How to publish a book on Amazon? Amazon self-publishing is a simple option if you’re an indie author looking to publish an eBook or paperback book (through Amazon’s print-on-demand service) with less hassle normally found throughout the publishing industry. It won’t cost you anything directly to publish on KDP, though Amazon does deduct the cost to print your book from your royalties if you’re selling paperback versions.
But if you blindly follow the technical steps to publish your book on Amazon without taking the time to do it right, you’ll end up with a book you won’t be proud of.
How to publish a book on Amazon?
Keywords and categories are crucial for boosting your book’s chances of success, since they help you ensure that your book is found by the right readers, depending on what they search for. KDP lets you select two categories and up to seven keywords for your book. Select the ones that best describe your book — and remember, you can make changes later, so don’t be afraid to experiment.
As a rule of thumb, you should pick one broad category, like Travel, and a niche one, like Hikes & Walks. In terms of keywords, pick some that are highly related to the content of your book and aren’t already mentioned in its title or description. Finally, you can also select an age and grade range to better identify your audience 一 especially if you’re writing children’s books.
If you want to better understand this topic, read our follow-up guides on Amazon keywords and categories, or enroll in our free course on Amazon algorithms by author and Reedsy co-founder Ricardo Fayet.
Before moving on to the next section, you’ll be asked if your book is ready for sale or if you wish to make it available for pre-order at a particular date. Once that’s cleared out, it’s time to upload the actual book files.
Benefits of Publishing Your Book on Amazon
If you’ve ever wondered, “Is self-publishing on Amazon easy?” you’re in the right place. Here are just a few of the many benefits.
Easy, fast and free: With Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), you can publish your book Amazon book for free–and in less than 5 minutes. Within 72 hours, it will be available on Kindle stores around the world.
Reach millions: Publishing your book on Amazon KDP gives you access to a massive worldwide audience.
Cold hard cash: Despite what some of your family members might believe (hi Mom!), you really can make money on your work. Using the KDP platform means you can make money online with Amazon publishing—up to 70% royalties for every sale of your eBook. And by signing up for KDP Select, you can make even more money with Kindle Unlimited and Kindle Owners’ Lending Library.
More control: By self-publishing, you guessed it, you keep control over the rights of your works. You can also control things like the book’s list price and even make changes to your book whenever you want (like if you decide to kill off that annoying character in chapter 3 instead of chapter 7).
And you can even publish your book in hardcopy format for all those old-school folks.
Basically, publishing your book on Amazon means you’re always in the driver’s seat and don’t have to answer to any big-wigs at a publishing company.
Now we’re ready to dig in and learn how to publish a book on amazon step by step.
How Long Does it Take to Publish a Book on Amazon
Some articles promise that if you follow their steps, you can be published by the end of the day. That’s true, I guess. But rushing through it will usually make your book, and thus you, look bad.
So I wrote this guide to accomplish two things:
- Lay out the technical steps to publishing on KDP
- Walk you through the right way to do that so that you look as good as possible
Note: Amazon offers two types of publishing options. These steps are specifically for Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and not Amazon traditional publishing (Amazon Publishing).
Doing each step the right way might take a few extra hours. In some cases, it might take a few extra days. But it’s worth it to end up with a book you’ll be proud of, and a book that will sell.
I won’t promise that you can be published by the end of the day. Here’s my promise:
If you follow this guide, you’ll end up with an exceptional Amazon listing, a solid marketing plan, and a book you’ll be proud to call your own.
Final Thoughts on Amazon and Self-Publishing
Publishing is a skill in its own right, entirely separate from writing.
It’s tempting to rush your manuscript to market, but then you might as well throw away all the hard work you put into writing it.
Publishing a book that looks unprofessional makes you look unprofessional. You’d be better off not publishing at all.
But if you take your time and do it right, publishing that book can be the best thing you ever did—for yourself and for your career.
Other Frequently Asked Questions about Self-Publishing on Amazon
Can You Use a Traditional Publisher after Being on Amazon
Yes, so long as you retained the rights to your book. However, it can be difficult for a few reasons. If your book hasn’t produced the kinds of sales a traditional publisher wants to see (usually because you haven’t marketed and promoted your book well), they’re far less likely to be interested unless something unique convinces them it still has great commercial potential.
Amazon Book Publishing Software
Amazon recommends Kindle Create, their free interior formatting tool available for desktop on both Mac and PC. Kindle Create can be used to create novels, essays, memoirs (Reflowable); textbooks, travel books, and cookbooks (Interactive Print Replica); and Comics (Comics with Guided View).
Interactive Print Replicas maintain the look and feel of a print edition but your readers won’t be able to resize text and they may not work on some devices. Be sure to review the full system requirements and supported features for Kindle Create.
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