How To Publish A Book For Free | Getting Started with KDP

About this video

(Summarized from the Arabic caption track.) Dale gives a beginner overview of publishing a book for free on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), focusing on ebooks to keep the process simple. Step one: create a KDP account at kdp.amazon.com using your usual Amazon email and fill in your tax and bank information, noting tax requirements vary by region and KDP’s Contact Us link can answer questions. Step two: create the content — write the book and prepare the title, subtitle, author name or pen name, book description, and about seven keywords that make the book discoverable based on how your audience searches Amazon. Step three: in the dashboard choose Kindle ebook, fill in the metadata and categories, save and continue, then upload the manuscript — DOCX is described as the gold standard, though KDP’s automatic formatter may shift your layout. Upload a cover or make one; Dale warns the built-in cover creator is not the best and recommends hiring a professional cover designer if you want to make a living from books. Run the previewer to check the book across phones, tablets and computers. For pricing, research how others in your category price, and aim for the 70% royalty range, which requires pricing between $2.99 and $9.99 — outside that range you get only 35%. Keep prices at a clean .99 ending. After publishing, expect a review period of 24 to 72 hours before the book goes live.

Key takeaways

• Publishing on KDP itself is free: create the account, complete tax and banking details, and upload — the walkthrough covers the Kindle ebook route as the simplest option.
• Prepare about seven discoverability keywords based on how your target readers actually search Amazon, plus title, subtitle, author/pen name, description and categories before uploading.
• DOCX is the recommended manuscript format, but check the previewer carefully because KDP’s automatic formatting can change how your layout appears across devices.
• Price between $2.99 and $9.99 to earn the 70% royalty rate; outside that range the royalty drops to 35%, and .99 price endings are recommended.
• After hitting publish, allow 24 to 72 hours for KDP’s review before the ebook becomes available, and expect a prompt to create a print edition with a similar but size-adjusted process.

Episode details: published May 5, 2020 · 6:34 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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