How Do I Publish a Series of Novellas, and How Do Box Sets Work on KDP?

To publish a series of novellas on KDP, check that each book reaches the paperback page minimum, group the books on a series page, and bundle them as an ebook box set once you have enough of them. Each of those steps has its own rule at KDP, and a few of them catch people out. Here is what the KDP help pages say and where I would use my own judgment.

Can a short novella go to print?

It can if the finished book has enough pages. KDP’s paperback help lists a minimum of 24 pages for black ink on white paper. Standard color ink on white paper has a higher minimum of 72 pages. A very short novella can fall under that number. If one of yours does, the usual choices are to publish it as an ebook only or to group it with other stories in one book. My advice is not to pad it with blank pages, because readers notice.

How do I set up a series page on KDP?

KDP’s Start a Book Series page gives two ways. From your Bookshelf, click ”+ Create new title or series” and choose “Create series page”. Or open the ”…” menu on an existing book and click “Add to series”.

A few rules from that page:

1. You can start a series with any format: ebook, paperback or hardcover.
2. Public domain and low-content books, such as notebooks and journals, are not eligible.
3. The series can start before all the books are finished, and books can be added or removed later.
4. If your series has live titles, the series page appears within 72 hours.

KDP also says that discounts are not currently available for series, so the page groups your books and does not discount them.

How do box sets work?

KDP’s boxed and bundles guidelines apply to ebooks only. A boxed set there is two or more titles sold as a single item, and it can hold volumes from one series or a collection of titles by the same author or in the same genre.

The title has to tell customers the product holds several books, so use a word like “Box Set”, “Collection” or “Books 1 to 3”. KDP recommends that the description say outright that it is a multi-book set and list each included title. I cover why bundles are worth doing in is it better to write one book or a trilogy.

What if the books are already published?

That is the usual case for a box set, and KDP allows it. The guidelines recommend saying “These titles have been previously published as standalone books.” If the titles were previously published under different covers, titles or author names, KDP recommends disclosing this in the description.

KDP’s start a series page is just as direct about print: “We currently don’t offer a way to create a bundled or boxed set for paperback books.” So a novella box set is an ebook product. If readers want print, they buy the separate paperbacks.

How should I price them?

I will not guess at prices here. KDP’s ebook royalty page lists a 35% and a 70% royalty plan, and says sales outside the 70% eligible territories get 35%. The list price limits for each plan are on KDP’s list price requirements page, so check your own prices there.

In what order should I release them?

This part is my advice, not KDP’s. I would release the novellas close together, because a reader who finishes book one and finds book two waiting is more likely to carry on. If you plan a box set, line it up for after the last single is out, so the set contains everything it says it does. Put the box set link at the back of each single book, and a link to the next book at the back of every novella, so a reader who finishes one knows where to go. Number the books in the titles and use the same cover style, so the series looks like one thing in the store. That is how I would do it, and your genre may work differently. How long the whole series should run is a question I cover in how long should a self-published book be.

The right setup depends on how many books you have, your genre and whether you want print. If you want to talk it through, book a free 25-minute discovery call with me.

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