Create a cover and metadata
Write your store listing — blurb, keywords, categories and series details — then generate a cover or upload your own in the Metadata & cover step.
In this guide
Metadata & cover is where your book gets the listing readers see in stores and the cover that sells it. The step opens once Basics is finished. A title and a book description here also open Format & export, Publish and Distribution.
Step 1: Get a suggested listing
Press Suggest listing with AI at the top. It costs 5 credits, shown underneath. The suggestion appears in its own panel, with rows for Blurb, Tagline, Subtitle, Keywords, Categories and BISAC codes. Each row has an Apply button, so you take only what you want. Press Done to close the panel.
Step 2: Check the essentials
Check the Title, Subtitle and Author name — the cover and every export use them. Add a Tagline if you want a one-line hook for the listing.
Step 3: Write the blurb
Book description (blurb) is the text readers see on the store page and on the back of a paperback, and you need one to move on. Amazon allows up to 4,000 characters. Keep paragraphs short, since most readers see it on a phone, and lead with the protagonist, the problem and the stakes rather than a summary of the plot.
Step 4: Fill in keywords and categories
- Keywords: seven slots, each under 50 characters. Use phrases readers actually type, such as “cozy mystery with recipes” — not your title, and not other authors’ names.
- Categories: up to three store categories, most specific first, written as a path like the example in each box.
The KDP Keyword Research and KDP Category Finder tools can help you choose.
Step 5: Add series and edition details
If the book is part of a series, fill in Series name and Number in series. Edition, Publisher (optional), ISBN — ebook and ISBN — paperback are all optional: Kindle ebooks don’t need an ISBN, and KDP can assign a free one for paperbacks. When you export, any ISBN you entered is checked for a valid check digit.
Step 6: Generate a cover
In the Cover panel, pick a style: Illustrated, Photographic, Minimalist typographic, Painterly, Watercolor, Vintage, Dark and moody, or Bright and playful. Describe what you want in the art direction box — “a lighthouse at dusk, letters in the foreground” — then press Generate cover. It costs 30 credits, needs the Plus plan or above, and uses the title and author name from this page.
The new cover becomes the current one when it’s ready. If the lettering may not match your title or author name, a warning tells you to check it before publishing.
Step 7: Compare and switch covers
Every cover you generate or upload is kept under Earlier covers. Click one to make it current again, so a new attempt never costs you a cover you liked.
Step 8: Or upload your own
Press Upload your own and choose a JPG, PNG or WebP image up to 15 MB. This works on every plan. If the image is smaller than 1600 × 2560 pixels — Amazon’s recommended size for ebook covers — you’ll see a warning. Print covers need about 300 DPI at your trim size.
Step 9: Move on
Everything on this page saves as you type. Once the blurb is in place, press Next step to open Format & export. The cover here is the front cover only; the paperback wrap, with spine and back cover, is built in Format & export from this cover, your blurb and your author bio.