How Do I Self-Publish an Anthology With Other Writers?

One person publishes an anthology from one KDP account. You credit every writer in the contributor fields, list every story in the metadata, and get each contributor to sign a short agreement before the book goes up. The rest is deciding who goes on the cover, how you credit an editor, and how people are paid.

This is not legal advice. If you have a contract question, ask a lawyer.

Whose name goes on the cover and in the author field?

KDP’s Metadata Guidelines say that if you enter several authors in the author contributor fields, they show in the Kindle Store in the same order you entered them. All other contributor types, such as editors, show below the author names.

The same page has a rule for books of several stories. The contents must be shown in the title field and on the cover, by including terms such as “Collection,” “Compilation,” or “Series.” Collections of individual stories must have all stories listed in the metadata. The page does not say whether the word “Anthology” counts, so I would put one of the terms it names in the title or subtitle.

My advice: agree the order of names before you publish, because it is easy to set and annoying to argue about later. With a few writers I would list them all as authors. With many, I would decide whether the editor goes first and whether the writers are listed as contributors.

How do I credit an editor, or a contributor who wants to stay anonymous?

KDP’s page says contributor fields can name additional authors, editors, illustrators, translators and others, as long as they worked on that specific book. So a co-editor goes in as an editor, and appears below the authors. If you want the co-editor on the front cover, that is a design choice, and the title field must still match the cover.

For a contributor who wants to stay anonymous, KDP allows a pen name, as long as it does not impair customers’ ability to make good buying decisions. Use the same pen name in the book, the contributor field and the agreement.

What do contributors sign?

According to the US Copyright Office’s Circular 1, each author’s contribution to a collective work is separate from the copyright in the collective work as a whole. So every writer keeps the copyright in their own piece. A transfer of exclusive rights generally must be in writing and signed. A nonexclusive permission does not need a written agreement. This is US law.

My advice: put the permission in writing anyway, even if it is nonexclusive. A short agreement should cover:

• which piece the contributor is giving, and that they wrote it
• what you may do with it: this book, in print and ebook, in which countries
• how long you may sell the book, and whether the writer can use the piece elsewhere
• what the contributor gets in return
• how the name appears in the book and on Amazon
• what happens if someone wants their piece taken out

How are contributors paid?

KDP pays only the account holder, so any split happens outside KDP. Common choices are a flat fee, free copies, or a share of royalties that you pay out yourself. Write the choice in the agreement. For splitting royalties and other money questions between people, see how to self-publish a book with a co-author.

Can a contributor review the anthology?

Be careful. As I explain in what you ought to know about book reviews, Amazon says it removes reviews from people with a personal connection to the author or a financial interest. A contributor has a link to the book, so a review from them may be removed. Ask them to share the book instead.

What if some of the stories are already published?

If a story has been published somewhere before, check that the rights are back with the writer before it goes into your book. For how short stories work on KDP in general, see how to get your short story published on Amazon.

Want a second pair of eyes on the plan?

If you have the stories gathered and want to check the credits, the title and the agreement before you format, book a free 25-minute call.

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