How To Self Publish A Paperback Book On Amazon?

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To self-publish a paperback on Amazon, log in to KDP, add a new paperback from your Bookshelf, and upload an interior PDF and a cover PDF. Don’t skip it: paperbacks are one more format that can earn. The mistake many authors make is doing the paperback first, instead of putting out the Kindle edition too. Here are the steps and that mistake.

What do I need to publish a paperback on KDP?

You need an account at kdp.amazon.com. In the old days paperbacks went through CreateSpace, which Amazon owned. Amazon folded it into KDP, and now Kindle and print books sit in the same dashboard, so you can see sales of both. After you log in, add a new paperback to the Bookshelf (KDP Print). Related: KDP self-publishing account sign in.

When I started I did Kindle books first, then paperbacks, and later hardbacks, audiobooks and more books. The paperback side was a bit more complex than the Kindle format, but it wasn’t too hard.

What are the steps to self-publish a paperback?

1. Format the inside. You need a PDF set to your paperback’s trim size, not the EPUB you use for Kindle. Atticus is my top pick for formatting: it exports the Kindle file and the print PDF with the table of contents and layout intact. Check the trim size, bleed and margin rules: most sizes allow 24 to 828 pages in black ink. If you would rather not format it yourself, my team makes the print-ready PDF and the EPUB, and I check every book. Both files are from $127. You get them within 3 business days of sending your manuscript (book formatting).
2. Make the cover. KDP wants one PDF with the back cover, spine and front cover as a single image, 0.125 inch bleed on the top, bottom and outside edges, at least 300 DPI, flattened, with fonts embedded. Spine width is page count times a factor (0.002252 inch for black-and-white on white paper), and spine text needs at least 79 pages. I used the free GIMP for cover artwork, and I build the paperback cover from my Kindle cover using KDP’s template. My free KDP cover size and spine width calculator works out the spine and the full cover size from your page count.
3. Choose the ISBN. KDP gives paperbacks a free ISBN that works only on KDP and sets the imprint to “Independently published”. Each format needs its own ISBN.
4. Fill in the details. Title, author, description, categories and keywords. I use KDSpy, a one-time purchase, to find keywords that help the book earn. Make sure the description formatting is right.
5. Set the price. Royalty is the rate times the list price minus the printing cost. The rate is 60% on Amazon.com at $9.99 or more and 50% below that. In KDP’s example, a $15 book with $5.00 printing cost pays $4.00 (KDP paperback royalties).
6. Publish, then run ads.

How long can my paperback be, and what files does KDP reject?

In black ink on white paper, KDP’s print options page lists 24 to 828 pages for a 5” x 8” paperback, and 75 to 550 pages for a hardcover. Its paperback submission guidelines ask for fonts embedded in both the cover and the interior, images of at least 300 DPI, and no crop marks, trim marks, bookmarks or comments in the files. If your book has bleed, you must upload the interior as a PDF. Check these before you upload, because a rejected file costs you a day of waiting.

What mistake do authors make with paperbacks?

They do the paperback and don’t also put out the Kindle edition. You might think the ebook is harder. It’s the opposite. With Atticus you generate the EPUB, add the cover you already have, and publish. Then you export the print PDF from the same book and fit the cover into the KDP template, and you are ready.

The Kindle edition is easier and drives traffic: people search the Kindle store and see your page. You also don’t know which format your readers will want, so you want them all. Authors who make the most off Amazon cover all the formats. For the money side, see how to make money with Kindle publishing on Amazon, and for common snags, problems with Amazon Kindle books.

Once the book is live, you can buy copies at print cost: see how many KDP author copies you can order and how long they take.

Before you start, grab my free 12-step self-publishing checklist. What have you found? Let me know in the comments.

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