Amazon KDP is CHANGING - How to Succeed in 2026

About this video

Dollwet describes how Amazon KDP changed from when he started in 2016 to 2023, and how publishers should adapt. First, a flood of low-content books — and now AI-written books — with identical interiors and different covers has, he says, led Amazon to tighten content guidelines; the response is quality over quantity, learning the customer, and making strong covers and interiors, outsourcing to professionals on Upwork or Fiverr if needed. Second, ranking has shifted from SEO-based, where keywords in the title could rank a book, to performance-based, where early sales and reviews prove a book deserves visibility. He advises a proper launch: aim for 10 reviews for low-content and at least 30 for high-content in his benchmark, run Amazon Ads, and launch at a reduced price (99 cents for Kindle where possible, lower paperback prices) before raising to full price. Third, on the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney, he advises embracing AI as a tool for ideas and efficiency, not as a direct replacement for human writing, and rewriting any AI-generated content, noting detection tools already exist.

Key takeaways

• Do the opposite of spam publishers: slow down and focus on a high-quality book with a good cover and interior that solves a customer pain point
• Ranking is now performance-based in the creator’s account: early sales and reviews matter more than keyword-stuffed titles alone
• Launch actively — recruit reviews (creator benchmarks: 10 for low-content, 30+ for high-content), run Amazon Ads, and use a temporary low launch price
• Use AI as a tool for idea generation and speed, not as a replacement for human personality, stories, and experience in the writing
• Always rewrite AI-generated text before publishing, as the creator warns Amazon and third-party tools can detect unedited AI content

Episode details: published July 3, 2023 · 10:39 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Sean Dollwet’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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