How to Publish a Novel on Amazon KDP

What KDP actually asks for

Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing console wants:

1. Manuscript — EPUB for Kindle, or a 6×9 interior PDF for paperback.
2. Cover — ideal dimensions 1600 pixels wide × 2560 high (1.6:1 height/width), JPEG or TIFF. See Amazon’s current cover requirements.
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
• A 6×9 interior PDF for paperback print-on-demand (interior only — you still add a print cover in KDP)

That does not replace your judgment on price, territories, or final marketing copy — it removes the blank-form panic. You upload the files; Amazon prints when a reader orders. We don’t print or ship books.

Do I need to disclose AI use on KDP?

Amazon asks you to disclose AI-generated text, images, or translations when publishing or republishing. Text or cover art created by AI remains AI-generated under its guidance even after substantial editing. If you wrote the content yourself and used AI only to brainstorm, edit, or check it, Amazon distinguishes that as AI-assisted. Consider your manuscript and cover separately.

Check KDP’s content guidelines when uploading. Your creative control and Bespoke’s provenance documents do not replace the disclosure answers or the retailer’s review. Paperback uses the 6×9 interior PDF plus a print cover you still prepare in KDP (wraparound cover is not generated here).

Checklist before you hit Publish

• [ ] Every chapter approved in your review workflow
• [ ] EPUB opens cleanly on a Kindle previewer or device
• [ ] 6×9 interior PDF looks right if you are listing a paperback
• [ ] 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 have the necessary rights to publish the text and images
• [ ] AI-generated text and cover art are disclosed as required by KDP
• [ ] Pricing, territories, and retailer preview are checked

Take the checklist with you

Download the free ebook publishing checklist. No account needed. Bespoke prepares files and suggested listing copy; you review them, upload to your retailer account, and make the publishing decisions.

Start with the story plan

If you do not have a manuscript yet, begin with a free story blueprint — a guided set of story choices and a free Chapter 1 preview before paying for a full build.

Create my free story plan