How to Publish a Novel on Amazon KDP

What KDP actually asks for

Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing console wants:

1. Manuscript — typically EPUB (or DOCX) formatted for Kindle.
2. Cover — recommended 1600×2560 (2:3), JPEG or PNG.
3. Title and author name — as they should appear on the store.
4. Description — the sales copy shoppers read on the product page.
5. Keywords (up to 7) — phrases readers might search.
6. Categories — where the book sits in Amazon’s browse tree.
7. Pricing and territories — your commercial choices.

Most AI writing tools stop at a document download. The logistics fear is real: authors freeze on keywords and categories, not on whether they can click Upload.

Keywords that help readers find you

Pick phrases a real reader would type — genre + hook, not your subtitle stuffed seven times. Examples of useful shapes:

• cozy mystery small town bakery
• gaslamp adventure missing expedition
• analog horror radio station

Avoid repeating your title, and avoid competitor author names. Aim for specific over generic (horror novel is too broad).

Description that earns the click

A strong KDP description usually:

• Opens on the protagonist and the situation, not a review blurb about “gripping prose.”
• Names the stakes without spoiling the ending.
• Signals genre promise (warmth vs dread, romance vs puzzle).
• Ends with a clear invitation to start reading.

You can revise this copy anytime after publish. Perfect is optional; specific is not.

Categories and age/content notes

Choose categories that match how the book actually reads. Mis-shelving a cozy mystery as hard-boiled crime wastes the algorithm and disappoints readers. Content notes (heat, violence, age range) should match what is on the page.

Cover: brief first, pixels second

Before you commission art or generate a cover, write a short brief: mood, key visual, palette, typography feel. That brief becomes the brief you hand a designer — or the prompts you paste into an image model. Store-ready size and safe margins still matter after the concept lands.

How Bespoke Books packages this

After you approve every chapter in the Editor’s Chair, Prepare to publish can generate a KDP package that includes:

• Suggested title / subtitle treatments
• HTML-ready description and editorial bullets
• Seven keyword suggestions
• Category and age/content notes
• Cover brief with mood, palette, and image-generation prompts
• A formatted EPUB for Kindle upload

That does not replace your judgment on price, territories, or final marketing copy — it removes the blank-form panic.

Checklist before you hit Publish

• [ ] Every chapter approved in your review workflow
• [ ] EPUB opens cleanly on a Kindle previewer or device
• [ ] Cover meets size and readability at thumbnail
• [ ] Seven keywords are specific and honest
• [ ] Description matches the genre promise
• [ ] Categories match the book you wrote
• [ ] You own the rights to publish under your name

Start with the story plan

If you do not have a manuscript yet, begin with a free story blueprint — a chapter-by-chapter plan you can review before paying for a full build.

Create my free story plan