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Cookbook maker

kdpbook.io's cookbook maker turns a one-sentence idea or your own manuscript into a 120-page cookbook at 8 × 10 in with bleed: it writes, illustrates and lays out the book, then exports the interior PDF, the full-wrap cover PDF, a Kindle EPUB and a listing sheet for KDP. The default book costs about 3,487 credits (≈ $35).

A recipe book with a hero photo per recipe, an ingredient list and step-by-step method, organized by chapter.

To sell the book, export it on a paid plan: every plan from $25/month (Starter, 2,500 credits a month) gives watermark-free files with a commercial license, and kdpbook.io takes no royalty. See plans

8 × 10 in Standard color · white paper 120 pages Paperback Kindle eBook
Make a cookbookSee the KDP specs

Default book ≈ 3,487 credits (≈ $35) · estimate shown before launch

Need an idea? 20 non-fiction book ideas you can start in one click.

Have a manuscript? Format it for KDP.

An open cookbook on a desk, showing a sample interior spread
What’s inside

How a cookbook is laid out

Each recipe gets a hero photo (top half or full page), a 40 to 80 word headnote, an ingredient list in the chosen units, 4 to 10 numbered steps, servings and time. Chapter openers get a mood photo.

The default voice is cozy: comforting, homely, low stakes. You can change the audience, tone and length in the Story step.

Pages
120
72–300 possible
Illustrations
57
in the default book
Words
25,000
8,000–60,000 typical
Credits
≈ 3,487
≈ $35 for the default book
Start from an idea

Three cookbook ideas to start from

Each one opens a new cookbook with the idea already written in. Change anything before a page is made.

KDP specs

The numbers KDP will check

These are the specs of the default cookbook, computed from our KDP rulebook: the same code that lays out your pages and sizes your cover. Change the trim, paper or page count and every number updates.

Paperback

Available ✓

8 × 10 in, standard color · white paper, 120 pages by default.

Hardcover

With changes

Possible with a different trim or page count. Hardcover is only offered in 5.5 × 8.5, 6 × 9, 6.14 × 9.21, 7 × 10 and 8.25 × 11 in.

Kindle eBook

Available ✓

Reflowable EPUB: text adapts to the reader's screen and font size.

Default cookbook · paperback

Default trim:
8 × 10 in
Other trims:
8.5 × 11, 7 × 10, 7.5 × 9.25, 8.25 × 11 in
Ink & paper:
Standard color · white paper
Bleed:
Yes, 3 sides
Interior page size:
8.125 × 10.25 in
Pages (default):
120 · template 72–300
KDP page range:
72–600 for this ink & trim
Minimum margins:
0.375 in gutter · 0.375 in outside
Spine width:
0.27 in at 120 pages
Full cover (wrap):
16.52 × 10.25 in
Printing cost (US):
$5.82 per copy
Minimum list price:
$9.99
Languages:
English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch + 27 more
Selling rights:
Commercial license on paid plans (from $25/month)
Expanded Distribution:
Trim and paper eligible; distributors may decline cookbooks (KDP list)

At a $16.99 list price, KDP pays about $4.37 per copy sold on Amazon.com. Check any price with the royalty calculator.

Expanded Distribution

✓ Checked on

You can enroll the paperback (it offers the paperback to bookstores and libraries outside Amazon at a 40% royalty), but its distributors may not accept this kind of book.

KDP's distributors, not KDP, decide which books they accept. Which books they accept or may decline → Source: KDP Help: Expanded Distribution (opens in a new tab).

Made with kdpbook

Real cookbooks made with kdpbook

Books made with kdpbook by its authors and the kdpbook team, free to read in the 3D book player.

Browse non-fiction & guides →
Recommended styles

Styles that suit a cookbook

All styles →
Who it’s for

Audiences

Teens (young adult) (13–18) Adults Seniors (large print)

Fonts, type size, sentence length and vocabulary follow the audience you pick.

Publishing tips

Before you publish

  • Each recipe is written with ingredients, numbered steps, servings and times: test and check every quantity before you publish.
  • Food photos are placed next to the recipe they show, and the book ends with a kitchen conversions page (cups, spoons, ounces, oven temperatures).
KDP review

Common KDP rejections for this type

The KDP messages that apply to a cookbook, and what usually causes them. The KDP preflight in the editor checks for each of them before you export.

Step by step

How to make a cookbook for KDP

  1. 01

    Describe the book

    Describe your cookbook in one sentence, or import your own text, then set the writing style, the reader (large print for seniors) and the length.

  2. 02

    Choose the style

    Pick an illustration style and meet your main characters, or describe your own.

  3. 03

    Confirm the KDP format

    Start from 8 × 10 in, standard color · white paper with bleed, or change trim, paper and page count.

  4. 04

    Generate and edit

    Recipes are written with ingredients, numbered steps, servings and times, and each food photo sits next to the recipe it shows. Check quantities, then edit before export.

  5. 05

    Export and fill your KDP draft

    Download the interior PDF, the cover PDF, the Kindle EPUB and the listing sheet. Upload them to KDP yourself or, on a paid plan, let kdpbook Publisher (Chrome or Edge on a computer) fill your KDP draft with them; either way, you review the draft and click Publish.

    How kdpbook Publisher works →

Cookbook questions

What trim size is best for a cookbook on KDP?

kdpbook.io starts cookbooks at 8 × 10 in on standard color interior with white paper, with bleed. You can switch to 8.5 × 11 in, 7 × 10 in, 7.5 × 9.25 in, 8.25 × 11 in; the layout and cover are recalculated for the new size.

How many pages should a cookbook have?

Our cookbook template runs 72–300 pages and defaults to 120. For this ink and trim, KDP accepts 72–600 pages. KDP counts every page, including front matter and blank pages, and rounds odd counts up to an even number.

Are AI food photos allowed in a cookbook on KDP?

Yes, if you declare them. KDP asks publishers to declare AI-generated images, including the cover, when they publish. The photos are generated from each recipe's text, so check that every picture matches its dish before you publish.

Can I publish a cookbook as a Kindle eBook?

Yes. Reflowable EPUB: text adapts to the reader's screen and font size. It is exported from the same project as the paperback and hardcover.

Can I make a cookbook in Spanish, German or French?

Yes. kdpbook.io can make a cookbook in 34 languages that KDP publishes, including English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese and Dutch. On KDP, Polish, Ukrainian and Yiddish are print only, and Arabic, Hindi, Chinese (Traditional), Tamil, Marathi, Gujarati and Malayalam are eBook only. The kdpbook.io editor is in English, and the Book assistant replies in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian or Portuguese, following the language you write in.

How many credits does a cookbook cost on kdpbook.io?

The default cookbook (120 pages, 57 illustrations, about 25,000 words) is estimated at 3,487 credits, about $35. You see the exact estimate before you launch, only what is produced is charged, and the rest of the hold goes back to your balance.

Can I sell a cookbook made with kdpbook.io on Amazon?

Yes, on a paid plan (from $25/month): its files have no watermark and come with a commercial license, while free-plan files are a watermarked preview. Plans: kdpbook.io/pricing.

Can a cookbook use KDP Expanded Distribution?

Trim and paper eligible; distributors may decline cookbooks (KDP list). You can enroll the paperback (it offers the paperback to bookstores and libraries outside Amazon at a 40% royalty), but its distributors may not accept this kind of book. A book they decline is removed from Expanded Distribution and stays on sale on Amazon.

Can I use my own family recipes?

Yes. Import them as a Word file (.docx or .doc), a PDF, Markdown or plain text, or paste them, and they are printed word for word. kdpbook lays out each recipe, places the food photos next to the recipes they show and adds a kitchen conversions page (cups, spoons, ounces, oven temperatures) at the back.

Do I have to tell Amazon the book was made with AI?

Yes, for AI-generated content. KDP asks you to declare AI-generated text, images or translations when you publish or republish a book, even if you edited them substantially. Text kdpbook writes is AI-generated, while a manuscript you wrote yourself and import stays your own text. The illustrations and cover art kdpbook paints are AI-generated images. The export sheet pre-fills the answers from what was actually generated for your book.

Related book types

Made with kdpbook

Read non-fiction & guides other authors made with kdpbook, free in the 3D book player.

Browse non-fiction & guides →
Make it with kdpbook

Make your cookbook today.

Describe it in one sentence. kdpbook.io writes, illustrates and lays out the book at 8 × 10 in, then gives you the interior, cover and listing sheet for KDP.

Make a cookbookSee pricing

2,000 free credits · no card required