How to Publish an Ebook on Amazon

Amazon publishes ebooks through Kindle Direct Publishing, usually called KDP. You create a free KDP account, add your book details, upload your manuscript and cover, set rights and pricing, preview the book, then submit it for review.

The upload itself is not hard. The costly mistakes usually happen earlier: a messy Word file, a cover that looks good in a design app but fails on a Kindle screen, weak categories, a price that blocks the 70% royalty option, or a launch with no early traffic plan.

Before you open KDP, have these ready:

• Final title, subtitle, author name, and series name if applicable
• Edited manuscript in a clean source file, usually DOCX
• Formatted ebook file, commonly EPUB, DOCX, or KPF
• Ebook cover image, ideally tall and clear at thumbnail size
• Book description written for shoppers, not just readers
• 7 keyword phrases and category research
• Pricing plan for your main marketplace and international stores
• Author bio, publisher name, tax details, and bank information

If you are still drafting, start with how to write an ebook. If the manuscript exists but the structure needs work, use how to create an ebook before thinking about launch.

KDP accepts several manuscript formats, but most authors should work from DOCX and upload either a validated EPUB or a clean DOCX/KPF file. EPUB gives you more control over navigation, reflow, and validation before upload. DOCX can work well for simple text-heavy books, but complex formatting is easier to break.

For most nonfiction, memoir, business, self-help, and fiction books, use a reflowable ebook. Reflowable means the text adapts to different Kindle devices, phone screens, fonts, and reader settings. Do not try to force print-style pages into an ebook unless the book truly needs fixed layout, such as some children’s books, comics, or heavily designed visual guides.

A tool like ebookconvert.pro can convert a Word DOC/DOCX manuscript into a validated EPUB 3 file, plus print-ready PDFs and cover files if you also plan to publish paperback. That is useful when you want one manuscript workflow for Amazon ebook, KDP print, and IngramSpark print rather than rebuilding the book in separate tools.

Good ebook formatting is quiet. Readers should notice the book, not the file.

Focus on these areas:

• Use heading styles for chapter titles instead of manually bolding large text
• Insert real page breaks between major sections
• Build a working table of contents from the document structure
• Keep body paragraphs consistent, with either first-line indents or block spacing
• Compress or resize large images so the ebook file is not unnecessarily heavy
• Test links, footnotes, endnotes, and image captions
• Check front matter and back matter on a phone-sized preview

For chapter-heavy books, AI section parsing can save cleanup time. ebookconvert.pro detects front matter, chapters, and back matter from a DOCX upload so you can reorder, rename, or fix sections before export. That does not replace editing, but it helps catch structural issues that are easy to miss in a long manuscript.

If your ebook depends on design, read how to design an ebook before formatting. A beautiful PDF design does not automatically make a good Kindle ebook.

Your ebook cover appears in tiny thumbnails, product pages, Kindle libraries, and promotional placements. It needs to communicate genre and promise quickly.

Amazon’s common recommendation for Kindle cover images is a tall 1.6:1 ratio, such as 1,600 pixels wide by 2,560 pixels high. JPEG is usually preferred, RGB color is required for Kindle ebook covers, and the cover should be sharp enough that the title remains readable at thumbnail size.

Do not upload a paperback full-wrap cover as your ebook cover. Ebook covers need only the front cover. A full-wrap file includes the back cover and spine, which will look wrong on an Amazon ebook detail page.

If you plan to sell both ebook and paperback, create the ebook cover and print cover as related but separate files. ebookconvert.pro generates CMYK 300 dpi full-wrap covers for KDP and IngramSpark, plus an RGB ebook cover variant, which avoids one of the more common file mix-ups.

Metadata is where many authors try to game the system. A better approach is to make the book easy for the right reader to understand.

Your title and subtitle should be clear, accurate, and consistent with the cover. Your description should open with the reader’s problem or desire, then explain what the book delivers. Avoid keyword stuffing, exaggerated claims, and language that violates Amazon’s listing rules.

A practical description structure:

• First 1-2 sentences: name the reader and the outcome
• Middle: explain the book’s method, scope, or story hook
• Bullet list: show concrete takeaways, topics, or benefits
• Close: reinforce who the book is for

Categories and keywords should describe real reader intent. If your book is a beginner guide, do not chase advanced categories just because they look less competitive. A poor category fit can hurt conversion because the wrong readers see the book.

KDP offers 35% and 70% royalty options for ebooks. The 70% option is available only when your book meets Amazon’s pricing and territory requirements, and delivery costs can be deducted based on file size. The 35% option applies more broadly and may be the only option for certain prices, territories, or public domain works.

For many self-published nonfiction ebooks, common launch prices fall between $2.99 and $9.99 because that range often aligns with the 70% royalty option in eligible marketplaces. Short lead magnets or very brief ebooks sometimes sell at $0.99, but the royalty math is different. Premium professional books can price higher, but conversion usually depends on authority, audience trust, and a clear business value.

Do not set your price only by page count. Price by reader value, category norms, author platform, and launch goal. A first book may be priced to reduce friction and gather early reviews. A specialized book for professionals can often support a higher price if the positioning is specific.

KDP Select makes your ebook eligible for Kindle Unlimited and certain promotional tools, but it requires ebook exclusivity with Amazon during each enrollment period. That means you cannot sell or distribute the digital edition through Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play Books, your own store, or other ebook retailers while enrolled.

KDP Select can make sense if:

• Your genre performs strongly in Kindle Unlimited
• You publish series fiction and earn from pages read
• Amazon will be your main discovery channel
• You want access to Kindle Countdown Deals or free promotions

Wide distribution can make sense if:

• You have your own audience and want to sell direct
• Your readers use multiple ebook stores
• You care about libraries or non-Amazon platforms
• You do not want exclusivity constraints

There is no universal answer. Treat it as a distribution strategy, not a moral choice. Many authors test KDP Select for one 90-day period, then decide based on sales, page reads, audience behavior, and marketing plans.

Never submit the ebook without previewing it. Use KDP’s preview tools and, when possible, test the EPUB before upload. Check the book like a reader would: cover, title page, table of contents, first chapter, images, links, scene breaks, footnotes, and the final page.

Common issues to catch:

• Chapters missing from the table of contents
• Extra blank pages or huge gaps
• Images too small to read on phones
• Paragraphs with inconsistent indentation
• Smart quotes, symbols, or accented characters displaying incorrectly
• Cover title or author name not matching the KDP listing

If KDP flags quality issues, fix the source file rather than patching the exported file blindly. A clean source manuscript makes future updates much easier.

After you submit, Amazon reviews the ebook before it appears for sale. Review timing varies, so do not schedule a launch announcement for the same hour you click publish. Build in a buffer of at least a few days, especially for a first book or a book with complex formatting.

Once the ebook is live, check the Amazon detail page carefully. Confirm the cover, title, subtitle, author name, description, categories, price, and Look Inside sample. If you also publish a paperback, make sure the editions are linked on the same detail page.

Publishing makes the ebook available. It does not create demand by itself.

Your first sales usually come from one or more of these channels:

• Existing email list or community
• Author website and lead magnet funnel
• Amazon search and category browsing
• Newsletter swaps or podcast appearances
• Amazon Ads after the listing converts reasonably well
• Reader review team or launch group

For a new author, the best early target is not “go viral.” It is to get qualified readers to the page, learn whether the page converts, gather legitimate reviews, and improve the offer. Track click-through, sales, reviews, and ad spend separately. A book can have a traffic problem, a product-page problem, or a book-positioning problem; each needs a different fix.

Before you click publish, confirm:

• The manuscript has been edited and proofread
• The ebook file has a working table of contents
• The cover is a front-cover RGB image, not a print wrap
• The title, subtitle, and author name match everywhere
• The description is formatted and readable on mobile
• Keywords and categories match real reader intent
• The price supports your royalty and launch strategy
• KDP Select is an intentional choice, not a default click
• You have previewed the ebook on multiple screen sizes
• You have a launch plan for the first 2-4 weeks

That is the real answer to how to publish an ebook on Amazon: prepare the book like a product, upload it carefully, then market it like a long-term asset.