Amazon KDP Review: Worth It in 2022?

About this video

[Track language: Arabic] Dale L. Roberts reviews Amazon KDP in 2022. He notes Amazon launched Kindle Direct Publishing in late 2007 as an ebook self-publishing platform that grew to include paperbacks and hardcovers. KDP lets authors publish for free, takes no copyright in their work, charges no upload fees, and distributes only with permission — described as a free-to-use, revenue-share model like YouTube for self-publishing. For ebooks, accepted files are docx, epub and kpf; epub is presented as the gold standard with no issues, docx can lose formatting through KDP’s automated conversion, and kpf is created with the free Kindle Create tool but works only on KDP. Ebooks distribute to 13 Amazon territories. Royalties are 70% when priced between $2.99 and $9.99 (minus a small delivery fee based on file size) and 35% outside that range with no delivery fee, unlike Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and Google Play Books which he says pay a flat 70%. KDP Select is a roughly 90-day exclusivity program paying under half a cent per page read from the KDP Select Global Fund, which he says was $40.2 million in December 2021, plus bestseller-rank advantages, Star Bonuses ($500 to $25,000 monthly in the US, with separate UK, German and children’s picture book ranges), and free-book and Countdown Deal promotions; it auto-renews and applies only to the ebook edition. For print, paperbacks offer matte or glossy covers, 16 sizes and black-and-white or color interiors; hardcovers were still in beta with five sizes. Print files should be PDF. Paperbacks reach nine Amazon territories plus Expanded Distribution, hardcovers seven with no Expanded Distribution. Print royalties are 60% minus printing costs, or 40% minus printing under Expanded Distribution via Ingram, compared with 45% to 65% minus printing at IngramSpark. Earnings are credited after shipment and paid 60 days after month-end. Pros are no upfront costs, strong distribution and low barriers; cons are a steep learning curve and that it is not an easy-money model.

Key takeaways

• KDP is free to publish on, takes no copyright, and charges no upload fees; it covers ebooks, paperbacks and (in beta at the time) hardcovers
• Ebook royalties are 70% for books priced $2.99-$9.99 minus a delivery fee, and 35% outside that range with no delivery fee
• KDP Select is a 90-day ebook-only exclusivity program paying per page read from a Global Fund he cites as $40.2 million in December 2021, plus Star Bonuses and promotional tools
• Print royalties are 60% minus printing costs on Amazon, or 40% minus printing under Expanded Distribution; epub is recommended for ebooks and PDF for print
• His verdict balances pros — no upfront costs, great distribution, low entry barriers — against cons — a steep learning curve, time and practice required, and no easy money

Episode details: published February 24, 2022 · 9:36 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Dale L. Roberts’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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