Set up an account
The first thing you’ll need to do is create a new account at kdp.amazon.com. You could use your regular Amazon account, but I wanted an account that was strictly associated with me as an author. I also used that same email when setting up my Amazon Author page.
EPUB File
I highly encourage creating an EPUB file if you have the ability to do so. It’s accepted by Amazon KDP (as well as other distributers) and it’s much easier to work with and make changes. If you only intend to distribute your book through Amazon KDP and you aren’t able to create and EPUB file, then you might find that Kindle Create is the best solution for you.
Kindle Create
I used the Kindle Create software to create my eBook. There might be better ways to create eBook files because I know I won’t be able to use this file when I launch elsewhere, but it was relatively quick and easy and I had a better idea of what I was creating. Kindle Create accepts Word Document files and I found I had to do a few things to make importing easier.
- I had to fix all of my tabs. First of all the default tab was way too big. Secondly, I’m not sure how it happened, but some of my tabs were some sort of automatic tab so they didn’t accept the new indent size. I had to comb through my entire document to find them and make sure they were normal indents.
- Images in your document need to be jpgs or they don’t import properly and look terrible.
Editing in Kindle Create is a nightmare and I don’t recommend it. You’re better off making formatting changes in your original document and re-uploading the file.
What you need
In order to complete setup for your eBook you’ll need the following:
- Your eBook ISBN if you are using an ISBN you’ve purchased.
- Your cover formatted properly. Kindle does have a tool to create your own cover called Cover Creator, but I did not use it so I can’t speak to how well it works.
- Your .epub file or .kpf file created using Kindle Create.
- Series information, if you have one
Description
I feel the description field in particular is worth noting because I had to futz around with it a lot. This field does accept some basic html formatting, which is nice if you’re familiar with html. I did a lot of copying and pasting between the eBook form and the paperback form and I ran into issues with how it looked when the pages launched. I discovered that the eBook description field translates line breaks on your page, but the paperback version does not (in the paperback version of the form you must use html to get line breaks). In order to copy and paste nicely between the two, I found you have to remove line breaks and use strictly html. For example:
<h4><i>Maybe she hadn’t always done everything she could to help her brother in the past, but Isla wasn’t going to let that stop her now.</i></h4><br>Isla finds her younger brother Ethan frustrating, he finds her overbearing. When a traumatic event puts Ethan in a coma, Isla grapples with feelings of guilt. Isla soon becomes concerned that her brother might be in real danger.<br><br>Their lives turn upside down when Isla learns of a family secret that her father has worked hard to keep hidden. Why don’t they ever see their grandmother? And what happened to their mother on the day she died? What secrets did she know?<br><br>Ethan and Isla's destinies become entwined as they begin a journey neither could have imagined. The children will have to mend their broken relationship and work together as a team in order to escape the nightmarish grip holding them <strong><i>beyond the darkness.</i></strong>
Pricing
If you intend to enroll in KDP Select and also list a paperback you are required to list your eBook price at least 20% lower than the paperback price.
You will also select your royalty option when setting your price, which can be 70% or 35%. You can find more details about these options here, but essentially you can select 70% if you are enrolled in KDP as well as meeting a few other requirements noted in the link provided. Otherwise, you must select 35%.
Listing
Amazon states that it can take up to 72 hours for a book to show up in the store. I found it took somewhere between 24-48 hours.
Linking
If you want to ensure your eBook and Paperback are linked together on the same product listing page you’ll need to set up an Amazon Author Page first.
Making Changes
You can still make changes after you’ve published your eBook and those changes will automatically get pushed to anyone who has downloaded your book. It requires the same “up to 72” hour change window but I have found changes publish much quicker (usually less than 24 hours).
What about your ISBN if you purchased one? You can make minor copy changes to your eBook without requiring setting up a new eBook. I’ve found some glaring typos along the way and it was wonderful to be able to easily fix them, upload them, and know that my new readers won’t see them. If you change anything more, like adding paragraphs or chapters, that’s technically a new edition and would need a new ISBN.
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