KDP Publishing Checklist: Before You Hit Publish

Here's a complete KDP publishing checklist that covers everything from manuscript formatting to metadata optimization. Rushing through the publish process is one of the most common mistakes new authors make, and it costs real money in lost sales and wasted ad spend. Use this list every single time you publish a new book, and you'll avoid the painful "I wish I'd caught that" moments.

1. Manuscript Formatting and Interior File

Your interior file is the product itself. If it looks sloppy, readers will leave a bad review before they finish chapter one.

• Run a full spell check and proofread. Then proofread again. Grammarly or ProWritingAid will catch things Word misses.
• Check your trim size matches your genre norms. 5.5" x 8.5" and 6" x 9" are the most common for nonfiction. Fiction often uses 5" x 8" or 5.25" x 8".
• Confirm margins meet KDP's minimum requirements. For a 200-page book at 6" x 9", you need at least 0.75" inside margins (gutter) and 0.25" on the outside.
• Front matter should include a title page, copyright page, and table of contents. Back matter should include an "About the Author" section and a call to action for your email list or next book.
• Export as PDF with fonts embedded for paperback. For eBook, export as EPUB or a clean DOCX file.
• Upload to KDP's previewer and check every single page. Look for orphaned lines, broken headers, and image alignment issues.

A tip from experience: always check the last page of every chapter. That's where formatting ghosts like to hide.

2. Cover Design

Your cover sells the book. Full stop. This is not the place to save $50.

• Hire a professional designer or use a proven template. Canva covers are obvious to frequent Amazon shoppers.
• Make sure the cover reads clearly as a thumbnail. Shrink it to the size of a postage stamp on your screen. Can you still read the title? Can you tell the genre in under two seconds?
• For paperback, your spine text needs to be legible and correctly positioned. KDP's cover calculator will give you the exact spine width based on page count and paper type.
• File specs: PDF for paperback (with bleed), JPEG or TIFF for eBook at 2560 x 1600 pixels minimum.
• Compare your cover side-by-side with the top 10 bestsellers in your category. It should look like it belongs in that group.

3. Book Metadata: Title, Subtitle, and Description

This is where most self-published books quietly fail. Bad metadata means Amazon's algorithm doesn't know who to show your book to, and shoppers scroll right past it.

• Your title should be clear and keyword-aware. Clever wordplay is fine for fiction, but nonfiction titles need to tell readers exactly what they're getting.
• Your subtitle is prime keyword real estate. Use it to include search terms that readers actually type into Amazon.
• Write a book description that leads with the reader's problem or desire, not with your credentials. Use short paragraphs, bold text for key phrases, and a clear call to action at the end.
• Fill out all seven keyword slots with specific, relevant phrases. Don't repeat words already in your title or subtitle.

If you're unsure whether your listing is optimized, run it through PublishRank's Listing Optimizer. It'll flag weak spots in your title, description, and keywords before you go live.

4. Pricing and Royalty Settings

Pricing mistakes are surprisingly common, and they're hard to undo once reviews start coming in.

• For eBooks priced between $2.99 and $9.99, you qualify for the 70% royalty rate. Anything outside that range drops you to 35%.
• Check your paperback printing cost before setting a price. KDP shows this in the pricing section. Your list price minus the printing cost equals your royalty. A 200-page black-and-white paperback costs roughly $3.50 to print, so pricing it at $8.99 leaves you about $1.80 per sale.
• Research competitor pricing in your category. Price too high and you lose impulse buyers. Price too low and readers assume low quality.
• Set international pricing manually rather than letting Amazon auto-convert. You can often round to cleaner numbers that convert better in local markets.

5. Categories and Keywords

Amazon gives you two category slots during publishing, but you can request up to 10 by contacting KDP support after your book goes live. Most authors don't bother. That's an advantage for you.

• Pick categories where you can realistically reach the top 20. A niche category with a #1 bestseller ranked around 30,000-50,000 in the Kindle Store is much easier to crack than one where the #1 sits at 500.
• Use the Amazon search bar to research your seven backend keyword phrases. Type your topic and see what Amazon auto-suggests. Those suggestions are real searches from real customers.
• Don't stuff keywords with irrelevant terms. Amazon's algorithm is smart enough to penalize that, and it definitely won't help your conversion rate.

6. Final Pre-Publish Review

Before you click that publish button, walk through this final sanity check:

• Preview both eBook and paperback formats one more time using KDP's online previewer.
• Confirm your author name is spelled consistently across all your books.
• Double-check your Amazon Author Central profile is set up and ready to claim this new title.
• Make sure your "Look Inside" content is strong. The first 10% of your book is your best sales tool after the cover.
• If you're enrolling in KDP Select, understand you're committing to 90 days of Amazon exclusivity. No selling on other platforms during that period.
• Have your launch plan ready: email list, social posts, AMS ad campaigns. Publishing without a launch plan is like opening a store with no sign on the door.

The whole process from upload to "live on Amazon" typically takes 24 to 72 hours. Don't panic if it's not instant. Use that time to finalize your marketing.