Cover, Formatting and Publishing

Introduction

Readers judge a book by its cover and its first pages. A tidy, professional result tells them you care. This lesson covers the look of your book and the steps to publish it. Screens and menus on KDP change, so follow the current instructions in the KDP help pages as you go.

The cover

A cover has one job: show readers, in a small thumbnail, what the book is about and who it is for.

• Use a large, readable title, with a short subtitle that says the benefit.
• Keep the design simple, with strong contrast.
• Look at the covers of successful books in your topic and follow the style conventions, without copying any design.
• KDP offers a free Cover Creator tool. You can also hire a designer or use a design tool.
• If you generate an image with AI, you must declare it as AI-generated content when you publish. Check that you have the right to use any fonts, photos and art.

The inside of the book

• Ebooks: KDP accepts common formats such as EPUB and Word. Use real headings, so a table of contents works, and avoid forcing manual page breaks everywhere.
• Paperbacks: you need a PDF with the right page size and margins. KDP provides templates and a previewer.
• Include a title page, a copyright page with your name or pen name, a contents list and a short "about the author".
• Proofread the final file. Use the KDP previewer to see what readers will see.

Publishing steps on KDP

1. Create an account and finish the tax and payment sections. Tax rules depend on where you live. Official tax authorities, such as the IRS in the United States, publish guidance for self-employed people.
2. Create a new title and choose ebook, paperback or both.
3. Book details: title, subtitle, author name, a clear description, and the language.
4. Keywords and categories: use words real readers would search for. Do not stuff in unrelated words or other authors' names.
5. Upload the cover and the book file.
6. Rights and pricing: confirm you own the rights, choose territories, and set your price and royalty option.
7. AI disclosure: answer the questions about AI-generated text, images and translations truthfully.
8. Submit. Amazon reviews the book, which can take a few days. Fix anything they flag.

ISBN, pen names and extras

• KDP can give you a free ISBN for paperbacks, or you can supply your own.
• You can publish under a pen name. Your legal name is still needed in your account.
• You can choose whether to enrol an ebook in extra programmes. Read the terms first, because some require exclusivity.

Try it yourself

Without publishing anything yet, prepare a checklist for your book: cover draft, final file, description, seven keyword ideas, price idea and honest AI disclosure answers.

Summary

• A clear cover and a clean, proofread file make a book look professional.
• Follow KDP's steps in order, and use the previewer before submitting.
• Declare AI-generated text, images and translations truthfully.