Glossary

KDP and printing, in plain words.

49 terms you will meet when you publish on Amazon KDP, with the numbers that apply today.

A

A+ Content: Images and text modules added below the description on an Amazon product page. Useful to show interior pages of books without Look Inside.
AI-assisted content: Content you created yourself and improved with AI (editing, grammar, brainstorming). KDP doesn't require you to disclose it.AI disclosure guide →
AI-generated content: Text, images or translations created by an AI tool, even if you edited them heavily afterwards. KDP requires you to declare it for each format when you publish.AI disclosure guide →
Author copy: A copy of your own published book that you order at printing cost plus shipping and tax. Unlike a proof, it has no “Not for resale” mark.

Back matter: Pages after the main content: acknowledgements, about the author, an “also by” list, answer keys, an index.
Barcode area: The 2 × 1.2 in space in the lower right of the back cover where KDP prints the ISBN barcode. Keep it clear of text and important art.Cover size calculator →
Bleed: Artwork that extends 0.125 in beyond the trim line on the outside, top and bottom edges, so no white edge shows after cutting. If one page bleeds, the whole interior must be set up with bleed.Margins & bleed →

Case laminate: The only KDP hardcover binding: the printed cover is laminated and glued around rigid boards. There is no dust jacket.
Categories: The Amazon browse categories your book is listed in. KDP lets you choose up to 3 per format.
Cream paper: A warm, off-white paper used for most novels. It is slightly thicker than white paper (0.0025 in per page) and costs the same to print.

Delivery cost: A per-megabyte fee KDP subtracts from 70% Kindle royalties (0.15 USD per MB on Amazon.com). Large, image-heavy eBooks can earn more at 35%.Royalty calculator →
DPI (dots per inch): Image resolution at printed size. KDP recommends 300 DPI; lower resolutions can look blurry and are flagged in review.

Embedded fonts: Fonts stored inside the PDF so it prints exactly as designed. KDP requires every font in the interior and cover PDFs to be embedded.
EPUB: The open eBook format KDP accepts for Kindle books. It can be reflowable (text adapts to the screen) or fixed layout (pages keep their design).
Expanded Distribution: An option that offers your paperback to bookstores and libraries outside Amazon, at a 40% royalty. It isn't available for hardcovers, low-content books, coloring books, some trims and some papers.

Fixed layout: An eBook where every page keeps its exact design, like the print edition. Used for picture books, comics and illustrated books.
Front matter: Pages before the main content: title page, copyright page, dedication, table of contents, a “This book belongs to” page.
Full-wrap cover: The single print cover file that holds the back cover, the spine and the front cover side by side, plus bleed or wrap.Cover dimensions guide →

Groundwood paper: A lighter, cheaper black-and-white paper offered for paperbacks only. It isn't suited to heavy ink coverage.
Gutter: The inside margin, on the binding side of each page. KDP's minimum grows with page count, from 0.375 in (24–150 pages) to 0.875 in (701+ pages).Margins & bleed →

Hinge: On a hardcover cover, the 10 mm strip on each side of the spine where the cover bends. No text or barcode may be placed there.

ISBN: The International Standard Book Number that identifies each print edition. KDP gives a free one for regular books; each format needs its own.

KDP Select: An optional 90-day program that makes your eBook exclusive to Amazon and enrolls it in Kindle Unlimited. Required for 70% royalties in some marketplaces.
Keywords: Up to 7 search phrases you add to your listing to help readers find the book. They must describe the book honestly and can't name other authors or brands.
Kindle cover: The front-only JPEG used for the Kindle eBook. KDP's ideal size is 1600 × 2560 pixels.
Kindle Unlimited: Amazon's eBook subscription. Authors of enrolled KDP Select books are paid per page read from a monthly fund.

Large trim: A trim wider than 6.12 in or taller than 9 in. Large trims cost more to print.Trim sizes →
List price: The price you set for each marketplace. Print list prices exclude VAT; KDP enforces a minimum that covers the printing cost.
Live area (safe area): The part of the page inside the margins where text and important details must stay, so nothing is cut off or lost in the gutter.
Look Inside: Amazon's preview of a book's first pages. Low-content books published without an ISBN don't get it.
Low-content book: KDP's category for books with minimal, repetitive interiors meant to be filled in: notebooks, journals, planners, logbooks. Coloring, puzzle and children's books are not low-content.Low-content guide →

Minimum list price: The lowest price KDP lets you set for a print book in a marketplace: the price at which your royalty covers the printing cost.

Outside margin: The margin on the edge opposite the binding, plus the top and bottom margins. KDP requires at least 0.25 in, or 0.375 in with bleed.

Page count: The total number of interior pages, blank ones included. KDP rounds odd counts up to an even number. Paperbacks take 24–828 pages, hardcovers 75–550.
PDF/X-1a: A print-ready PDF standard with embedded fonts and flattened transparency. It is KDP's preferred format for print files.
Preflight: Checking print files against the printer's rules before uploading: page size, margins, bleed, resolution, fonts, spine and cover size.Publishing checklist →
Premium color: KDP's high-quality color interior, suited to full-page illustrations. Available for paperbacks and hardcovers.
Printing cost: What KDP charges to print each copy: a fixed fee plus a price per page (or a flat fee for short books), deducted from your royalty.Printing cost calculator →
Proof copy: A printed copy of an unpublished book, ordered to check it before release. It carries a “Not for resale” band.

Recto and verso: The right-hand (recto, odd-numbered) and left-hand (verso, even-numbered) pages of an open book. Page 1 is always a recto.
Reflowable: An eBook whose text adapts to the reader's screen, font and size. The right choice for novels and non-fiction.
Royalty: What KDP pays you per sale. Print: 60% or 50% of the list price minus the printing cost. Kindle: 35%, or 70% minus a delivery cost within a price band.Royalty calculator →
Running head: The line at the top of a page with the book title or chapter name, common in novels and non-fiction.

Spine: The edge of the book between the covers. Its width is the page count times the paper thickness; spine text is allowed from 79 pages.Spine width calculator →
Standard color: A cheaper color interior for text with some color, paperback only, from 72 to 600 pages.

Title creation limit: KDP's cap on new titles: currently 2 per format per week.
Trim size: The final size of the book after cutting, such as 6 × 9 in. It sets the page size, page limits and printing cost.Trim sizes →

Widows and orphans: Single lines of a paragraph stranded at the top (widow) or bottom (orphan) of a page. Good typesetting avoids them.
Wrap (hardcover): The 15 mm of cover art on each edge of a hardcover file that folds around the boards, in place of paperback bleed.

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