Self-Publishing on Amazon KDP: From Manuscript to Published Book

ByFrank Deardurff

My first book came out on Amazon back in 2011, and it’s still selling today. Since then I’ve published more books than I ever planned to, both business books and fiction, using Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing).

KDP is free to use, and it puts your book on Amazon as an ebook, paperback and even a hardcover, with no printing up front and no inventory in your garage. If you have expertise worth sharing, it’s never been easier to turn it into a book.

Here’s the process, start to finish.

Step 1: Finish the manuscript (really finish it)

Before you touch KDP:

  • Edit it. Then get someone else to edit it. Every author misses their own typos.
  • Have a few people read it who fit your target reader. Ask what was confusing.
  • Decide on your title and subtitle. For nonfiction, the subtitle does a lot of work. It should say exactly what the reader gets. (“The No-Nonsense Guide to Protecting Your WordPress Site” tells you a lot more than the title alone.)

Step 2: Format the interior

You’ll need two versions:

  • Ebook: KDP accepts Word files and EPUB files. Amazon’s free Kindle Create tool can format your Word document into a clean ebook, and it does print interiors too.
  • Paperback: a print-ready PDF at your chosen trim size. 6 x 9 inches is the most common size for nonfiction.

Tools like Kindle Create, Atticus and Vellum (Mac only) make this much easier than fighting with Word margins.

Step 3: Get a great cover

People absolutely judge a book by its cover, especially as a tiny thumbnail on an Amazon search page. This is not the place to cut corners.

  • The ebook needs a front cover image.
  • The paperback needs a full wraparound cover (back, spine and front) sized to your page count and trim size. KDP has a free cover template calculator.

If you’d like help, iMakeBookCovers creates professional covers for both ebooks and print.

Step 4: Set up your KDP account

Go to kdp.amazon.com and sign in. You’ll complete:

  • Your author/publisher information (use your real legal name and current address)
  • The tax interview so Amazon can pay you
  • Your bank details for royalty payments

Turn on two-step verification for this account. It’s your income.

One lesson from experience: keep your account details accurate and current. Amazon takes identity verification seriously. After well over a decade of publishing, my own account was suddenly flagged because Amazon couldn’t validate my identity, and my books disappeared. It was resolved by contacting KDP through the support form on their site, and everything came back. But it’s a good reminder: one account per person, accurate information, and keep the email on the account one you actually check.

Step 5: Enter the book details

For each book, KDP asks for:

  • Title, subtitle and series (if it’s part of one)
  • Author name and contributors
  • Description: this is your sales page. Lead with the problem your book solves, use short paragraphs and a bullet list of what readers will learn.
  • Keywords: up to seven. Think about what your reader types into the Amazon search bar.
  • Categories: choose the most specific categories that fit. It’s easier to stand out in a smaller category.
  • AI content: KDP asks whether you used AI to create text, images or translations. Answer honestly.

Step 6: ISBN, pricing and royalties

  • ISBN: KDP gives you a free ISBN for the paperback and hardcover. Ebooks don’t need one.
  • Ebook royalties: price your ebook between $2.99 and $9.99 and you can choose the 70% royalty option in most markets. Outside that range, it’s 35%.
  • Paperback royalties: 60% of the list price on Amazon, minus the printing cost. KDP shows you the math as you set the price.
  • KDP Select: an optional program that makes your ebook exclusive to Amazon for 90 days at a time, in exchange for being in Kindle Unlimited and getting paid for pages read. Good for fiction and series; less important for many business books.

Step 7: Preview, order a proof, then publish

  • Use the online previewer to check every page.
  • Order a printed proof of the paperback. You’ll catch things on paper you’ll never see on screen.
  • Hit publish. Review usually takes up to 72 hours, and then your book is live.

Step 8: After it’s live

Publishing is the starting line, not the finish line.

  • Set up your Amazon Author Central page with your bio and photo, and link all your books.
  • Give your book a home online. I walk through it in How to Build a One-Page Book Website.
  • Ask early readers for honest reviews.
  • Put it to work for your business. A book can open doors that a business card never will. More on that in Using a Book to Grow Your Business.

The bottom line

The hardest part of publishing a book is writing it. The KDP part is a checklist, and now you have it.

Want help turning your expertise into a published book, or building the website and funnel around it? Get in touch.

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