunge, strap in and head over to the next post in this guide. We'll show you the nuts and bolts of publishing your book on Amazon KDP.

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I make up to $17K a month selling notebooks on Amazon KDP. Here's how I got started with zero design experience.

  • Sue Irven and her husband began selling on Amazon KDP after they were laid off during the pandemic.
  • They now make up to $17,000 a month selling designs for products like journals and coloring books.
  • Irven breaks down how to choose winning products, create designs, and maximize sales using SEO. 

Insider Today

Even before my husband and I were both laid off in 2020 because of the pandemic, we were burnt out in our respective roles. I was overworked at a dead-end job making $10 per hour, and my husband was a contract driver delivering medicine to nursing homes 6 days a week.

We knew we needed to diversify our income streams, and at the very least make more money so we could work fewer hours. So we tried out different side hustles.

At first, none of them stuck.

  • We tried doing affiliate marketing but soon realized that you need a large social media following, which we didn't have at the time.
  • We tried private-labeling ecommerce, but it's very expensive to start and the shipping times from China were horrible, especially during Covid.
  • We even thought about buying vending machines, but they were also costly, and we didn't think they'd be lucrative during a pandemic. 

During this research period, we searched "how to sell on Amazon KDP" on YouTube, and after watching a few explanatory videos, we decided to try our hand at KDP.

Now, we make $5,000 to $10,000 per month on average, and our highest profiting month so far brought in $17,000 in profit. I started making sales within my first month with only 10 designs. 

We were profitable our very first month

KDP stands for Kindle Direct Publishing. Basically, it allows you to self-publish things (notebooks, journals, planners, fitness trackers, travel logs, activity books, puzzle books, and more) through Amazon.

You design the item and list it, then Amazon sells, prints, and ships your products to the customer while you collect royalties from each sale. 

One of the best aspects of Amazon KDP is that you can put as little or as much time into it as you want; it can start as a part-time side hustle and turn into primary income.

My husband and I started selling on Amazon KDP in June 2020 and saw a profit after our very first month. KDP now serves as our full-time income — neither of us have jobs outside of KDP, but we suggest people start out doing it as a side hustle.

Researching keywords before designing is key

We try to put out around 10 designs a week — our top sellers include composition notebooks, sketch books, journals, planners, and to-do lists. We now have over 200 designs that continue to make money.

Before we create new items designs, we make sure our products are aligning with what keywords Amazon customers are searching for to maximize our chance of sales.

For example, if we search "notebooks," and see that floral notebooks are the top hits at the moment, we'll plan our designs accordingly. The research process can take an hour or days, depending on how detailed we want to be. 

You don't need an art degree or technical knowhow

We use a third-party program called Canva to create all of our covers and interior pages — one of the great things about doing KDP our way is that you don't need to have any artistic ability.

The amount of time it takes to actually make the design depends on the type of product.

"Low-content books" like journals or notebooks usually only take about 45 minutes to an hour to design because you only have to create the front and back covers.

More heavy-lift materials, like coloring books, take around 2-3 hours — to create these, we use Canva Pro, which allows us to pull from a large selection of drawings included in the membership.

When listing, focus on SEO

Once our design is finished, we list them on Amazon while making sure to maximize our keywords and SEO for the highest chance of sales — this is crucial because you want as many people to find your product as possible. Again, we search to see what other items are making the most sales and go from there. We also recommend pricing your items close to the average cost of similar items on the site. 

Selling digital products means very little overhead — you don't need to pay for storage for inventory, and there's no upfront cost for starting an Amazon KDP account, nor listing your designs on Amazon. Depending on the price of the item, we keep $1-$5 per sale after printing cost. 

Although there's no such thing as truly passive income, Amazon KDP is pretty close. Every design you make has the potential to make you money forever. Amazon attracts millions of buyers every single month. 

Especially in an unstable economy, we all deserve more free time at home with our loved ones and more financial security. Anybody can do KDP, from anywhere in the world — I even taught my 72-year-old grandmother how to do it for fun.

In my opinion, Amazon KDP is one of the most effective side hustles you can start at any time. Instead of "quiet quitting" or "working your wage," it's allowed us to work from home while being our own bosses.

To be sure, KDP has its downsides too

I would say the biggest disadvantage of KDP is that it's very tough to predict sales. Some days you'll make $1,500, and other days you'll make $50. As a business owner, you should expect ups and downs.

You also shouldn't expect to see success right away. It took us 10 designs before we started making sales. The more designs you have, the more chances you have to make sales. When I was teaching my grandmother, I told her not to be discouraged if she didn't sell anything in her first month. 

My best advice for new Amazon KDPers is to start early and just keep designing — it's definitely a numbers game. The more designs you have listed, the higher your chances to make sales everyday.

Sue Irven is a full-time Amazon seller and digital creator.

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5 Tools I Use to Create Books for Amazon KDP

5 Tools I use to create books for Amazon KDP

How Do I Create Books for Amazon KDP?

Updated Sept 2023 : Today, I thought I’d provide a fairly quick update on the primary tools I employ to create books for Amazon KDP. Over the past three or four years, I’ve experimented with various tools for producing paperback* books to sell on Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing platform. I’ve even purchased software that I’ve yet to use. In this post, I will focus on the ones I actually use and would highly recommend.

Please note that this post may contain some affiliate links.

Free vs. Fee – Paperback vs. Hardback

Before we dive in, it’s important to note that some of these self-publishing tools are free (such as Canva), while others are not. Most, though not all, offer a free trial period.

And it’s not just about paperbacks anymore. We’ve recently gained the ability to create hardback* books on Amazon as well. Converting an existing paperback to a hardback is fairly straightforward, though it’s worth noting that cover dimensions are quite different!

Lastly, I previously shared a similar post about Print on Demand , but since then, I’ve picked up a new tool or two, which I’ll be updating you on today.

As an official Canva Verified Expert, it’s only natural that I wholeheartedly endorse Canva as my go-to tool for crafting both book interiors and covers. I also find it indispensable for adding graphics to items like journals and planners.

What sets Canva apart is its remarkable versatility. You can create an entire book, from the inside pages to the cover, all for FREE, and then seamlessly upload it to Amazon at no cost as well.

When using Canva for book design, I typically recommend sticking to all the FREE elements to ensure you’re on the safe side legally. However, having a Canva Pro subscription is highly advisable, though not entirely essential. It’s worth noting that Canva recently updated its licensing page, providing more clarity on usage rights.

Sign up for BookBolt and get three days for FREE - start creating books for Amazon KDP

A Book Creator (formerly Aududu Book Creator)

Earlier this year I “met” Aududu’s founder Cindy Minear on Clubhouse. I’d heard of her software even before I met her, but after having a few good conversations with her, I went and forked the money for a year’s subscription. To be honest, it took me a few months to actually use it, but when I did, I fell in love with it. It’s how I’ve made my Totally Scottish and Totally ’80s Word Search books. If you want to give this one a wee three-day spin – then use this Aududu book creator link and give it a try. She has lots of tutorials if you need some help getting started.

UPDATE 13/11 (taken from Cindy’s Instagram) : ‘Create covers for hardcover books with our cover creator! You can upload an image for the entire cover, and/or images for the front and back cover. Switch between hardcover and paperback with one click! You are going to love how quick and easy you can create both paperback and hardcover covers! This example uses a background image, with transparent png files added for the front and back cover. Try it here: https://www.aududu.com/pagegen/cover

Activity Book Generator

One I have just picked up in the last 48 hours or so is Activity Book Generator. When I couldn’t sleep early one Saturday morning I fired up Youtube and came across a video where a guy was reviewing the software (2.0). I watched it, fell back to sleep, and many hours later, I went and searched for the software and bought it. At just $29 for the basic, somewhat limited membership, it was a no brainer.

Creating books fast…

With a few clicks I made a 30 page Mandala book in about 15 seconds. Repeated the process again for thirty more mandalas. When the downloaded PDFs looked rather sparse, I imported them into Canva and completely made them my own. I added some frames, some lines and some sketch pages to create a 100 page A4 book. It’s an oversaturated niche, so honestly am not sure I’ll get any sales, but I was feeling inspired and so went with it.

Tangent Templates

Tangent Templates , like Canva, is a go-to tool I use all the time to create Books for Amazon KDP. It’s quick and easy to make planners in seconds. The other thing I love love love about TT is the ability to quickly download “size guides” which show bleed on your covers and interiors. It costs about $50-$60 but was 100% worth every penny.

In Conclusion…

There is some cross-over with these platforms. For instance you can make log books in Book Bolt, Tangent, and Aududu. Heck you can do it in Canva too. ‘Couple of them do Puzzle and Activities as well. I find you just have to try different software on, and see how it fits you.

I tend to mix and match all of these. To be fair the Activity Book Generator is a brand new tool but even though I just bought it, I am already loving even the basic membership and might even consider the jump to their premium offering.

What tools do you use most to create books for Amazon KDP? Or are you just starting out on your journey?

Publisher Rocket. A great tool for keyword research.

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COMMENTS

  1. How to Publish a Book on Amazon in 6 Simple Steps

    1. Start an account on Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) 2. Create a new title and enter your book description 3. Select your keywords and Amazon categories 4. Upload your EPUB and book cover files 5. Set a price between $2.99 and $9.99 6. Publish your book 1. Start an account on Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)

  2. Amazon KDP: A Writer’s Guide to Kindle Direct Publishing

    Through KDP’s author platform, you can set up an account, upload a manuscript, and publish it by the end of the hour. Of course, you’ll likely want to format and edit your book to a professional standard first, but the publishing process on Amazon is otherwise very straightforward.

  3. Amazon KDP for Beginners: A Step-by-Step Guide to Self ... -

    If you haven’t already, create an Amazon KDP account. It is a simple procedure. Book Specifics: Fill in the necessary book information, such as the title, author name, description, and keywords.

  4. I make up to $17K a month selling notebooks on Amazon KDP. Here's

    Entrepreneurship I make up to $17K a month selling notebooks on Amazon KDP. Here's how I got started with zero design experience. Sue Irven Oct 26, 2022, 2:00 AM PDT Sue Irven and her husband...

  5. How Do I Create Books for Amazon KDP?

    You can create an entire book, from the inside pages to the cover, all for FREE, and then seamlessly upload it to Amazon at no cost as well. When using Canva for book design, I typically recommend sticking to all the FREE elements to ensure you’re on the safe side legally.