How To Self-Publish Your Book on Amazon KDP

How To Self-Publish Your Book on Amazon KDP

Books, Medium

I get asked how to self-publish ALL the time.

And I know it can be confusing if you’ve never done it before. So to make it easier, I’ve created a step by step guide for the entire process.

I am not going to dive into how to find a cover designer or formatting or all the details of formatting in this post. Let me know if that is something you want to see in another article.

Here are the things you need to self-publish on Amazon:

  • Two versions of your formatted book; one as a docx, EPUB, or KPF file (formatted for ebook) and the other as a PDF file (formatted for the physical version/paperback).
  • Front cover in JPG format (for ebook) and wraparound cover with a spine in JPG format (for physical version/paperback).
  • Summary/book description (same as what is on the back cover of the physical book).
  • An idea of the two Amazon categories you want to publish in.
  • The price you want to sell the ebook and paperback versions for.

You do not need to buy an ISBN, Amazon will provide you with one for free for each version.

Step 1: Create an account on KDP.

Go to kdp.amazon.com and sign in with your same Amazon login.

My homepage on KDP.

The “Bookshelf” tab is where you upload books and also see a list of all books you’ve published.

The “Reports” tab shows how many books have been sold in each format and your current royalties, as well as how many Kindle Unlimited pages are read. There is other info as well. You can just click through the tabs to familiarize yourself.

The “Community” tab has forums and a knowledge base, and the “Marketing” tab shows advertising options through Amazon.

Step 2: Upload an ebook.

On the “Bookshelf” tab, click +Kindle eBook.

You will now see 3 pages of steps to publish your ebook. Let’s go through them one by one.

Kindle eBook Details

This is the page where you’ll input all the book details.

Start by typing in your book title and subtitle (if any). If you don’t have a subtitle, leave this blank.

If your book is part of a series, you will do the series step. If not, skip it.

If you are publishing a new book, then you will not fill in the edition number. This is only if it is a new or updated version of an existing, already published book.

Add your name as author.

If you have an illustrator, editor, co-author, introduction writer, or any other contributors, add their names and role under “Contributors.”

Next, you will add the book description in the text box.

Check off that you own the copyright to your book.

Select up to 7 keywords or keyphrases that describe your book. These can be anything you want but should be related to your book’s topic and themes. These keywords help Amazon know when to show your book when shoppers search for related topics.

Now you will select 2 categories. These are the categories your book will be listed in on Amazon’s book listings.

You can choose any categories you want. Take your time to go through the various options and categories to see what makes the most sense. You can only choose 2.

In the next section, if you’re uploading a children’s book, you can select age and grade ranges. If it is not a kid’s book, skip this step.

If you plan to upload the book ASAP, ignore the pre-order option.

Click Save and Continue.

Kindle eBook Content

This is the page where you will upload your manuscript and cover, as well as actually see what it will look like.

At the top, you will need to select if you want to enable Digita Rights Management (DRM). This is up to you. Here are 3 resources that go deeper into details on what DRM is and the pros and cons so you can decide:

Next, you’ll upload your book manuscript as a docx, EPUB, or KPF file. If it is a docx file, it still needs to be formatted correctly for Kindle.

Then you’ll upload your front cover image (not the wraparound cover) as a JPG or TIFF file. You could use the cover creator to create a cover on your own, though I have not used that tool.

Once the interior and covers are fully uploaded and processed, click on Launch Previewer to see how it will look!

It is important to flip through this and make sure the cover looks good, the interior pages look right, and that KDP doesn’t flag any issues. At the top of the screen, you can change the previewer to Tablet, Phone, or Kindle e-reader to see what your book will look like on various devices.

It is common for the sizing or formatting to be slightly off. Read the menu on the left side to get details if something isn’t right and give that information to your cover designer and/or formatter for any needed adjustments. You’ll take the adjusted files and reupload them in this same place and review the previewer again.

If you are satisfied with everything, click Approve.

Last on this page is the ISBN. If you have already purchased an ISBN, paste it here. If not, skip this step, as ebooks do not require one.

Click Save and Continue.

Kindle eBook Pricing

Last is the pricing page.

You’ll start by selecting if you want to enroll in KDP Select. KDP Select gives you access to promotions and other things but is a 90-day requirement that will auto-renew unless you remember to change it. Here are 3 resources to decide if you want to enroll:

For territories, you can choose if you want to have your book sold in all Amazon territories around the world or if you prefer to limit it to specific areas.

Under Primary marketplace, you can select your “home” Amazon. For example, if you are in the US, this will be Amazon.com. If you are located in India, it would be Amazon.in.

Then comes pricing! Here you will choose either 35% or 70% royalty. If you want the 70% royalty, your book MUST be priced between $2.99 and $9.99.

With 35%, your price can be anywhere from $0.99 to $200.

You will see the converted priced and royalties per sale for all territories below.

Finally, you’ll see the Book Lending section. If you choose 70% royalties, you will automatically be enrolled in Book Lending and cannot remove it.

Click Publish.

Congrats! Your ebook is submitted. You will receive an email within 72 hours from Amazon KDP either telling you the book is live and giving you the link OR explaining any issues and telling you what to fix before it can go live.

Step 3: Upload a paperback.

Now that you have uploaded your ebook, it’s time to do the paperback. Once you hit “Publish” for the ebook, KDP will give you a popup pop that asks if you want to go ahead and do the paperback. Click yes.

If you did not see the popup or accidentally clicked no, simply click +Paperback in the center of the “Bookshelf” screen.

Paperback Details

If you clicked yes on the popup, KDP will autofill in this information from the ebook details. Verify it is correct and change anything you need.

Save and Continue to move onto the content.

If you clicked +Paperback, it will not autofill the Paperback Details page and you’ll need to fill it in with the same information from the ebook: title, author, description, keywords, categories, etc. before you save and continue.

Paperback Content

At the top, you will see the ISBN section.

If you purchased your own ISBN, click “Use my own ISBN” and paste in the number. If not, select “Get a free KDP ISBN” and the system will randomly assign you one.

Under publication date, you can choose any date starting from today. If you have a specific date you want to launch, find and select that day. If not, just put today’s date.

The next section is Print Options.

In the top area, you’ll select whether you want a black and white interior with cream or white paper or a color interior. Keep in mind that black and white is cheaper to print, giving you more royalties from each sale.

Then you’ll see Trim Size. Trim size is the size of your physical book. You will have already chosen this size when you had a cover made and the interior formatted, so you should already know this. The cover and interior have to be formatted to fit your specific book/trim size.

KDP supports a ton of different sizes. Here’s a full list of sizes you can choose from. 5×8 and 6×9 seem to be very common.

You’ll also choose if you want bleed or no bleed. Bleed is when the background color or images go all the way to the edge of the page, no bleed means it does not extend to the edge and has a small border on all sides.

Select if you want your cover to be matte or shiny.

Next, just like with the ebook, it’s time to upload your manuscript and cover. Manuscripts can be PDF (recommended), docx, HTML, or RTF.

Upload your wraparound cover as a PDF file.

Launch the previewer, review, and approve. Take note if there are any issues, as you’ll need to resolve them before it will let you publish the book.

Paperback Rights & Pricing

This page is the same as the ebook pricing page. Choose your territories, marketplace, and your pricing. Generally, paperbacks cost more than ebooks.

Finally, click Publish Your Paperback Book.

Congrats! Wait for the email from Amazon with a live link or any issues.

After You Publish

AFTER your first book is live on Amazon, you’ll go to Author Central to create an Amazon author page.

Step 1: Go to author.amazon.com and create an account and fill in your profile info.

Step 2: Click “Books” at the top to add your books to your profile page. Here is what my profile page looks like: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B074MBKFZN

Every single time you upload a new book, you’ll go to Author Central and add it to your page.

You will also need to contact Author Central’s customer service to have them merge your ebook and paperback into one page. If you don’t, Amazon counts them as separate books and each version will have its own page. You want them to be on one page so you can see all formats in one place.

If you need more detail on Author Central, here is a step-by-step guide with images: 3 Steps You Must Take After Publishing Your Book

And you’re all set!

I know this is long but I hope it’s super helpful. Let me know if you have any questions!


Check out my book Concept to Conclusion: How to Write a Book and learn everything you need to know to conceive of, outline, write, publish, and market a book! Or check out my newest release, an anxiety journal: But…what if? A Journal For Anxious People.

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Other stories you may like:

Where To Start When Writing a Book

Where To Start When Writing a Book

JS

The idea of “I am going to write a book” feels huge.

And overwhelming and hard.

And sure, it can be…if you let it.

One of the biggest mistakes first-time authors make is overthinking, overanalyzing, and just not getting started.

It’s easy to look at writing a book as one whole BIG step instead of as a series of smaller tasks and to-dos.

But here’s the fun part: You don’t have to start at the introduction or even at the beginning if you don’t want to.

If you have a comprehensive and complete outline, then you already know the order everything will be in for the entire book.

So, you can pick a topic or section which feels inspiring at that moment and just start writing.

If you spend so much time agonizing over that opening line that you never actually write it, what have you accomplished?

Just put words down on the page.

You can change it, edit, revise later. You can fix or change or delete anything.

But there have to be words to change.

It’s easier to fix bad writing than to start from a blank page every time.

I know that sounds silly, simple, maybe even stupid — but it’s true. You can always edit your work but there must first be work to edit.

You can do one, two, or seven drafts and change as much as you need to until it’s exactly what you want it to be.

You have to start somewhere!

Start with an outline

Create a solid outline and roadmap for your book. You’ll always know how to get there if you know exactly the path you plan to take.

Use your outline as the place to change the order, add topics, decide the structure, and identify if you’re missing important information or have some information that doesn’t really fit with the rest.

Treat your outline as the first draft of your book.

Then it won’t feel as hard to start writing — because hey, the first draft is done, now it’s just about fleshing it out!

How do I know?

Well, because I’ve written books. More than that, I’ve helped a bunch of OTHER people write books, from really refining their concept to breaking down the writing process to putting the manuscript in order, publishing, and even using their books as marketing tools for their businesses.

I love books.

I admit it, I’m a huge book nerd. Book nerds unite!

I’ve written 3 of my own books, did book coaching for dozens of authors to help them start and finish their books, and even ghostwritten a few books!

I edit book manuscripts as a big part of my business….and I also still read books for fun!

See? Book nerd.

And I just wrote my third book. It’s freaking awesome and I’m super excited. It’s coming out Tuesday, November 26th because I might be an idiot and want to release it right before the holidays.

It’s an easy read and a great reference to walk ANY author through the writing process, and it is geared specifically toward nonfiction authors (though part two has some really awesome information on the editing process, publishing, and marketing which will help fiction authors, too!).

You don’t have to read it, I won’t make you.

But I am extremely proud of it and if you do read it, I know for a FACT it will be useful and give you straightforward no-BS knowledge to break down the writing process and learn step-by-step how to get that book out of your head and out into the world.

Concept to Conclusion: How to Write a Book comes out TOMORROW! It will be FREE for 48 hours ONLY starting tomorrow morning (November 26)!


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How My Writing Has Evolved with Time

How My Writing Has Evolved with Time

JS, Medium, writing

Writing is so interesting because it is one of those things which is both a skill and a talent.

The difference between those two is that a skill is a buildable, progressive thing you can practice and work on and improve on over time and a talent (at its core) is more inherent. It’s something you have.

Those are my definitions. Let’s check in with Merriam-Webster for the official ones.

Skill: “1a: the ability to use one’s knowledge effectively and readily in execution or performance

b: dexterity or coordination especially in the execution of learned physical tasks

2: a learned power of doing something competently: a developed aptitude or ability. Language skills”

Talent: “1a: a special often athletic, creative, or artistic aptitude

b: general intelligence or mental power; ability

2: the natural endowments of a person”

Oh, good! Pretty similar. Feels good — and I love words and knowing and learning precise definitions and synonyms, antonyms. I am a proud word nerd.

Singing is another great example. You can be born with and grow up with a good or great singing voice, and you will still improve and learn to sing even better with practice and lessons.

My Writing Evolution

I was recently asked about how my writing has evolved or changed over the years and I was struck by how fantastic of a question it was.

My writing has evolved over time from being more personal and for me (such as LiveJournal and my first Blogspot blog) to writing FOR and TO an audience and my readers.

I am much more focused on trying to give information or teach something than in just writing to myself. I can write to myself in a journal, and I sometimes do, but I now prefer my online writing to be useful and valuable to others.

I also write for my business. As a freelance writer, I am often writing for specific companies or people. I needed to learn how to write in different tones and styles in order to get their messages across while fitting their brand.

Even when I wrote my books, they are both so different in style, tone, messaging, and audience. The writing for each is different and distinct.

It’s extremely interesting to think of the changing, adapting, and evolving writing.

How has your writing changed over the years?

Are you picking up what I’m putting down? Check out my story and freelancing guide, “Write. Get Paid. Repeat.” with tons of practical info packed into a short book! I also have a brand new writing course called “How to Write a Book in 3 Months.” Go to the site to learn more!

How to Get Started & Write Your Book

How to Get Started & Write Your Book

Books, JS, Medium

Breaking down the process.

When it comes to writing a book, there are a lot of misconceptions.

Some people think it’s super easy (it’s not!), some think it’s too hard (nope!), others think it’s unnecessary or there are too many books in the world (never!), and still others just don’t know where to start.

And if you have a book in you but don’t know where to start, that is where a book coach comes in.

A book coach is a cross between an author, an accountability coach, a writing partner, an editor, and a therapist.

My book coaching focuses mostly on nonfiction works.

When I work with authors, our first couple of sessions really focus on creating an outline and coming up with a complete idea, a beginning, middle and end, and making sure the outline reflects what they want to say in the order they want to say it, in addition to hitting all the important takeaways they want the reader to get.

I’ve certainly spoken before about the importance of having an outline to when writing your book. And I will reiterate here: outlines are super important! They help you map out your book, keep you on track and focused, help you guard against writer’s block, and will allow you to finish your book much faster.

After putting together a cohesive outline, it’s time to start writing!

When it comes to actually writing a nonfiction book, there are dangers in being the expert!

Experts tend to want to write and discuss every little detail of their industry and experience and knowledge. After all, that’s why they are the expert writing the book!

But when it comes to putting it together into a book, you have to be able to step back and think about it from the reader’s perspective. Is this a beginner-level book? If so, that is entirely different from writing it for more advanced readers who are already very familiar with your topic, the lingo, the industry, and the background of it.

Beginners need all the acronyms explained, the concepts spelled out, and more examples given in different ways. The same way any newbie to an industry would. I have a plan for that.

There is also a tendency to write EVERYTHING YOU KNOW in your book, forgetting the audience and forgetting that you can always write a second book or start a blog or create a more detailed course, etc. You don’t have to get all of your knowledge out in one book! It’s also hard to sell a beginner on a book on a new topic if it’s 400 pages long and looks super complicated.

And no matter what, just start writing! It’s easier to fix bad writing than it is to start from a blank page over and over. Trust yourself and your knowledge and get started!

You have a book coach to help you — take advantage of that. Write and give the coach something to critique!

Next, I’ll be talking about the best way to break down the actual writing process.

The Hardest Part of Writing a Book

The Hardest Part of Writing a Book

Editing, JS, Medium, writing

I see this question many places — on Quora, in articles about writing, when I’m asked directly.

“What is the hardest part about writing a book?”

I understand why people want to know, but the truth is that just like everything else in life, what is most difficult for me may be easy for you and vice versa.

Here’s what I can tell you from my own experience. I have ghostwritten a few books and recently published my own.

For me, the hardest part of writing a book is knowing when I’m finished.

I started with my trusty outline, I wrote everything, I reread several times, it FELT complete.

The moment I sent it to the editor, I had ideas for things I could have expanded on or written differently.

I managed to keep it together until I got it back from the editor, at which time I ended up adding an entire case study and about half a chapter.

I sent that part BACK to the editor.

And I made myself stop writing.

The moment it hit the virtual shelves for sale, I recounted my mistakes.

I could have added more, made it better, given better examples, used a more formal vocabulary.


For me, it was never anxiety over whether or not I was qualified to write a book, or if people would think it was silly, or if it was poorly written (some of the top fears expressed to me when people talk about writing).

I have confidence in my writing and I was building off of content I’d previously written and gotten solid feedback on as a blogger.

My anxiety came from feeling like it wasn’t complete.

A feeling of “Nooo! I forgot to tell them this amazing advice on how to get the higher-end clients!”

And I don’t mean to say that I think that information could only come from me.

But my goal was to write a really helpful, practical book to help people find clients, market themselves, and build a freelancing business with no initial investment, and I just truly wanted to provide as much a framework as humanly possible.

Even now, I sometimes think about what more information I could have added to it.

But I have mostly moved on. I’m thinking about my next book, focusing on my clients, and continuing to build, grow, and refine my own business.

And all of these experiences will help me on the next book!


What was the hardest part of writing a book, a paper, a blog, anything, for you?

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