When Amazon’s CreateSpace publishing platform merged with Kindle Direct Publishing, known as KDP, in 2018, it left a lot of indie authors anxious or bewildered. But learning your way around KDP can be easy (and even fun). It just takes an adventurous spirit and a little patience and time—and maybe some popcorn. There are a lot of very friendly and useful tutorial videos, which Amazon calls KDP University, found on the KDP website that walk you through the book-preparation process.
But before you settle in to binge-watch how-tos, we’ll give you an overview of the KDP portal, point you toward some of Amazon’s other helpful author resources, and give you insight into what it takes to prepare your manuscript, so you can publish your book confidently.
Getting Started with KDPIf you used to be a CreateSpace author, simply log into your existing CreateSpace account and follow the instructions for automatically transferring your account and your current books to your new KDP Bookshelf. Alternatively, you can skip that step and go straight to setting up your KDP account at KDP.amazon.com. You can sign in with your existing Amazon retail account username and password to make accessing your KDP account simple.
Once you’re in, you’ll be prompted with steps for transferring your CreateSpace titles. You’ll also be asked to update your banking and tax information, so your royalty deposits transfer seamlessly.
If you’re a new author, you’ll want to go straight to KDP.amazon.com. Just as the CreateSpace authors did, you can sign into KDP with your existing Amazon retail account username and password and then set up your royalty payment information.
Amazon provides a friendly “Getting started with KDP” video, which will give you a tour of the site. You can watch it from the KDP website or find it on YouTube by searching “Getting Started with KDP.” If you’ve self-published before and feel like you need a little less hand-holding, there’s also a track on the KDP site called KDP Jumpstart, which will take you through all the publication steps in a simple, streamlined process.
Welcome to Your BookshelfOnce you’re logged in, your primary page is called the KDP Bookshelf. Here, you can create both e-books and paperback books. Amazon takes you step-by-step, offering links to KDP University guides that will help you:
- format your book content
- create a new cover or upload an already-created cover
- enter a book description
- choose keywords and categories
- get a free ISBN for your paperback
(It’s important to note, though, that an ISBN received through KDP can only be used for Amazon distribution. If you plan to sell your paperback anywhere else, you’ll want to buy your ISBN directly from Bowker, the United States’ ISBN agency. Learn more about ISBNs here.)
The All-Important Reports
Once you’ve become familiar with your Bookshelf, the next stop on the main menu is the Reporting tab, which conveniently holds all your author data, including your sales information, royalty payment statements, pre-orders, and any promotions and ad campaigns you decide to run for your book. Think of this as the “business office” of your self-publishing operation.
Access to a Community of Kindle AuthorsWriting and publishing can be a lonely business, but it doesn’t have to be. You can connect with other KDP authors just by visiting the Community tab. Here, you can browse forum topics and read what other writers are saying, post a question to receive help from the group, and see news from KDP about any recent announcements.
Ready to Publish?
Touring the site and watching the KDP University videos may have gotten you fired up and ready to publish, but you’ve got a bit more work to do before you can upload a new book. Proper manuscript formatting is very important when publishing with KDP, whether you’re creating a paperback book or an e-book, because you want to make sure your book prints properly and can be viewed properly on all Kindle devices.
So this is where some patience (and probably more popcorn) comes in: Formatting your book isn’t hard, but it does take time. This isn’t a task you can hurry through in the hour before you go to work or right before bed when you’re tired. We recommend setting aside blocks of 3 or 4 hours over several days so you can go slowly and do a great job.
Luckily, Amazon does have more tools to help. If you’re creating an e-book, they offer Kindle Create—free software you can download to your Mac or PC that helps you format your e-book. They even tell you when it’s best to start with a Microsoft Word document and when you should start with a PDF file. (Hint: It has to do with how many graphics or images your book contains.) They have similar Cover Creator software if you don’t have a cover designed already, which will help you design a clean, simple cover. Finally, they have a Kindle Previewer tool, so you can see just how your book will look on a tablet, smartphone, and e-reader.
If you’re creating a print book, there’s a step-by-step video guide and a “KDP Build Your Book” PDF guide that you can download to help you format your paperback. The Kindle team takes the guesswork out of determining the best “trim size” (or size of your final paperback book) based on your page count and setting the right margins. Then, they’ll walk you through creating and applying Microsoft Word styles to your document, so your book has a professional, consistent look. There’s Cover Creator help for print books, too!
