Kindle Direct Publishing is where most self-publishing income happens. It's free, it pays monthly, and it puts your book in front of the world's largest book-buying audience. This guide covers the decisions that actually matter.
Formats: start with eBook + paperback
Upload the eBook first (EPUB or DOCX), then add a print-on-demand paperback from the same manuscript — it costs nothing and paperback buyers are often different people entirely.
Pricing and the 70% rule
KDP pays 70% royalties on eBooks priced between $2.99 and $9.99, and 35% outside that band. For most non-fiction, $4.99–$7.99 is the sweet spot: high enough to signal quality, inside the 70% band.
Keywords and categories decide discovery
- Use all seven keyword slots with phrases buyers actually type
- Pick the narrowest categories you can honestly claim — niche #1 beats broad #40,000
- Study the autocomplete suggestions on Amazon's search bar for your topic
The AI disclosure question
KDP asks whether your book contains AI-generated content. Books drafted with AI and edited by you are AI-assisted content — disclose accurately. Quality standards apply either way: the bar is whether readers get value, not how the draft was produced.
Launch checklist
- Cover legible at thumbnail size
- Description with keywords in the first two lines
- Look Inside sample starts with your best material
- 5–10 early readers primed to review in week one