# The KDP publishing checklist: every check before you hit Publish

Source: https://kdpbook.io/guides/kdp-publishing-checklist · Updated 2026-10-15

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.

Short answer: Before publishing on KDP, check five things: the interior PDF (page size, margins, 300 DPI images, embedded fonts), the full-wrap cover sized from the final page count, the Kindle file, the listing (7 keywords, 3 categories) and the AI disclosure for each format. Plan releases too: KDP allows 2 new titles created and 2 submitted per format per week.

Key numbers:
- Paperback: 24–828 pages; hardcover: 75–550
- Bleed: art runs 0.125 in past the trim; the page grows by 0.125 in × 0.25 in
- Images at 300 DPI; text at least 7 pt; PDF under 650 MB
- Spine text only on books with more than 79 pages
- 2 new titles created and 2 submitted per format per week

Sections: What to decide first · Interior PDF · Cover PDF · Kindle eBook · Listing & metadata · Last checks before Publish · How long KDP review takes

Go through the list in the order of KDP’s setup screens. KDP checks every book twice, automatically when you upload the files and by a person before the book goes live, so each item below is something KDP looks at, with the number it checks.

## What should you decide before you start?

- Decide the **format**: paperback, hardcover, Kindle eBook, or several. Each is a separate title in KDP with its own files and its own ISBN for print.
- Pick the **trim size and ink/paper** first. They set the page size, the page limits (24–828 pages for paperbacks, 75–550 for hardcovers) and the spine width. See [trim sizes and paper types](https://kdpbook.io/guides/kdp-trim-sizes-and-paper-types).
- Finish the interior before the cover. The cover’s spine depends on the final page count.

## Interior PDF

1. **Page size** equals the trim size exactly, or trim + 0.125 in wide and + 0.25 in tall with bleed. Every page is the same size, single pages, never spreads.
2. **Bleed is all or nothing.** If one image touches the edge, the whole file is set up with bleed, and that art extends 0.125 in past the trim.
3. **Margins.** Gutter from 0.375 in (24–150 pages) up to 0.875 in (701+ pages). Outside, top and bottom at least 0.25 in, or 0.375 in with bleed. Check with the [margins calculator](https://kdpbook.io/kdp/margins-and-bleed).
4. **Page count** inside the limits for your ink, paper and trim. KDP rounds odd counts up and allows at most 4 blank pages in a row at the start or in the middle and 10 at the end.
5. **Images** at 300 DPI at their printed size. Under 200 DPI, KDP flags them as low resolution.
6. **Text** at least 7 pt, lines at least 0.75 pt, grey fills at least 10%.
7. **Clean PDF**: fonts embedded, transparency flattened, no crop marks, bookmarks, comments, links or form fields, and no placeholder text such as “Lorem ipsum” or “[Insert name]”. The file must be under 650 MB.

## Cover PDF

1. **One page** with back, spine and front, sized for the *final* page count and paper. The [cover size calculator](https://kdpbook.io/kdp/cover-size-calculator) gives the exact size.
2. **Spine text** only on books with more than 79 pages, with 0.0625 in of space on each side.
3. **Barcode area** of 2 × 1.2 in kept clear in the lower right of the back cover, unless you print your own barcode.
4. **Nothing important near the edges**: text stays inside the safe area, and no template guides, watermarks or “free” or price mentions appear on the cover.
5. Title, subtitle and author name on the cover match what you type in the book details, letter for letter.

## Kindle eBook

- Upload an EPUB (reflowable for text, fixed layout for picture books and comics). Coloring, puzzle and blank books are listed by KDP as unsuited to Kindle: publish those in print only.
- The Kindle cover is a separate JPEG. KDP’s ideal size is 1600 × 2560 pixels; light covers need a thin grey border so they don’t disappear on white pages.
- Open the file in KDP’s previewer on phone, tablet and e-reader views before you publish.

The details of a text eBook (headings, table of contents, images, file size) are in [how to format a Kindle eBook for KDP](https://kdpbook.io/guides/how-to-format-a-kindle-ebook).

## Listing and metadata

- Title plus subtitle under 200 characters, with no keyword stuffing, trademarks or “bestseller” claims.
- Description up to 4,000 characters, using only KDP’s allowed formatting tags. The free [book description formatter](https://kdpbook.io/kdp/amazon-book-description-formatter) writes that HTML for you and counts the characters.
- Up to 7 keywords and 3 categories that honestly describe the book. No other authors’ names or brands. See [how to fill in keywords, categories and the description](https://kdpbook.io/guides/kdp-keywords-categories-and-description).
- Children’s books: set the reading age. Low-content books: tick the low-content box (see [low-content vs medium-content](https://kdpbook.io/guides/low-content-vs-medium-content-books-on-kdp)).
- Declare AI-generated text, images and translations in the Content tab of *each* format. See [the AI disclosure guide](https://kdpbook.io/guides/kdp-ai-content-disclosure).

## What should you check right before you click Publish?

- Download the previewer’s PDF and check the first and last pages, the gutter and every full-page image.
- Order a proof copy for a new format or cover style.
- Price above the minimum list price for each marketplace (the [royalty calculator](https://kdpbook.io/kdp/royalty-calculator) shows it) and check your royalty.
- Plan releases: KDP’s help pages allow 2 new titles created and 2 submitted per format per week. How they count, and how to plan a series around them: [the KDP title creation and submission limits](https://kdpbook.io/guides/kdp-title-creation-limit).

## How long does KDP review take?

After you click Publish, the book goes into review. KDP’s [Book Status](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G200627450) and [Timelines](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G202173620) help pages give these maximums (read October 15, 2026):

- **Most books**: up to 3 business days to go live on Amazon.
- **A new paperback or hardcover**: its detail page appears within up to 72 hours on Amazon.com and up to 5 days on other marketplaces.
- **Your first book**: publishing may take up to 6 days for an account without a previously published book.
- **Low-content books** (journals, notebooks, planners): reviews may take 3-4 weeks, which KDP puts down to higher-than-normal publishing volumes.

Books are reviewed in the order KDP receives them, and contacting support doesn’t speed a review up. If the book goes back to Draft, KDP emails you what to fix. For a date that matters (a launch, a holiday book, a dated planner), count from the slowest figure that applies to you, and order a proof copy in the same week.

kdpbook runs the file checks of this list automatically before every export, and the export sheet lists the listing and AI-disclosure answers for your book.

Sources (checked 2026-09-26):
- [KDP Help: Paperback Submission Guidelines](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201857950)
- [KDP Help: Set Trim Size, Bleed, and Margins](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GVBQ3CMEQW3W2VL6)
- [KDP Help: Create a Paperback Cover](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201953020)
- [KDP Help: Content Guidelines (AI-generated content)](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G200672390)
- [KDP Help: Guide to Kindle Content Quality](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G200952510)
- [KDP Help: Create a Book (title creation and submission limits)](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G202172740)
- [KDP Help: Book Status (review times)](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G200627450)
- [KDP Help: Timelines (how long publishing takes)](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G202173620)

## Questions

Q: Why does KDP reject interior files?
A: The most common reasons are content outside the margins, a page size that doesn't match the trim (or trim plus bleed), bleed set on some pages only, images under 200 DPI, fonts that aren't embedded and leftover template or placeholder text.

Q: Should I order a proof copy?
A: Yes, for your first book with a new trim, paper or cover design. The online previewer catches technical problems, but only a printed proof shows color, contrast and how the spine looks.

Q: How long does KDP review take?
A: KDP says a book takes up to 3 business days to go live after you submit it. For a new paperback or hardcover, the detail page appears within up to 72 hours on Amazon.com and up to 5 days on other marketplaces, and publishing may take up to 6 days for an account without a previously published book. Low-content books such as journals or notebooks are the exception: KDP says their reviews may take 3-4 weeks, due to higher-than-normal publishing volumes (KDP Help, read October 15, 2026).

Q: How many books can I publish per week on KDP?
A: KDP's Create a Book help page sets two weekly limits: 2 new titles created per format and 2 new titles submitted for publication per format, drafts included the first time you submit them. A paperback, a hardcover and a Kindle edition of the same book each count once in their own format. KDP says both counts reset every Sunday at 12:00 AM UTC; its own page tells you when you reach one.