Kindle Direct Publishing
Get your book ready for Kindle Direct Publishing
AIBookWriter prepares what KDP asks you for: manuscript files, a cover with the right spine width, a description, keywords, categories and a royalty estimate. You publish on Amazon yourself, with files you control.
What Kindle Direct Publishing is
Kindle Direct Publishing, usually shortened to KDP, is Amazon's self-publishing service. Authors use it to publish Kindle ebooks and print books that Amazon prints on demand when a reader places an order. There is no publisher in between: you upload the files, set the price and keep the rights, and Amazon pays royalties on sales.
KDP expects you to arrive with the book finished. That means having:
- A manuscript file for the ebook, and a print-ready interior for a paperback
- A cover, which for a paperback has to include a spine sized to the page count
- A title, a description, keywords and categories
- A price for each marketplace you sell in
AIBookWriter covers the first three and helps you decide the fourth. It does not publish to Amazon for you. You sign in to your own KDP account, enter the book's details and upload the files, and Amazon reviews the book before it goes on sale. That keeps you in control of your account, your pricing and your listing, and it means any change to the listing later is yours to make directly.
From manuscript to KDP upload
Everything up to the last step happens in AIBookWriter. The last step happens on Amazon, and it is yours.Write or import the book
Draft it here, or import a finished Word manuscript of up to 200,000 words for free.
Edit the whole book
Run the whole-book review for an editorial letter, pacing notes and line edits you accept or reject.
Prepare the listing
Generate a description, keywords and categories from the book. The free tools add keyword research and Amazon A+ content.
Make the cover
Generate an AI cover; for a paperback, the spine width is calculated for you.
Format the files
On Pro, export an EPUB for the Kindle edition and a print-ready PDF in your trim size for the paperback. Preflight checks flag problems first.
Run the numbers
Use the royalty calculator to compare list prices for the ebook and the paperback before you set them.
Publish on KDP
Sign in to your KDP account, enter the details, upload the files, set the price and submit. Amazon reviews the book before it goes live.
What AIBookWriter prepares and what you do on KDP
A clear split, so nothing is missing when you sit down to upload.| In AIBookWriter | On KDP, by you | |
|---|---|---|
| Ebook manuscript | EPUB export, built from your chapters | Upload the EPUB and check it in KDP's previewer |
| Paperback interior | Print-ready PDF in your trim size and theme, on Pro | Upload the PDF and choose the matching trim size and print options |
| Cover | AI cover, with the spine width calculated for the paperback | Upload the cover for each format |
| Description | Generated blurb you can edit | Paste it into the description field |
| Keywords and categories | Generated from the book, plus free keyword research and a category finder | Enter them in the book's details |
| Price | Royalty estimates from the free calculator | Set the list price for each marketplace |
| Publishing | Not done here | Submit; Amazon reviews the book before it goes on sale |
KDP-ready pieces
Each one maps to something KDP asks for.EPUB for Kindle
Exported from your chapters on the Pro plan, with preflight checks before export.
Print-ready PDF
Trim sizes and themes for the paperback interior, on Pro.
Cover with spine
An AI cover for 30 credits, with the spine width calculated for paperback covers.
Keyword research
Seven backend keyword slots, filled with phrases readers actually type.
Category finder
Store categories that fit the book, with the reasons for each.
A+ content
Headlines, feature blocks and comparison copy for Amazon's A+ modules.
Royalty calculator
Ebook and paperback royalty estimates by price, marketplace, file size, page count and ink. Free and unlimited.
Copyright page
A copyright page template you check and paste into the front matter.
Free KDP tools
KDP Royalty Calculator
Ebook and paperback royalties on Amazon's current rules
Free, unlimited, runs in your browser
KDP Keyword Research
Seven backend keyword slots, filled with phrases readers type
2 free runs an hour
KDP Category Finder
Store categories that fit, with the reasons
2 free runs an hour
A+ Content Generator
Amazon A+ modules: headlines, feature blocks and comparison copy
2 free runs an hour
Copyright Page Generator
A copyright page template you can check and paste in
2 free runs an hour
Blurb SEO Optimizer
Works keywords into your blurb without wrecking it
2 free runs an hour
Questions about Kindle Direct Publishing
Does AIBookWriter publish my book on Amazon?
No. AIBookWriter prepares the files and the listing details; you publish them yourself through your own KDP account at kdp.amazon.com. That keeps your Amazon account, pricing, rights and royalties entirely in your hands, and you can change anything on Amazon without going through us.
Which files does KDP need?
For a Kindle ebook, a manuscript file such as an EPUB, plus a cover image. For a paperback, a print-ready PDF interior and a full cover with back, spine and front sized to the page count. On the Pro plan, AIBookWriter exports the EPUB and the print-ready PDF, and it calculates the spine width for paperback covers.
Does Amazon allow AI-assisted books?
KDP's content guidelines ask publishers to disclose AI-generated content, such as text, images or translations, when they publish a book. Rules can change, so read the current guidelines on KDP before you submit. As the publisher, you are responsible for what you upload and how you answer.
How do I choose a price?
Use the free royalty calculator. Enter ebook or paperback, the marketplace, a list price and either the file size or the page count and ink type, and it estimates your royalty on Amazon's current rules. It runs in your browser with no limit, so you can try several prices before deciding.
Which plan do I need for KDP files?
A Kindle ebook needs the EPUB export and a paperback needs the print-ready PDF; both come with the Pro plan's formatting. Formatting costs 200 credits once per book, and re-exports after corrections are free, so fixing a typo after launch costs nothing extra.
Do I need an ISBN?
Not for a Kindle ebook, which Amazon identifies with its own number. For a paperback, KDP offers a free ISBN or lets you use your own. If you have one, add it to your copyright page; the free copyright page generator has a field for it.
Arrive at KDP with everything ready
Write or import your book, then prepare the files, cover and listing in one place. Uploading is the only step left.
Related pages
All use cases- Finish your bookFinish the book you started, without starting over
- AI book editorAn AI book editor that reads the whole manuscript before it says anything
- AI proofreaderProofread the whole manuscript, not one pasted paragraph at a time
- AI book translatorTranslate the whole book, not one pasted chapter at a time