Introduction to Amazon KDP

If you are a content writer, an author or someone that is looking for a way to make money online, I’m excited to tell you that Amazon KDP can help you achieve this. Therefore, permit me to welcome you to this Amazon KDP guide.

Let start by introducing you to the concept of selling books on Amazon; KDP is an acronym for Kindle Direct Publishing, which is Amazon’s publishing platform that allows independent authors (like you) to access readers (that are willing to buy your books) worldwide.

The beautiful thing about Amazon KDP is that it’s simple to set up, use and access by anyone. As a matter of fact, anybody can create an author account, upload their book, and sell paperbacks, hardbacks, and ebooks through Amazon without any setup cost.

Without doubt, Amazon KDP is unquestionably the most accessible platform for self-publishing authors. Thanks to KDP, authors of niche genres have gained access to readers that previously could have only reached through traditional publishing.

In this guide, I will try my possible best to take you through step-by-step guide where you will learn everything you need to know about publishing and selling on Amazon KDP, from setting up your account, setting your book to mastering selling it.

Why you should try Amazon?

·         Any author can reach over 80% of US readers 

Now if you’re looking to reach a large audience of readers particularly to sell books in the United States and the United Kingdom, KDP is a platform you can’t afford to ignore.

There is no argument about it that Amazon is the largest bookstore in the world. One retail news site suggests that in the US, Amazon held an 83% market share of ebooks in 2019 — with the remaining 17% spread between its competitors.

·        You can sell print, digital, and audio in one place

The beautiful thing about publishing on Amazon is that you can publish various versions of your book from ebook to paperback to hardcover and even audio book. All this is done right on your dashboard with just a click.

·         Instant ebook publishing

Through KDP’s author dashboard, you can set up an account, upload a manuscript, and publish it by the end of the hour.

Once it’s live on the Kindle Store, readers can purchase your digital book and read it on their tablets, e-readers, phones, or desktop computers — just as they would any ebook published by a major press.

Publishing is as simple as uploading a book, adding a few details, and hitting “go.” (Screenshot: kdp.amazon.com)

·        Earn royalties of up to 70%

On KDP, authors will regularly receive 40-60% on print books and up to 70% for ebooks as royalty.

While these percentages are by no means exclusive to KDP (you can expect similar royalties with Kobo or Apple Books), but Amazon is the market leader and has effectively cemented these as the prevailing rates.