How do you publish a book on Amazon KDP?

To publish a book on Amazon KDP, create a free account, enter your book details, upload a finished interior file and cover, set a price and submit. KDP's help pages give 3 to 10 business days until a book or update is live (as of November 2026). The steps are the same for authors in the USA and the UK.

Amazon is one channel; ShelfPublisher adds a publisher's imprint, an ISBN and listing in the catalogs bookstores order from. Request access

What is Amazon KDP?

Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) is Amazon's self-publishing service. You upload your book yourself and it is made available on Amazon, with paperbacks printed on demand when a customer orders.

You do the work of a publisher: finished files, cover, price, categories and description. KDP handles the listing and the printing of each order. Our guide to print on demand explains why there is no stock to buy.

Can I self-publish a book on Amazon?

Yes. Any author can self-publish on Amazon through KDP without an agent or a publishing contract. This is the route behind most searches for how to get a book published on Amazon as a new author.

The process in seven steps:

1. Finish and proofread your manuscript. Editing is up to you.
2. Format the interior as a print-ready file and prepare a cover that matches your trim size and page count.
3. Create a KDP account and add your tax and payment details.
4. Enter the title, description, keywords and categories.
5. Choose an ISBN (see the table below).
6. Upload the interior and cover and set your price.
7. Submit. KDP reviews the book, which takes 3 to 10 business days (as of November 2026).

Which ISBN should I use?

Check the current price in the Bowker or Nielsen shop before buying. More detail is in our article on ISBNs for self-published books.

What is expanded distribution on KDP?

Expanded Distribution is a free KDP option that makes your paperback available outside Amazon, through distributors that bookstores and libraries can order from. KDP states that it does not guarantee that distributors, bookstores or libraries will accept or order the book (as of November 2026).

What to know before ticking the box:

• The paperback must be available on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk, and you need distribution rights for the territory.
• Hardcovers are not eligible.
• After acceptance, it can take up to eight weeks before bookstores and libraries can order.
• The royalty is 40% of the list price in the sales channel at the time of purchase, minus printing cost, taxes and withholdings.

KDP's own example: a paperback with a $15 list price and $5.00 printing cost earns (0.40 × 15) − 5.00 = $1.00 in royalty through Expanded Distribution.

How do I sell my book on Amazon once it's published?

Once your book is live, selling it comes down to price, a clear product page and getting readers to the listing. Amazon does not promote a book for you.

A practical checklist:

• Write a description that tells the reader who the book is for and what they get.
• Pick categories and keywords that match how readers search.
• Set a price that fits comparable books in your genre.
• Send readers directly to your Amazon page from your website, newsletter and social profiles.
• Ask readers who liked the book for honest reviews.

For eBooks, KDP's 70% royalty option has a price band of $2.99 to $12.99 since July 7, 2026, up from $9.99 (as of November 2026). Older help pages may still show the old limit, so check the current KDP page. The 70% rate applies only in the available sales territories, and delivery costs still apply.

Is Amazon KDP worth it?

KDP is worth it if you want a free, fast way onto Amazon and are happy to handle every production step yourself. It costs nothing to start, and you control the files, the price and the timing.

The question for many authors is reach beyond Amazon. Bookstores tend to order from publishers they know, and a single self-published title has no publisher behind it. For a closer comparison, see Amazon KDP vs a traditional publisher and our KDP alternative page.

Is Amazon KDP safe?

KDP is Amazon's own service, and publishing there means working under its terms and with its account system. Your book's presence depends on that one account, so it helps to know the rules and keep copies of all your files.

Two practical points from KDP's help pages: a free KDP ISBN lists Amazon as the publisher, and Expanded Distribution is not a guarantee of bookstore orders. Our article on a terminated KDP account covers what happens to a book if an account is closed.

How does publishing work with ShelfPublisher?

ShelfPublisher is the author platform of Orbita Media, an international publishing house with more than 1,000 published titles. Access is by invitation, and every access request is read by a person.

Here is what happens for each book:

1. You upload a finished interior PDF and cover.
2. An automated pre-check and release check review the files. If there is doubt, a person on the team decides, and every rejection is made by a person.
3. The book gets an ISBN from the publisher's block, and the metadata is reported to the bibliographic directories.
4. It is published under the publisher's imprint and set up with the distribution channels.
5. Print on demand is ordered and monitored by the publisher.
6. Revenue is collected, settled and credited to your wallet. You receive 30% of the net revenue per copy, with statements every quarter.

The price is one slot per book: €35 for a single book, down to €20 per book in the largest package. No printing costs, no stock, no ISBN to buy. See pricing for the packages.

The book is listed in the wholesale catalogs bookstores order from: 27,000+ in the USA and 9,500+ in the UK, 50,000+ across all markets. It is orderable there, and whether a store shelves it is the store's decision. The edition is also available on Amazon through wholesale. If your own KDP edition is already live, it can stay, without KDP Expanded Distribution. Tell us in your request whether the book is already published; we check each case individually.

Copyright stays with you, and all rights revert when the contract ends. More on the route in how to get your book into bookstores.

Amazon, Kindle Direct Publishing and KDP are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. ShelfPublisher is not affiliated with them.