How To Upload To Kdp

The Complete Guide to Uploading a Marketable Book on Amazon KDP

For self-published authors, diligent formatting is central

This is the ultimate guide for you to get started in self-publishing your volume on Amazon. Because the processes are different for doing a paperback volume and an eBook, I will comprehend them separately. (If you lot want to see the final event, bank check out my Writer Page.)

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Preparing the Manuscript — Paperback

Outset, you'll need to get your manuscript set up. You will do this in Discussion, Scrivener, or Google Docs initially, just you'll demand two dissever types of documents, one for paperback and one for eBook.

I used Give-and-take to create my manuscript, and then my directions volition be tailored to the Word program.

While in Word, you need to ready your document size to exist half dozen past nine if that is the size of volume you would similar to create.

To do this, go to layout> size> more paper sizes> and then plug in the size of the document that you lot want. I wanted my poetry book to be 6 by ix, and so that'due south what I put in. Also, if you go to View>print layout, your document volition look like this.

Notation that the Title page is on the left on this screen. What is on the left will appear on the RIGHT in the volume when you upload information technology to KDP. This piece of data volition salvage you a lot of time. When my book uploaded I had it reversed and all my affiliate headings and section pages were on the incorrect side. Wait at the odd/even numbers on the uploaded book to see if you demand to change this in your original document. (This volition make more than sense later.)

Read your manuscript multiple times to check for spelling and grammatical errors.

When your manuscript is as ready as y'all can get in, you'll want to salvage it as a PDF file. This is very of import.

Now, when you become to KDP you'll want to either use their Embrace Creator or accept a comprehend ready. I used Canva to create my cover photo:

The cover of my book, made with Canva, author'due south photo

Checklist — here is what you need to have ready for a paperback book when you go to Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)

Your consummate manuscript saved as a PDF file.
The encompass photo you desire to use if you don't want to use the standard KDP cover photos (there is a template y'all can use and put your photo into).
Any "blurbs" y'all've prepared from other sources singing the praises of your book or any other "back matter" you've prepared for the back of your book. You'll put that into the Cover Creator, but you don't want to put information technology in your manuscript file.
Your manuscript file should expect exactly how you desire the Within Just of your book to look. Don't forget to put in bare pages where you want them.
The description for your book that you would similar to go live on the Amazon page for your book.

At present, y'all'll desire to become to the KDP publishing website and start an business relationship at that place.

Hither you lot see the webpage with Bookshelf (where you'll create and edit your books), Reports (where y'all'll view sales information), Community (where you'll see the customs threads), and KDP Select (which is a special promotional program that KDP offers.)

Since we're going to practise a paperback book, yous want to get downwards to where information technology says "create a new title" and click on the word "paperback" with the little plus sign above it.

You may be required to sign in once more with Amazon. This happens at multiple junctions of the process to make certain the process is equally secure equally possible.

Across the acme of the page, you'll see paperback details, paperback content, and paperback rights and pricing. This is the three-step procedure that you volition complete to submit your book.

Nether the first tab, paperback details, select the language of your book and put in your book title as information technology appears on your volume cover. You also accept the option to add a subtitle or whether or not your book is function of a series. If this is a second or 3rd edition, you tin put that under addition number. I didn't put anything there as this is my offset book.

Next, fill in the author as you would like your name printed in your volume. You tin also add together any other contributors, such as other authors, illustrators, or editors.

Next, add together in the description that you've pre-prepared for your volume. This is the description that volition be on the Amazon page, and and then you lot want to brand sure that information technology's a good sales pitch for your book.

After the description, you'll choose publishing rights. Select that you're the owner and hold the rights to publish your work or if information technology's a public domain work. You'll also select keywords and categories to assistance people find your book when they're browsing on Amazon. You lot can too select whether or not your book contains adult content.

When you've completed this first page, select "save and proceed." Yous'll be taken to a page for paperback content.

Select whether or not you want Amazon to provide y'all with a free ISBN or provide your own, and then select the publication engagement if you lot want information technology to launch on a certain date. Then, select some options for how you want your book to wait regarding newspaper blazon and colour, trim size, bleed settings, and whether or non y'all want your encompass to exist matte or glossy.

Here are the print options you'll have:

Now, aside from the preparation of your manuscript, this adjacent portion will accept upwards the bulk of your fourth dimension and the length of your nerves. Catch a cup of java or a six-pack because it's going to take some time. If you lot know this going in it may save yous a lot of pilus-pulling.

For the record, I began mine at about 9 p.thou. and striking publish at four a.grand. Of course, I was going in completely blind. I hope to save yous some of the issues that I had.

Here y'all can see my screen with my manuscript PDF uploaded and my Embrace Creator complete.

The kickoff thing you'll do is upload your manuscript, which is your PDF file that you have saved and ready to go.

Next, launch Cover Creator and cull your options.

Y'all'll have the option to cull a template, and you can upload a photo of your own from your computer if y'all like for the cover.

Don't panic when yous see this:

As you can come across, my cover is already finished, but that lilliputian blurb nigh narrow spine merely means that your book is too narrow for you to include spine information, like your name or the title of your book. Click OK.

As y'all tin encounter, there are multiple templates for you to choose from. I chose my template and had uploaded my photo, which you tin can see in the various templates to get an idea of the layout of your embrace.

From this signal, you lot'll adjust the cover photo if yous need to, plug in your bio and photo, and plug in any dorsum matter that you have prepared. The information will automatically fill in and accommodate to the size of your encompass.

A barcode space will be there as well, just y'all don't demand to do annihilation with this.

When you're done editing and creating your cover, click on the preview screen to come across what it will actually look like. You lot may have to go through the process of editing and saving multiple times before you get the cover exactly equally yous want it.

Save and proceed. Dorsum on the manuscript and book encompass screen, whorl down to where it says "volume preview" and launch the previewer.

Get a cup of coffee once again or open another beer considering this office takes a while. It may take upward to 10 or 15 minutes to terminate preparing the preview. While on the preview screen, you have the option to gyre all the way through your book and proofread. Yous may see all kinds of jacked up things that you don't similar. That means that y'all have to go back to your original Word document, edit what you lot want to correct, save once again equally a PDF file, and then re-upload your manuscript to KDP.

For me, this process took hours. Sometimes I had to go through the process all over once more to move 2 spaces on something. Each fourth dimension you do it is time-consuming and you have to wait all once again for the book previewer to fix your book to exist viewed.

Be patient and try non to pull your pilus out.

Notation: For novels, you desire your formatting to be adequately consequent, but with poetry, yous may desire to movement things so that a stanza isn't cleaved in the eye before the verse form carries over to the next page. Use your discretion on how y'all practise this every bit it needs to look pleasing to you.

When y'all're done and you're satisfied with the final look of your book (or you are too intoxicated to continue — at which point, get some sleep and pick upwards HERE when you come back — PROOFREAD the previewer again and and then keep →) salve, go along, and complete the paperback rights and pricing page. Select the territories for which you concur distribution rights, gear up your pricing, and and so publish your paperback book.

Information technology may take up to 72 hours for your book to exist reviewed, approved, and appear on Amazon.

Some of my textile had been previously published online and therefore my volume was initially rejected. I had to go dorsum into KDP and publish it again, which shows that I'm claiming that I practise have the rights to publish this fabric. In all, it took nigh 24 hours for my book to get live on Amazon.

If you haven't lost your mind at this point and you would like to continue to preparing your eBook, proceed. (I waited until the side by side day to do my eBook…at this signal in my book-launching efforts, it was 4 a.thousand. and I thought I might lose my mind completely.)

Preparing Your Manuscript for an eBook

The procedure is very different for preparing your manuscript as an eBook on KDP. First of all, you won't exist using a PDF file. You'll also be preparing the Word document very differently. I didn't know how to practise this and did some research online to effigy information technology out. The following video explained it well enough that I was able to practice it. Do yourself a favor and sentinel the whole thing!

Alexa Bigwarfe WritePublishSell

Checklist — here is what you need to have ready for an eBook when you get to Kindle Straight Publishing (KDP)

Your complete manuscript saved as a docx file.
The encompass photo you want to use if you don't want to utilize the standard KDP cover photos (there is a template you lot can apply and put your photograph into).
Any "blurbs" you lot've prepared from other sources singing the praises of your book or any other "back matter" you've prepared for the dorsum of your book. Yous will want it in your manuscript file on whatever page you would similar. I put mine at the get-go of the book, afterward the championship page.
The description for your volume that you would similar to get live on the Amazon page for your book.

When you lot go on KDP, select eBook (with the piffling plus sign over elevation of it) to create an eBook. Then, you'll go through the aforementioned process, only y'all'll upload your new document manuscript.

The KDP programme offers a list of unlike file types that you tin can utilize, and not knowing which was the best, I was shooting in the dark.

I tried multiple files. I saved as HTML. I saved as RTF. So finally I saved as docx. This is very important because when I was working in the book previewer I was continually going dorsum and having to right my original document, save it again, and upload information technology once more.

The same bug were showing up over and over when I was using an HTML document. I'd view my Book Preview and ALL of my titles were inverse either in the size of the font, in the color of the font, or both, but non equally throughout the document. Even changing them in the original, re-uploading, and relaunching Book Previewer — at that place they were, messed up all once again in unlike ways.

Then, I tried information technology as an RTF and that was an ultimate fail.

I eventually settled on saving information technology equally a docx. This was the winning solution. Save yourself hours of fourth dimension and commencement with the docx.

When you launch the cover creator, you'll go through the same process, only information technology will exist much simpler as an eBook has merely the front page.

When you have the cover and the manuscript loaded, go to your book previewer and flip through every single folio to make sure it looks exactly the way y'all want it to look.

Encompass and manuscript are loaded — ready to launch Book Preview, author's photo

If information technology doesn't look right, go back and edit your original document. Then, save it in the correct file type, re-upload your manuscript to KDP, and launch the book previewer all over over again.

Yes, TEDIOUS and TIME-CONSUMING. This is your babe — get it right.

Once you're satisfied, hit "salvage and continue" and go along to the pricing department. When you are finished with that page, you'll publish your volume, and it will become through the same review procedure every bit your paperback.

KDP Select

Y'all'll have the option with the paperback and your eBook to enroll your volume in KDP Select. It's pretty much clear as mud if you read through the information, but essentially, KDP Select is a program that helps to promote your book on more platforms, but y'all're express somewhat in beingness able to listing your volume for sale in other places.

I encourage y'all to read through some information near this program and brand this determination for yourself. Please note that for an eBook if you cull to be a function of the KDP Select plan yous may only sell your eBook on Amazon.

I wish you all the best in your self-publishing goals and hope that this tutorial has been somewhat helpful, at to the lowest degree to prepare you for the process. I am, by no means, an practiced. But slogging through the mud solitary is a difficult fashion to do anything. After hearing questions and having requests from several other writers, I decided to brand this tutorial.