Open a KDP Account

KDP is Amazon's platform for authors to publish their books. KDP stands for Kindle Direct Publishing, but don't be misled. You can use KDP to publish your book on the Kindle platform, as a paperback and as a hardback.

What Does It Cost?

KDP is totally free to join. The only money you pay are the royalties when you sell a copy of your book and these are deducted from the sale price.

But What About Paperbacks and Hardbacks?

It's hard to believe that there are no upfront costs for the paperback and hardback versions of your book, but it's true. It's because Amazon, unlike a traditional publisher, doesn't print in advance or hold stock.

Instead, it uses POD (Print on Demand). When a customer orders your paperback, only then is it printed and shipped to the customer. Amazon has POD facilities all over the world, ensuring fast fulfillment. These are also used for creating and shipping author copies.

How to Open a KDP Account

Opening a KDP is free and a lot simpler than many other platforms.

Go to https://kdp.amazon.com.

If you have an existing Amazon account, click the Sign In button and then sign in; if you don’t have an Amazon account, click the Sign Up button and then follow the steps to create one.

Read and accept the KDP terms of service (TOS) that open onscreen.

You should see the KDP Bookshelf, where all your published books will be listed.

In the upper-right corner of the screen, you will see a warning that your account information is incomplete. Click the Update Now link.

Complete the form for your account.

You are now ready to publish your first book!