What is KDP? Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing Basics
Ollie Ander
Is probably just a couple cats in a trench-coat—the hair shedding and sunlight napping are highly suspect.
KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) is a publishing platform owned by Amazon. KDP is a favored option among self-publishing authors as it allows full control of the content owner to publish directly to the Amazon Kindle Store, the largest online e-book market to date.
Kindle Direct Publishing originally launched in 2007 under the name "Digital Text Platform" and only catered to the distribution of e-books. KDP has grown since, including printing and distribution for paperback copies in 2016 and hardback options in 2021!
Is it easy to publish on KDP?
KDP is heralded as one of the simplest and most user-friendly direct publishing options. After making a$ Kindle Direct Publishing Account$ , you will gain access to a hub where you can upload, manage, and sell all your titles available on Amazon.
How much does it cost to publish with KDP?
There is no upfront cost to upload your book onto KDP and make it available for public consumption. That said, Amazon will take a percentage of all royalties earned on every book sale through KDP.
Using KDP can also forgo the expense of acquiring an ISBN for your book. The platform will a free ISBN for all ebook publications. These ISBNs are not applicable to use anywhere outside of Amazon. So if you want to offer physical copies of your books or sell outside of Amazon, like Barnes & Noble or IngramSpark, you will have to purchase an additional ISBN for each format.
More on ISBNs:
How much do KDP authors make?
Amazon offers two options of royalty rates for authors on their e-books: 70% for$ limited distribution$ , and 35% if you’d like to broaden your range and sell to all available territories. Their print-on-demand services for paperbacks and hardbacks each offer 60% royalties.
No matter which royalty deal you choose, be sure to price your book accordingly so you maintain a desired profit margin.
Important Note:
E-books do not share the same printing costs which Print-on-Demand physical books incur, but Amazon does require a minimum price on e-books and hosting/digital delivery fees, on-top of their take of the royalties. If you hold a sale, do not price your e-book below their minimum threshold, or do so too closely and also have a large file size, there is the possibility that you, the author, could end up paying Amazon per sale transaction. Leave yourself a reasonable berth for profits!
How often are KDP authors paid?
Authors on KDP are paid out every month so long as their earnings meet the$ minimum threshold$ , however, the royalties are delayed and not instantaneous. Authors can expect to receive their earnings$ roughly 60 days$ after the sale was reported (90 days if they are enrolled in expanded distribution).
The method in which you choose to receive payment will also affect the time it takes to deliver funds. Direct deposits take the least amount of time at 1-5 business days from the payment date, wire payments take 5-10 days, and checks may take up to 30 days to reach your given address.
Steps to Publishing on Kindle Direct Publishing
Here are the steps to follow to set yourself up on KDP.
Step 1: KDP Account
Please note that Amazon does not allow multiple accounts by one holder, so be wary. Trying to start a new, separate (or multiple) Amazon/KDP account may lead to consequences, such as account termination and blocking further attempts.
Step 2: Tax Info & Banking
Before you can publish anything on KDP, you will be required to fill out your tax and banking information. This must be accurate to your legal name, but if you use a pen name, don’t worry! Amazon will not link or make this information publicly available.
Step 3: Upload Book Files
The process for each format is roughly the same. After pressing one of the (+) options near the top of the page, you will be required to fill out three tabs of information on your book: details, content, and pricing. You can fill out and link the e-book, paperback, and hardback versions of your book after the initial creation of one of those formats.
Then voila! You’re ready to publish on Kindle Direct Publishing.
Step 4: Amazon Author Central Account
This step is not required to publish, but could help with book sales and marketing after the fact. Separate from your KDP account, you can set up an$ Amazon Author Central Account$ , which is where you’ll host your Author Page.
This is essentially a profile to display your author photo and bio, but it also allows you to post about your upcoming releases and other relevant content. Having an author account will link all your books on Amazon to your author name, increasing visibility of your titles, pushing them to potential readers, and informing fans that perhaps didn’t know you had more on offer.
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