For first-time self-publishers
KDP Pack to Publish a Book on Amazon
Drop in your manuscript. Get the description, seven keywords and category picks KDP asks for, plus an author bio, in one doc checked against Amazon's rules.
Free to start. No card needed.
KDP pack · Miss Ashby's Unsuitable Ledger
- DescriptionShe keeps the books. He keeps secrets. Only one of them can make the numbers lie.
- Keyword 1victorian london bookkeeper heroine35/50
- CategoriesRomance > Historical > Victorian · Historical > 19th Century · Romance > Historical > General
- Author bioClara Wren writes Victorian romances about women who are better with numbers than with dukes.93/1000
What you'll get
Your description, keywords, categories and bio in one KDP pack
- Your description and seven keywords, counted and checked
- Three category picks and an Author Central bio
- A checklist for everything else KDP asks before Publish
Before and after
One upload in. Your KDP details out.
Miss Ashby, final draft.pdf (92,000 words) About me, for the bio: former bank auditor, I live in York with my husband, our two girls and a cat. This is my first novel.
Description (571 of 4,000 characters) She keeps the books. He keeps secrets. Only one of them can make the numbers lie. London, 1868. Harriet Ashby has balanced the ledgers of Fenwick and Sons for six years. Keywords 1. victorian london bookkeeper heroine (35/50) 2. grumpy sunshine slow burn (25/50) Categories, pick the closest match in KDP Fiction > Romance > Historical > Victorian Why it fits: London, 1868, and the love story drives the plot. Fiction > Historical > 19th Century > General Why it fits: the bank, the ledgers and the city are drawn from the period. Author Central bio (234 characters) Clara Wren writes Victorian romances about women who are better with numbers than with dukes. A former bank auditor, she lives in York with her husband, their two daughters and a cat. Miss Ashby's Unsuitable Ledger is her first novel.
The bio uses only what you said about yourself. Nothing is made up.
Why it works
How do you publish a book on Amazon?
To publish a book on Amazon, you create a free Kindle Direct Publishing account, enter your book details, upload your manuscript and cover, set a price and click Publish. KDP says a new book goes live in about three business days. For many authors the hard part isn't the clicking. It's the blank boxes: a description, seven keywords, three categories and an author bio. Drop in your manuscript and River writes them in one doc, laid out in KDP's field order.
Your pack follows the order of KDP's title setup, so you can work down the page. You get a description ready to paste, with its character count, seven keyword boxes counted against the box limit, and three category suggestions with a reason for each. Category lists differ by marketplace and format, so the doc tells you to pick the closest match in KDP. Audience notes flag the questions you'll answer about readers, and a checklist covers ISBN, KDP Select, pricing and the Previewer.
The Author Central bio comes only from what you tell River or from the About the Author page in your manuscript. River never invents awards, jobs or family details; anything missing becomes a bracket like [your town]. The pack covers the words, not your cover or print files. Need just one piece? Write your book blurb and Amazon description or your KDP keywords on their own, or use the author bio template for longer bios. Still choosing a title? Try the book title generator.
What lands in your doc
What lands in your KDP pack
- A selling description ready to paste into KDP, counted against its 4,000 character limit
- Seven keyword boxes, each counted, with no words from your title, categories or KDP's avoid list
- Three category suggestions with a reason each, and a reminder to pick the closest match in KDP
- Audience notes on the adult content question and a reading age for children's or teen books
- An Author Central bio built only from facts you give, with brackets where details are missing
- A before-you-publish checklist covering ISBN, AI disclosure, KDP Select, price bands and the Previewer
How it works
From manuscript to KDP pack in four steps
Drop your manuscript
Drop your manuscript or paste a synopsis. Over about 85,000 words? Upload a PDF so River reads it all.
River reads your book
It finds your genre, your hero, the stakes and the readers your book is written for.
Get your pack
Description, keywords, categories, audience notes, bio and checklist land in one doc, in KDP's order.
Copy into KDP
Work down the doc in title setup, tick the checklist, or ask River to rework any piece.
How to publish on Amazon KDP, step by step
Step one is your KDP account. Sign in at KDP with your Amazon account, then add your author, bank and tax details under your legal name; a pen name goes on the book itself. Step two is your files: a Word, EPUB or Kindle Create file for the eBook, and for print a PDF interior at your trim size plus a cover. Kindlepreneur's formatting templates are free Word files with the margins already set. Step three: on your Bookshelf, click Create and choose eBook, paperback or hardcover.
Step four is your book details: title, description, up to seven keywords, three categories, and your primary audience, where KDP asks about adult content and reading age. This is the step River writes for you. Step five: upload your manuscript and cover, choose an ISBN for print, and answer the AI question. For print, KDP makes you check and approve your interior in its Print Previewer before you can submit. For an eBook it's optional but worth doing page by page.
Step six: decide on KDP Select, pick your territories and set your price. To see what each price earns, try Kindlepreneur's royalty calculator, and check it against KDP's eBook price bands, which changed on July 7, 2026. On the AI question from step five, KDP asks you to declare AI-generated text, images or translations, not AI-assisted editing (KDP guidelines). Step seven: click Publish. While your book is in review you can't edit it, so check everything in the Previewer first. Want reviews from launch day? Line up ARC readers a few weeks ahead.
Questions authors ask
Common questions
What is KDP?
Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is Amazon's free self-publishing service. It lets you publish your own eBook, paperback and hardcover, create the book's page on Amazon, and sell in Amazon stores around the world while keeping your rights. You set the price and earn royalties on each sale.
How much does it cost to publish a book on Amazon?
Nothing up front. Setting up and publishing on KDP is free for eBooks, paperbacks and hardcovers. Amazon takes its share through your royalty rate, and for print books the printing cost comes out of each sale. Editing, cover design or your own ISBN are optional costs you pay to whoever you hire. Here is what self-publishing really costs, line by line.
Do I need an ISBN to publish on Amazon?
Not for an eBook. Paperbacks and hardcovers need one, and KDP offers a free ISBN you can use only on KDP. With the free ISBN, your book's imprint shows as Independently published. If you want your own imprint name, or plan to print elsewhere with the same number, buy your own ISBN.
How long until my book is live?
KDP says a new book or update takes about three business days to go live, and an eBook's page can appear within 72 hours. Low-content books such as journals can take up to ten business days. While your book is in review you can't edit it, so check everything in the Previewer first.
Should I enroll in KDP Select?
It's your call. KDP Select is a free 90-day program for eBooks that renews automatically unless you opt out. Enrolled eBooks join Kindle Unlimited but must be sold only on Amazon while enrolled. Paperbacks aren't affected. For sales in Brazil, Japan, Mexico and India, the 70% royalty requires enrollment. (KDP eBook pricing)
How does River choose my categories?
It reads your book and suggests three category paths it genuinely fits, each with a one-line reason, written the way Amazon's store shows them. KDP builds its category list from your primary marketplace, audience and format, and its support team won't recommend categories, so you pick the closest match in KDP. For keywords alone, try the KDP keyword generator.
Your next step
More for your book
Your book is written. Now get it listed.
Drop in the manuscript and get the words KDP asks you to write, then ask River to rework any of them.