For first-time self-publishers
KDP Pack to Publish a Book on Amazon
From your manuscript: the description, seven keywords and three categories KDP asks for when you publish a book on Amazon, plus an author bio.
Free to start. No card needed.
How to publish a book on Amazon, step by step
To publish a book on Amazon, you use Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Amazon's free self-publishing service. You open an account, prepare your files, fill in title setup and click Publish. Enter your bank and tax details under your legal name, since KDP pays you and issues tax forms in that name. Your pen name goes on the book. For files, KDP takes Word, EPUB or Kindle Create for an eBook and recommends PDF for print. Finish the interior first, because KDP sizes a print cover from its page count.
Title setup has three pages: Details, Content, and Rights and Pricing. Details covers the title, author, description, audience, up to seven keywords and three categories. Enter the title and author name exactly as your cover shows them, on every format, so Amazon can link your eBook and paperback. Check them twice: the title, subtitle and author name lock once you publish, as do a print book's trim size and ISBN. A print book's title or author name can be fixed within 72 hours of publication; the description, keywords, categories and price can change later.
On the Content page you upload the manuscript and cover, and pick KDP's free ISBN or your own for print. On AI, KDP's content guidelines1 require you to disclose text, images or translations an AI tool created, even if you edited them heavily. AI used only to edit or brainstorm your own work needs no disclosure. Then launch the Previewer, a step KDP's Jumpstart guide2 calls required, and check every page. KDP Select and pricing come last; see the table below. For reviews at launch, recruit ARC readers a few weeks ahead.
KDP's numbers, October 2026
What KDP pays, and how long it takes
Amazon.com figures from KDP's help pages. Before you publish, the Rights and Pricing page of title setup shows the royalty your own list price would earn.
| Item | KDP's rule | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| eBook at 70% | List prices of $2.99 to $12.99. KDP raised the top of this band from $9.99 on July 7, 2026. | You earn 70% of the price after a delivery cost of $0.15 per megabyte (KDP puts the average at $0.06 a sale). Sales to buyers outside KDP's 70% territories earn 35%. |
| eBook at 35% | List prices of $0.99 to $200, with a higher minimum for files of 3 MB or more. | No delivery cost. It is the only choice below $2.99 or above $12.99. |
| Paperback | 60% at list prices of $9.99 and up, 50% at $9.98 and below, minus printing. | KDP's example: a $15, 333-page black-ink paperback earns 60% of $15 ($9.00) minus $5.00 printing, or $4.00. |
| KDP Select | Free for eBooks, 90 days at a time, renewing automatically unless you opt out. | While enrolled, the eBook can be sold only through Amazon; print isn't affected. It joins Kindle+, Amazon's new name for Kindle Unlimited. |
| Going live | Three business days after you click Publish, by KDP's estimate. | You can't edit during review. A first print book from a new account, or a low-content book, can take longer. |
| Getting paid | Monthly, about 60 days after the end of the month of the sale. | Direct deposit pays without a minimum threshold. |
Figures come from KDP's eBook list price requirements3, eBook royalties, paperback royalty4, timelines5 and KDP Select pages, Amazon's Kindle+ page and KDP's Jumpstart guide, checked October 29, 2026. Other Amazon stores use their own amounts, and if KDP's pages change, follow KDP.
How it works
How River writes your KDP pack
Start by dropping in your manuscript as a Word file or PDF, or by pasting a synopsis or a few chapters. Add a line about yourself for the bio, and say if you're publishing only an eBook or only a paperback; otherwise the pack covers both. River reads the book for its genre, main character, central conflict, setting and intended reader. It uses the file only as a reference, so the manuscript never gets copied into your doc.
Your pack is one doc that follows KDP's title setup. It opens with your title, flagged if it runs past 60 characters, which KDP says shoppers tend to skim past. Next come a description ready to paste, with its character count including formatting, seven counted keyword boxes and three category suggestions, each with a reason. KDP's category list varies by marketplace, audience and format, so the doc asks you to pick the closest match. Audience notes, an Author Central bio and a checklist for ISBN, AI disclosure, KDP Select and royalty bands finish it.
The bio uses only what you tell River or what your About the Author page says. A missing detail becomes a bracket, like [your town]. River won't recommend a price, tell you how to answer the AI question or make cover files. Want just one piece? Use the book blurb and Amazon description generator, the KDP keyword generator or the author bio template. Still choosing a title? It locks at publishing, so try the book title generator first.
How it works
From manuscript to KDP pack in four steps
Drop your manuscript
Drop your manuscript or paste a synopsis. Over about 85,000 words? Upload a PDF so River reads it all.
River reads your book
It finds your genre, main character, central conflict and the readers your book is written for.
Get your pack
Description, keywords, categories, audience notes, bio and checklist land in one doc, in KDP's order.
Copy into KDP
Work down the doc in title setup, tick the checklist, or ask River to rework any piece.
KDP pack · Miss Ashby's Unsuitable Ledger
- DescriptionShe keeps the books. He keeps secrets. Only one of them can make the numbers lie.
- Keyword 11860s london bookkeeper heroine31/50
- CategoriesFiction > Romance > Historical > Victorian · Fiction > Historical > 19th Century > General · Fiction > Romance > Historical > General
- Author bioClara Wren writes Victorian romances about women who are better with numbers than with dukes.93/1000
What you'll get
Your description, keywords, categories and bio in one KDP pack
- Your description and seven keywords, counted and checked
- Three category picks and an Author Central bio
- A checklist for everything else KDP asks before Publish
Before and after
One upload in. Your KDP details out.
Miss Ashby, final draft.pdf (92,000 words) About me, for the bio: former bank auditor, I live in York with my husband, our two girls and a cat. This is my first novel.
Description (571 of 4,000 characters) She keeps the books. He keeps secrets. Only one of them can make the numbers lie. London, 1868. Harriet Ashby has balanced the ledgers of Fenwick and Sons for six years. Keywords 1. 1860s london bookkeeper heroine (31/50) 2. grumpy sunshine slow burn (25/50) Categories, pick the closest match in KDP Fiction > Romance > Historical > Victorian Why it fits: London, 1868, and the love story drives the plot. Fiction > Historical > 19th Century > General Why it fits: the bank, the ledgers and the city are drawn from the period. Author Central bio (234 characters) Clara Wren writes Victorian romances about women who are better with numbers than with dukes. A former bank auditor, she lives in York with her husband, their two daughters and a cat. Miss Ashby's Unsuitable Ledger is her first novel.
The bio uses only what you said about yourself. Nothing is made up.
What lands in your doc
What lands in your KDP pack
- A selling description ready to paste into KDP, counted against its 4,000-character limit, formatting included
- Seven keyword boxes, each counted, with no words from your title, categories or KDP's avoid list
- Three category suggestions, each with a reason it fits, and a reminder to pick KDP's closest match
- Audience notes on KDP's explicit images or title question, plus a reading age for children's or teen books
- An Author Central bio built only from facts you give, with brackets where details are missing
- A before-you-publish checklist covering ISBN, AI disclosure, KDP Select, royalty bands and the Previewer
Questions authors ask
Common questions
What is KDP?
Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is Amazon's self-publishing platform for eBooks, paperbacks and hardcovers, and it costs nothing to use. The details you enter become your book's page in Amazon's stores. You keep ownership of your content, set your own list prices and earn a royalty on each sale. For print, KDP prints each copy when it's ordered and ships it to the buyer.
How much does it cost to publish a book on Amazon?
Nothing up front. KDP charges no fee to publish an eBook, paperback or hardcover. Amazon takes its cut from each sale instead. You earn up to 70% of an eBook's list price3, and 60% of a paperback's4 minus printing. Editing, cover design and your own ISBN are optional costs you pay others. See what self-publishing really costs for typical prices, line by line.
Do I need an ISBN to publish on Amazon?
Not for an eBook. Each paperback and hardcover needs its own ISBN, and KDP will assign one free. A free KDP ISBN works only on KDP and lists your imprint as "Independently published." Want your own imprint name, or to sell the same edition elsewhere? Buy your own ISBN from your national agency, such as Bowker in the US.
How long does it take to publish a book on Amazon?
Three business days from clicking Publish, according to KDP's timelines page5. A new account's first print book can take up to six days, and low-content books such as journals three to four weeks. You can't edit while the book is in review, and KDP won't speed review up, so check every page in the Previewer first.
Should I enroll in KDP Select?
Only if you're willing to sell the eBook through Amazon alone. KDP Select is free and runs in 90-day terms that renew unless you opt out, and your paperback can still be sold anywhere. Enrolled eBooks join Kindle+, the subscription formerly called Kindle Unlimited, which pays by pages read. They also qualify for the 70% royalty in Brazil, Japan, Mexico and India.
How do I build my KDP pack with River?
Drop your manuscript or paste a synopsis into the box at the top of this page, with a line about yourself for the bio. River reads the book, then writes your description, seven keywords, three categories, audience notes, bio and checklist into one doc. It opens in your free River workspace, in the order of KDP's title setup.
Is the KDP pack free?
Yes, it is free to start. Your KDP pack opens in a River workspace, where you can edit it, share it or ask River to rework any piece. Paid plans add more AI use and access to the most advanced models.
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