How to Publish on Amazon KDP: Step-by-Step Walkthrough (2026)

Part 01

What You Need Before You Start

Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) is how independent authors put their books on Amazon. It is free to use, anyone can sign up, and your book can be on sale worldwide within a few days. This guide walks you through the whole process for an ebook, with notes on print along the way.

Have these three things ready

Your finished manuscript as a Word document (.doc or .docx) or an EPUB file. It should be edited, proofread, and formatted the way you want it to read.
Your cover as a high-resolution JPG or TIFF. For an ebook the cover is a single front image; ideal is about 2560 by 1600 pixels.
Your book details: title, author name, a finished book description (your blurb), and ideas for keywords and categories.

Tip: Publishing is free, so the only real prerequisite is that your book is genuinely ready. A polished manuscript and a professional cover do more for your sales than any single setting inside KDP.

Part 02

Set Up Your KDP Account

You only do this once, and then it is ready for every book you publish.

Go to kdp.amazon.com and sign in with your Amazon account, or create one.
Open your Account settings and complete two important sections: tax information (a short interview so Amazon can pay you correctly) and bank details (where your royalties are deposited).
Save everything. You cannot get paid until the tax and bank sections are complete, so do these first.

Tip: The tax interview looks intimidating but takes a few minutes. Most authors outside the US simply answer the questions honestly and let Amazon apply the right treaty rate. If unsure, your country and a standard answer set is usually all it needs.

Part 03

Prepare Your Files

Two files go into a Kindle ebook: the manuscript and the cover.

The manuscript

A clean Word document works perfectly. Use the built-in heading styles for chapter titles, start each chapter on a new page, and add a table of contents if you like. KDP converts your file to Kindle format on upload. If you prefer, you can upload a ready-made EPUB instead.

The cover

For an ebook you need only the front cover as a single high-resolution image. If you do not have one, KDP has a free Cover Creator tool, though a professionally designed cover is one of the best investments you can make in your book's success.

Tip: Before you upload, read your manuscript one last time on a phone-sized screen. Formatting problems (missing chapter breaks, odd spacing) are far easier to fix in your document now than after the book is live.

Part 04

Enter Your Book Details

In KDP, click Create and choose Kindle eBook. The first screen is your book's details. Take your time here, because these fields drive how readers find and judge your book.

Title and subtitle: exactly as they should appear. The subtitle is optional.
Series: add the series name and number if your book is part of one.
Author name: your name or pen name.
Description: your book blurb, the sales pitch readers see on the product page. Make it compelling.
Keywords: up to 7 keyword slots (more on these in Part 7).
Categories: up to 3 categories that place your book in the store (also Part 7).
Age and grade range: only if relevant to your book.

Tip: You can format your description with a little bold and spacing using KDP's description tools. A clean, skimmable blurb converts far better than one dense paragraph.

Part 05

Upload Your Manuscript & Cover

The second screen is Content, where your files go.

DRM: decide whether to enable digital rights management. This is a one-time choice you cannot change later, so read KDP's note and pick what you are comfortable with.
Upload your manuscript file and wait for it to convert.
Upload your cover image (or build one with Cover Creator).
Open the previewer and page through your book to check it looks right on different devices. Fix anything odd in your original file and re-upload.

Tip: Always use the previewer. It is the single best way to catch formatting surprises before a reader does. Check your title page, the first chapter, and a few random spots.

Part 06

Rights, Pricing & Royalties

The third screen covers where your book sells, how much it costs, and what you earn.

Territories and KDP Select

Choose worldwide rights unless you have a reason not to. You will also be asked about KDP Select, which puts your ebook into Kindle Unlimited and pays you per page read, in exchange for selling the ebook exclusively on Amazon for 90 days. It is optional. Many indie authors use it; some prefer to sell on other stores too.

Royalty option and price

You choose between two royalty rates:

70 percent: available when your ebook is priced between $2.99 and $9.99 in eligible territories. This is what most fiction authors choose.
35 percent: applies to prices outside that range, above or below.

Set your list price with the 70 percent band in mind. For print books, the royalty is different (roughly 60 percent of list price minus the printing cost), and KDP shows you the exact figure as you set the price.

Tip: A common launch strategy is to price a first-in-series at the lower end (for example $2.99 to $3.99) to win new readers, then earn more on the later books. Price for your strategy, not just the highest number.

Part 07

Categories & Keywords That Help You Rank

These two fields decide how discoverable your book is, so they deserve real thought. You get 3 categories and 7 keyword slots per format.

Keywords

Your 7 keyword slots are search phrases readers might type. Each can be up to 50 characters, so use phrases, not single words. Fill all seven, do not repeat words you have already used in your title or other keywords, and think like a reader searching for exactly your kind of book (tropes, settings, comparable styles).

For a small-town romance, strong keyword phrases might be things like "small town second chance romance," "grumpy sunshine slow burn," or "fake dating romance series." Specific reader language beats vague words every time.

Tip: Changes to categories and keywords can take up to 72 hours to settle in the store, so make your best choices, then give Amazon time before you judge the results.

Part 08

Hit Publish & What Happens Next

When every screen has a green check, click Publish Your Kindle eBook.

Review: Amazon reviews your book, which usually takes up to 72 hours. You will get an email when it is live.
It goes on sale: your book gets its own Amazon page and is buyable worldwide.
You can update it: you can edit the description, keywords, categories, price, and even the manuscript later. Changes also take up to 72 hours to appear.

That is the whole process. Publishing your first book is a genuine milestone, and now you can do it again any time. Each new title gets faster.

Write the next one faster

Now that you can publish, the bottleneck is writing. The Niche Raiders plugins help you go from idea to finished, ready-to-upload manuscript. See them on the plugins page, or join the community of AI authors on Skool.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to publish on Amazon KDP?

Publishing on KDP is free. You do not pay to upload or list a book. Amazon takes a share of each sale through the royalty rate, and for print books it deducts the printing cost from each copy sold.

How long does KDP take to go live?

After you click publish, Amazon reviews the book and it usually goes live within 72 hours. Updates to an already-published book also take up to 72 hours to appear.

How many categories and keywords does KDP allow?

You can choose up to 3 categories and up to 7 keywords for each format (ebook, paperback, hardcover). Each format is a separate listing with its own slots.

What royalty will I earn on a Kindle ebook?

You can earn 70 percent if your ebook is priced between $2.99 and $9.99 in eligible territories. Prices outside that range earn 35 percent.

Do I need an ISBN to publish on KDP?

No ISBN is needed for a Kindle ebook; Amazon assigns it an ASIN automatically. For paperback and hardcover, KDP gives you a free ISBN if you want one.