Guides
KDP publishing guides
Step-by-step answers to the questions every Amazon KDP author runs into, grouped by task: publishing a picture, coloring or puzzle book, formatting the interior, making the cover, and KDP’s rules. Every number comes from KDP Help, with the source linked. Written and maintained by the kdpbook.io editorial team.
Start here
From idea to a published book, step by step.
- Publishing: How to write and publish a book with AI (step by step, 2026) From idea to Amazon KDP with AI: outline, draft, edit, illustrations, formatting, cover, Kindle eBook, listing, AI disclosure and royalties, DIY or kdpbook. 14 min read · updated
- Publishing: The KDP publishing checklist: every check before you hit Publish A step-by-step preflight for Amazon KDP: interior PDF, cover PDF, Kindle file and listing checks that catch the most common rejections before you publish. 9 min read · updated
- Publishing: How to make a puzzle book for Amazon KDP (word search, sudoku, mazes) How to make a puzzle book for KDP: trim size and large print, puzzles per page, answer keys, ISBN, why it isn't low-content, Expanded Distribution and cost. 8 min read · updated
- Publishing: KDP keywords, categories and book description: how to fill them in 7 keyword boxes, 3 categories, a 4,000-character description: what to put in each, what KDP bans, the HTML it accepts, and a free description formatter. 7 min read · updated
- Publishing: How to publish a children’s picture book on KDP with AI From idea to Amazon: trim size, premium color, bleed, page count, consistent characters, Kindle edition and AI disclosure for an AI-illustrated picture book. 10 min read · updated
- Publishing: How to make a coloring book for KDP Trim size, paper, single-sided pages, line weight, page count, ISBN and pricing for a KDP coloring book, and why it is print only and not low-content. 8 min read · updated
- Publishing: Christmas books for KDP: when to publish in 2026, and 10 ideas KDP says up to 3 business days to go live, 3-4 weeks for low-content reviews, 2 new submissions per format a week. When to publish, 10 ideas. 7 min read · updated
- Publishing: How to make a journal for KDP: guided journals, planners and notebooks Low-content rules, trim sizes, paper, page counts and interiors for KDP journals, planners and notebooks, and what a guided journal adds to a plain notebook. 10 min read · updated
- Publishing: How many words in a children’s book? Word count by age and format Word counts for board books, picture books, early readers, chapter books, middle grade and YA, from agents and editors, with the page counts KDP allows. 8 min read · updated
- Publishing: How to price a book on KDP: minimum prices, royalty bands and worked examples KDP pricing with numbers: the minimum list price, the 50% to 60% jump at $9.99, Kindle’s 35% and 70% bands, delivery costs, KDP Select and 3 worked examples. 10 min read · updated
- Publishing: How much does it cost to publish a book on Amazon KDP? Publishing on KDP is free. What you do pay: printing taken from each sale, an optional ISBN, proof copies and making the book, with 2026 numbers. 8 min read · updated
- Publishing: How to make a children’s book with AI and keep the characters consistent Why AI characters change from page to page and how to stop it: reference sheets, a locked style, prompt tips, DIY methods, print specs and AI disclosure. 10 min read · updated
- Publishing: AI or a children’s book illustrator? Cost, time, rights and KDP rules compared What a children’s book illustrator costs ($1,540–$7,000 in sourced quotes) vs AI on kdpbook: time, revisions, rights, royalties and KDP’s AI disclosure. 9 min read · updated
Formatting
Interiors that print the way you expect.
- Formatting: How to format a book for a KDP paperback (novel and non-fiction) Trim size, margins, gutter, fonts, chapter openers, front matter, page numbers and PDF settings for a KDP paperback novel or non-fiction book, with numbers. 9 min read · updated
- Formatting: How to format a Kindle eBook for KDP: EPUB, Word or KPF How to format a Kindle eBook for KDP: which file to upload (EPUB, Word or KPF), headings and table of contents, images, the cover, file size and testing. 9 min read · updated
- Formatting: Kindle Kids’ Book Creator is gone: how to make a fixed-layout Kindle picture book in 2026 Amazon retired Kindle Kids’ Book Creator in 2025. What to use now for a fixed-layout Kindle picture book (Kindle Create or EPUB), with KDP’s rules. 8 min read · updated
Covers
Full-wrap print covers and the Kindle cover.
Rules and policy
What KDP allows, requires and limits.
- Policy: Can you publish and sell AI-generated books on Amazon KDP? The 2026 rules Yes: you can publish and sell AI-generated books on Amazon KDP if you disclose them. The 2026 rules: what to declare, the weekly limits, what gets removed. 8 min read · updated
- KDP rules: KDP royalties explained: paperback, hardcover and Kindle rates in 2026 How KDP pays in 2026: 60% or 50% of list price minus printing for print books, 35% or 70% minus delivery for Kindle ($2.99–$12.99 band), with worked examples. 10 min read · updated
- KDP rules: KDP title creation limit (2 new titles per format per week since September 21, 2026) and submission limit KDP lets you create 2 new titles per format a week (it was 10) and, since October 5, 2026, submit 2, drafts included. What counts and how to plan. 6 min read · updated
- Policy: KDP AI policy explained: what to disclose for AI text, images and translations AI-generated vs AI-assisted on KDP: what to declare for text, images and translations, how to fill in the form for an AI-made book, what it doesn’t cover. 6 min read · updated
- Policy: Can you copyright an AI-generated book? (US, UK and EU rules) US: purely AI text and images aren’t protected (Thaler v. Perlmutter); the UK still covers computer-generated works. What your own edits add, and KDP rules. 12 min read · updated
- KDP rules: How to choose a KDP trim size and paper for your book 16 paperback and 5 hardcover trims, 5 ink and paper options, page limits and cost. Novels: 5x8–6x9 on cream. Picture books: 8.5x8.5 premium color. 8 min read · updated
- KDP rules: KDP premium color vs standard color: cost, quality and when to use each Regular trims: premium $0.065/page (flat $3.60 to 40 pages), standard $0.0255/page (72–600 pages, paperback only). 8.5x11 large trim, 100 pages: $9.00 vs $5.02. 8 min read · updated
- KDP rules: Low-content vs medium-content books on KDP: what changes What KDP counts as a low-content book, why coloring and puzzle books aren't, and what the low-content box changes for ISBNs, distribution and Kindle. 6 min read · updated
- KDP rules: KDP paperback vs hardcover: trims, page counts, printing cost and royalties A 300-page 6x9 B&W book costs $4.60 to print as a paperback and $9.25 as a hardcover on Amazon.com. Trims, page limits, minimum price and royalty compared. 8 min read · updated
- KDP rules: Free KDP ISBN vs your own ISBN: what changes and which to choose Free KDP ISBN: $0, KDP-only, imprint “Independently published”. Your own: $125 for 1 or $295 for 10 at Bowker, your imprint, any printer. When each wins. 8 min read · updated
Make it with kdpbook
Rather have the files made for you?
kdpbook turns one sentence into a KDP-ready interior, cover and Kindle eBook, with every rule in these guides applied.
2,000 free credits · no card required