How to publish a book on Amazon, step by step
To publish a book on Amazon, you use Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP): finish the manuscript, export an ebook file and a print PDF, prepare a cover, create the title in KDP with its metadata, choose an ISBN, upload and preview, then set the royalty and price and publish. KDP says books usually go live within 3 business days. This guide gives each step with KDP's own requirements, checked against its help pages in September 2026, and shows which parts Gixo Folio handles — the manuscript and files — and which stay in your KDP account.
Use the persistent book workspace when the outcome is a real guide, authority book, training manual, client asset, or exportable edition.
If your manuscript is already finished and you only need specialist formatting or a dedicated fiction system, a focused tool may be the simpler choice.
What you need before you open KDP
Having these ready turns the KDP setup into a single sitting.
How to publish a book on Amazon KDP in six steps
The order that avoids re-uploading files after a late fix.
Which KDP steps Gixo Folio handles
Folio prepares the book and its files; the KDP account and listing stay yours.
| KDP step | Gixo Folio | Your KDP account |
|---|---|---|
| Manuscript | Plan, draft, revise and audit the book | Not a writing tool |
| Ebook file | Exports EPUB 3 and DOCX | Accepts EPUB, DOCX and KPF |
| Print interior | Print PDF at 5 × 8, 5.5 × 8.5, 6 × 9, 7 × 10, US Letter and more | Validates the PDF against the trim and margins |
| Cover | Front cover image, generated or uploaded; no print wrap | Needs the ebook cover and the full paperback wrap |
| ISBN | Validates your ISBN and generates its barcode | Issues a free ISBN for paperback and hardcover |
| Listing, price and royalties | Not part of Folio | Metadata, pricing, royalties and publishing |
Every KDP requirement on this page was read from kdp.amazon.com help pages on 25 September 2026: manuscript formats, trim sizes and bleed, royalty options, AI content, ISBNs, publishing time, cover dimensions and title limits. KDP changes these rules from time to time, so confirm them in your account before you publish.
For ebooks, KDP offers 35% on any price, or 70% when the list price is between $2.99 and $9.99 in eligible territories, less a small delivery cost per download. Public-domain works are limited to 35%.
For paperbacks, the royalty is 60% of the list price minus the printing cost, and 40% for expanded distribution. KDP's own example: a $15 paperback with $4.60 printing cost earns ($15 − $4.60) × 60% = $6.24.
KDP asks you to tell it about AI-generated content — text, images or translations — and counts it as AI-generated even if you edited it substantially afterwards. Using AI only to edit, refine or error-check writing you created yourself is AI-assisted and does not need disclosing.
If you draft chapters with Gixo Folio, answer that question accordingly. KDP also limits how many titles you can create at once: its help page says two per book format each week.
Folio prepares downloadable book files; it does not publish them to a retailer, provide human copyediting, or guarantee publishing or commercial outcomes.
Folio validates an ISBN you already hold, converts between ISBN-10 and ISBN-13, and generates the barcode for your print cover. It does not issue ISBNs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Before and after KDP
The pages for the steps around publishing on Amazon.
More Gixo Folio pages
Related book writing, publishing, and alternative pages.