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Amazon KDP
Created by @namkyu · Updated Aug 29, 2026
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Created by @namkyu · Updated Aug 29, 2026
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Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, commonly called Amazon KDP, is Amazon's self-publishing platform for selling Kindle eBooks, paperbacks, and hardcovers. Authors can publish without maintaining print inventory because physical books are manufactured on demand when customers order them.
Item | Details |
|---|---|
Main products | Kindle eBooks, paperbacks, hardcovers |
eBook royalty | 35% or 70%, depending on price, territory, and eligibility |
Print royalty | 50% or 60% on Amazon sales, minus printing costs |
Expanded Distribution | 40% of list price minus printing costs for eligible paperbacks |
Print inventory | Not required; books are printed on demand |
eBook ISBN | Not required |
Print ISBN | Required for standard paperbacks and hardcovers; KDP can provide one free |
Standard royalty payment | Approximately 60 days after the end of the month in which the sale was reported |
KDP Select | Optional 90-day Kindle eBook program that includes Kindle Unlimited |
KDP does not require authors to purchase print inventory before selling. Printing costs are deducted from the royalty when a print order is fulfilled.
KDP income varies substantially. The important distinction is between the royalty formula Amazon publishes and the actual number of books or pages an author manages to sell.
KDP offers 35% and 70% royalty options for Kindle eBooks. Under the 70% option, the royalty is generally calculated as:
70% × (list price excluding applicable VAT − delivery cost)
The 35% option generally does not deduct a delivery charge.
As of July 7, 2026, an eBook sold on Amazon.com generally needs a list price of US$2.99–12.99 to fit the 70% royalty price band. The previous upper limit was US$9.99. Other eligibility rules and territory restrictions also apply.
Amazon.com's delivery charge under the 70% option is US$0.15 per MB.
Amazon provides the following U.S. example:
Example | Amount |
|---|---|
eBook list price | US$2.99 |
Maximum royalty before delivery | US$2.09 |
Example file size | 2 MB |
Delivery charge | US$0.30 |
Example royalty | US$1.79 |
This is an Amazon pricing illustration rather than an estimate of typical author earnings.
For paperbacks sold through Amazon, the royalty is:
(50% or 60% × list price) − printing cost
On Amazon.com, books priced at US$9.99 or above qualify for the 60% royalty rate, while books priced at US$9.98 or below receive 50%. Thresholds differ by marketplace.
A basic KDP operation can be started without buying print inventory. Someone who already owns a suitable computer can prepare a manuscript and cover, open the required account, and use KDP's print-on-demand system without purchasing copies for resale.
Requirement | Minimum option | Cost | Priority | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Computer | Existing computer | $0 additional | Essential | Needed to prepare and upload book files |
Amazon/KDP account | KDP account | No separate inventory purchase | Essential | Author, payment, and tax information must be completed |
Manuscript | Self-written and self-formatted | $0 additional | Essential | KDP accepts several common document formats |
Cover | KDP Cover Creator | Free | Essential | Custom cover files can also be uploaded |
eBook ISBN | Not required |
Sign in at KDP using an Amazon account or create an account.
KDP requires account information including the publisher's name, address and phone number, payment information, and tax information. Requirements vary by country. Non-U.S. authors may need to provide a taxpayer identification number as part of the tax interview.
Amazon may also require identity verification using a government-issued document such as a passport or driver's license.
For a normal print book without bleed, KDP accepts formats including PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, HTML, and TXT and converts supported non-PDF files for printing.
If any printed element extends to the edge of the page, the interior must be submitted as PDF with the appropriate bleed settings.
For Kindle eBooks, authors can prepare books with tools such as Microsoft Word or Kindle Create. Kindle Create can export KPF, Amazon's preferred format for Kindle publishing, and EPUB for supported reflowable books.
Print books require a separate interior file and cover file.
KDP's Cover Creator can build a cover inside the publishing workflow, or authors can upload a prepared cover. For print books, submitted cover files can be PDF; Cover Creator can accept JPG, PNG, or GIF artwork. KDP recommends images of at least 300 DPI for print submissions.
Enter the book's metadata, including its title and author information, then upload the manuscript and cover.
For print editions, choose options such as:
paperback or hardcover;
trim size;
ink type;
paper type;
bleed;
cover finish.
The selected print specifications affect manufacturing requirements and, particularly through page count and ink choice, printing economics.
For Kindle eBooks, select the 35% or 70% royalty option when eligible.
For print books, KDP shows estimated printing costs and royalties during pricing. The minimum list price depends partly on the manufacturing cost of the book.
KDP publishers can earn through several distinct channels.
Customers purchase a digital copy through a Kindle Store. The publisher receives the applicable 35% or 70% royalty after relevant deductions.
A customer orders the physical book, KDP manufactures it on demand, and the printing cost is deducted before the author's royalty is calculated.
This avoids the need to order and store a conventional print run before making the book available for sale.
A KDP Select eBook can earn money when Kindle Unlimited subscribers read its pages. Earnings depend on normalized pages read and the monthly KDP Select fund rather than the book's normal retail royalty calculation.
Eligible paperbacks can be enrolled in Expanded Distribution, which makes them available to distributors serving booksellers, libraries, online retailers, and other institutions.
The royalty is:
40% × list price − printing costs
Enrollment itself is free, but availability through the distribution network does not guarantee that an individual bookstore or library will stock or order the book. Hardcover books are not eligible.
KDP differs from conventional inventory-based publishing because many publishing expenses are optional rather than mandatory platform costs.
The publisher does not pay KDP's print manufacturing charge before a retail order. The manufacturing cost is deducted when calculating the royalty for the sold copy.
For U.S. black-ink paperbacks, Amazon's own 300-page example uses a US$4.60 printing cost. The actual amount changes with the book's specification and marketplace.
Color books can cost substantially more to manufacture because KDP uses different fixed and per-page printing rates for color interiors.
The 70% eBook royalty option deducts a delivery charge based primarily on the file size.
On Amazon.com, this is US$0.15 per MB, subject to Amazon's calculation rules. Books containing many high-resolution images can therefore have higher delivery deductions than small text-heavy files.
The 35% royalty option does not use the same delivery-cost deduction.
Kindle eBooks do not need an ISBN.
KDP can provide a free ISBN for eligible paperback and hardcover editions. Buying an independent ISBN is therefore an optional cost for authors who want control over their own imprint or broader publishing arrangements.
Professional editing, custom cover design, illustration, and book formatting can become substantial production expenses, but they are not mandatory KDP platform charges.
Authors who perform these tasks themselves can avoid the corresponding cash expense, while authors hiring editors or designers incur costs based on the provider and project.
Amazon Advertising is available to eligible authors in supported countries, but paid advertising is not required to publish a KDP title.
Tool | Price | Level | Main use |
|---|---|---|---|
Kindle Create | KDP tool | Beginner | eBook and book formatting |
KDP Cover Creator | Free | Beginner | Creating a basic book cover |
Microsoft Word | Paid / existing license | Beginner | Writing and manuscript preparation |
Kindle Previewer | KDP tool | Intermediate | Checking Kindle rendering |
KDP Printing Cost & Royalty Calculator | Free online tool | Beginner | Checking print cost and estimated royalties |
Kindle Previewer can display how supported eBooks will appear across Kindle e-readers, phones, and tablets before publication.
KDP also supplies print templates, cover templates, a cover calculator, and a printing-cost and royalty calculator.
A KDP publisher must complete the account's author or publisher information, payment setup, and tax information before normal publishing and payment operations can be completed.
The publisher must hold the necessary publishing rights to the content.
Amazon can reject or remove books that violate copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or other rights.
Amazon requires publishers to disclose AI-generated text, images, or translations when publishing a new KDP book or editing and republishing an existing one.
Amazon defines content actually produced by an AI tool as AI-generated even when the publisher substantially edits it afterward.
AI-assisted work is treated differently. If the author created the content and used AI only to edit, refine, check, or brainstorm, Amazon currently does not require the same disclosure. Publishers remain responsible for intellectual-property compliance and the final content in either case.
KDP Select is optional and runs in 90-day enrollment periods for Kindle eBooks.
Enrollment automatically puts the eBook into Kindle Unlimited and enables certain KDP promotional tools. Because Select imposes program requirements on the Kindle edition, publishers planning to distribute the same digital book through other stores should review those requirements before enrolling.
KDP eliminates the requirement to finance a print inventory, but it does not guarantee demand.
The broader 2025 Written Word Media author survey found 44% of respondents earning US$100 per month or less from their books, illustrating the large gap between being able to publish and building meaningful book income. The survey is not representative of KDP publishers specifically.
Printing cost is deducted after the applicable royalty percentage is applied.
Amazon's U.S. 300-page paperback example produces only US$0.39 per copy at a US$9.98 list price, compared with US$1.39 at US$9.99 because the latter reaches the current 60% royalty threshold.
Page count, color printing, marketplace, and price can therefore materially change print economics.
KDP reviews books against content and quality rules and can reject or remove material that does not comply. Publishers are responsible for rights clearance, accurate metadata, acceptable content, and the quality of the files they submit.
KDP Select can provide Kindle Unlimited income and promotional tools, but participation applies additional conditions to the enrolled Kindle eBook.
It is therefore a distribution decision rather than simply an additional revenue switch.
A sale does not normally result in an immediate payout. Standard KDP royalties are generally paid about 60 days after the end of the sales month, while Expanded Distribution can take about 90 days.
This matters when spending money on editing, design, or advertising before royalty payments arrive.
It is possible to begin with $0 additional mandatory inventory spending if you already own the equipment needed to write and prepare the book and perform the production work yourself.
KDP prints physical books on demand and deducts manufacturing costs from royalties rather than requiring the publisher to purchase inventory in advance. Eligible print books can also use a free KDP ISBN, while Kindle eBooks do not require an ISBN.
Professional editing, custom covers, formatting services, illustrations, and advertising can add optional costs.
KDP uses print-on-demand production. A retail copy is manufactured when an order is placed, and the applicable printing cost is deducted when Amazon calculates the royalty.
Authors can separately order proof or author copies when needed.
Not for a Kindle eBook.
Standard paperback and hardcover editions require an ISBN, and KDP can supply an eligible print edition with a free ISBN. Publishers can instead supply their own ISBN when appropriate.
Amazon states that an eBook is typically reviewed and published within 24–72 hours. Print-book review can take up to 72 hours, with longer timelines for some book types or marketplaces.
After a title becomes live, appearing in Amazon search results can take up to another 72 hours.
KDP eBooks use either a 35% or 70% author royalty option rather than one universal Amazon commission.
For eligible 70% sales, KDP calculates the author's royalty from the list price after applicable VAT and delivery charges. Under the 35% option, delivery charges are not deducted in the same way.
For Amazon marketplace sales, the author receives either 50% or 60% of the list price minus printing costs.
On Amazon.com, the 60% tier currently begins at a US$9.99 list price.
Amazon gives a useful example for a 300-page black-ink paperback sold in the United States:
List price | Royalty rate | Printing cost | Royalty |
|---|---|---|---|
US$9.98 | 50% | US$4.60 | US$0.39 |
US$9.99 | 60% | US$4.60 | US$1.39 |
A one-cent change in this example moves the book across the U.S. royalty threshold and increases the royalty by US$1.00.
Printing costs depend on marketplace, page count, ink type, and trim size. KDP provides a calculator for checking the applicable printing cost and minimum viable list price before publication.
Authors who enroll an eBook in KDP Select also make the book available through Kindle Unlimited.
Instead of receiving a fixed amount for a KU borrow, authors receive a share of the monthly KDP Select Global Fund based on Kindle Edition Normalized Pages read for the first time. The effective amount earned per page therefore changes rather than remaining a fixed permanent rate.
Amazon reported US$71.0 million in total KDP Select author earnings for July 2026. This is the total program payout and does not represent typical earnings for an individual author.
Reliable KDP-wide individual income distributions are not published by Amazon.
A 2025 Written Word Media survey of more than 1,300 authors found the following monthly author-income distribution among its respondents:
Monthly author income | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
US$100 or less | 44% |
US$100–1,000 | 28% |
US$1,000–5,000 | 15% |
More than US$5,000 | 13% |
The survey covered indie authors rather than KDP sellers exclusively, so these figures should not be treated as the income distribution of all Amazon KDP publishers. Amazon was nevertheless reported as the leading revenue channel among respondents.
$0 |
Optional |
KDP eBooks do not require an ISBN |
Paperback/hardcover ISBN | KDP-issued ISBN | Free | Essential for standard print editions | A personally owned ISBN may also be used |
KDP's free ISBN is available for eligible paperback and hardcover books. A KDP-issued ISBN is registered with the imprint shown as “Independently published” and is intended for the KDP edition. Authors who want to use their own publishing imprint or use the ISBN with another publishing service can obtain their own ISBN from the appropriate ISBN agency. Low-content books are not eligible for KDP's free ISBN.
Use KDP's preview tools to check formatting before publication.
After submission, Amazon reviews the book for formatting and content requirements. eBooks are typically reviewed and published within 24–72 hours. Print-book review can take up to 72 hours, although some types of books can take longer.
Once a book becomes live, it can take another up to 72 hours to appear in Amazon search results.
KDP normally pays royalties monthly, approximately 60 days after the end of the month in which the sale was reported, provided applicable payment thresholds are met.
For example, royalties earned in January are generally paid near the end of March. Expanded Distribution uses a longer schedule of approximately 90 days.
Available payment methods depend on country and can include direct deposit, wire transfer, or check. KDP does not currently pay through PayPal.
Ordinary KDP publishing does not by itself require KDP Select enrollment.
However, authors who choose KDP Select enter a 90-day program with additional requirements for the enrolled Kindle eBook. Anyone planning to sell the same digital edition through other retailers should check those terms before enrolling.
KDP's current rules distinguish AI-generated from AI-assisted content.
AI-generated text, images, and translations must be disclosed to Amazon when publishing or republishing. AI-assisted content does not currently require that disclosure, but the publisher remains responsible for compliance with KDP's content and intellectual-property rules.