How to Publish a Paperback on KDP: Step-by-Step Guide

To publish a paperback on KDP, first choose a trim size, paper type and ISBN. Then prepare a print-ready interior PDF at that trim size and a single full-wrap cover PDF sized to your page count. Upload both in KDP's Paperback Content step, check them in the previewer, order a proof copy, set a price above KDP's minimum and submit for review.

The rest of this guide walks through each step in order. It also flags the settings that become permanent once you publish, so you can get them right the first time.

What you need before you start

Have these ready before you open KDP. The paperback setup moves quickly once your files are finished, but you can't finish it without them.

• A finished, edited manuscript. Changing text after you've built the PDF means rebuilding the PDF.
• Your book details. These are your title, subtitle, author name, description, keywords and categories. If you already published the ebook, KDP can copy most of this across.
• A decision on your ISBN. Use KDP's free ISBN or one you bought yourself (see Step 2).
• An interior PDF formatted at your chosen trim size.
• A full-wrap cover PDF (back, spine and front in one file), sized for your exact page count.
• A KDP account with tax and payment details completed.

A practical warning: the cover depends on the page count, and the page count depends on the trim size and the interior formatting. Settle the interior first, then build the cover.

Step 1: Choose a trim size and paper

1.1 Pick a trim size

Trim size is the finished size of your book. Novels and memoirs commonly use 5 x 8, 5.5 x 8.5 or 6 x 9 inches. Non-fiction and workbooks often go larger, and picture books and cookbooks are often square or large-format. A good method is to look at bestsellers in your genre and match their size.

Smaller trims mean more pages for the same word count. More pages raises your printing cost and widens your spine.

1.2 Pick ink and paper

KDP offers a few combinations for paperbacks:

Option	Paper colours	Typical use	Printing cost
Black ink	White or cream	Novels, memoirs, most text-only books	Lowest
Standard colour	White	Books with some colour images, workbooks	Higher
Premium colour	White	Image-heavy books, cookbooks, children's books	Highest

Cream paper is popular for fiction because it reads softly. White paper suits non-fiction, books with charts and anything with images. Cream is only available with black ink.

1.3 Decide on bleed

Bleed matters if any image, colour block or design element in your interior runs to the edge of the page.

• No bleed: your interior page size equals the trim size. This is right for most text-only books.
• Bleed: KDP requires 0.125" of extra image on the outside edges. Your PDF page size becomes the trim width plus 0.125" and the trim height plus 0.25". For example, a 6 x 9 book becomes 6.125 x 9.25.

The cover always needs bleed. That's handled in Step 4.

Trim size, ink and paper type, and bleed are all locked after publishing. See the table in Step 8.

Step 2: Choose between a free KDP ISBN and your own

A paperback on KDP needs an ISBN. Your ebook doesn't (Amazon gives it an ASIN). A print ISBN belongs to one format only, so your paperback can't reuse an ISBN from another edition.

You have two choices:

• Free KDP ISBN. It costs nothing, but you can only use it for distribution through KDP. The imprint is listed as "Independently published." You can't take that ISBN to IngramSpark or another printer later.
• Your own ISBN. You buy it from your country's ISBN agency. You can use it with any printer, and you set your own imprint name. The imprint you enter in KDP must match the agency's record for that ISBN.

If you plan to sell the same paperback through IngramSpark as well, buy your own ISBN. IngramSpark's published terms say a free KDP ISBN can't be used there.

The ISBN can't be changed once the book is published. Choose before you click Publish.

Step 3: Prepare the interior PDF

Your interior PDF is the file KDP prints page by page. Here is what it needs:

3.1 Page size

Set the page size to your exact trim size, or the bleed size if you chose bleed. A Word document left on letter or A4 size is a common cause of rejection.

3.2 Margins and gutter

KDP sets minimum outside margins and a minimum inside (gutter) margin. The gutter minimum grows as the page count goes up, because thicker books curve more at the spine. Check the current margin table in KDP's help pages for your page count. Then add a little extra so text doesn't feel squeezed into the fold.

3.3 Fonts and images

Embed all fonts when you export the PDF. Use images at print resolution. KDP's guidelines commonly recommend 300 DPI, so confirm in the current specs. Low-resolution images will look blurry in print even if they look fine on screen.

3.4 Structure

Start with your front matter, which includes the title page, copyright page and optionally a dedication and table of contents. Chapters usually open on a right-hand (odd) page. Add page numbers and running heads if your genre expects them. Front matter typically has no page numbers or roman numerals.

3.5 Final page count

When the PDF is final, note the exact page count. You need it for the cover and the price. KDP sets a minimum and maximum page count that depends on trim and paper, so check your book falls within range.

If you write in Inkora, it can export a print-ready interior PDF at 5x8, 5.25x8, 5.5x8.5, 6x9, 7x10, 8.5x8.5, 8.5x11 or A5. That way the page size is set for you.

Step 4: Build the full-wrap cover

A KDP paperback cover is one PDF containing back cover, spine and front cover side by side, with 0.125" bleed on every edge. This is called a full-wrap cover.

4.1 Calculate the spine width

Spine width depends on page count and paper type. Cream paper is slightly thicker than white, and colour paper is different again. Use the book spine width calculator with your final page count, or KDP's own cover calculator.

4.2 Calculate the full cover size

• Width = bleed + back cover width + spine width + front cover width + bleed
• Height = bleed + trim height + bleed

The book cover size calculator does this arithmetic for you.

4.3 Design within the safe areas

• Keep text and important details away from the trim edges and the spine folds. KDP's template shows the safe zones.
• Leave the bottom-right area of the back cover clear. KDP places the barcode there.
• KDP only allows spine text once a book passes a certain page count. Thin books may need a blank spine. Check the current threshold in KDP's cover guidelines.

4.4 Export

Export as a single PDF at the full calculated size, with images at print resolution. Inkora's cover designer can export a full-wrap cover PDF with the spine width worked out from your page count. If you change the interior later, rebuild the cover, because the spine width will change.

KDP also has a built-in Cover Creator if you'd rather design inside KDP.

Step 5: Set up the paperback in KDP

5.1 Create the paperback

In your KDP Bookshelf, choose + Create and then Paperback. If the ebook is already live, use the "Create paperback" link next to it. That link copies the details and helps Amazon join the two formats on one product page.

5.2 Paperback Details

Enter or confirm your language, title, subtitle, series, edition, author, contributors, description, keywords and categories. Language, title, subtitle, edition and author are also hard to change after publishing, so check spelling now.

5.3 Paperback Content

On this page you will:

1. Enter your ISBN or request a free one.
2. Set the publication date (optional, and locked once published).
3. Choose ink and paper, trim size, bleed and cover finish (matte or glossy).
4. Upload the interior PDF.
5. Upload the cover PDF, or use Cover Creator.
6. Answer the AI-generated content question honestly.

5.4 Run the Print Previewer

Open the previewer and go through every page. It flags text outside margins, low-resolution images and cover problems. Treat any warning as something to fix in your source file and re-upload. Don't approve it and hope for the best.

Step 6: Order a proof copy

A proof copy is a printed copy of your draft, ordered before you publish. You pay printing cost plus shipping. Proofs carry a "Not for Resale" marking.

The online previewer can't show you how cream paper looks in daylight or whether your cover colours print darker than on screen. It also won't show you if the gutter feels tight in your hands. Order the proof from the Paperback Content page once your files pass the previewer. Then read it properly, ideally with a pen.

Check for:

• Text too close to the spine
• Cover colours and contrast
• Spine text alignment
• Widows, orphans and blank pages in the wrong place
• Image sharpness

Step 7: Work out printing cost and minimum price

7.1 Printing cost

KDP calculates printing cost from your page count, ink type, trim size and marketplace. There is a fixed amount per book plus a per-page amount. KDP shows the exact figure on the Rights & Pricing page, and that number is the one to trust. Printing costs have changed before, so don't rely on old blog posts.

7.2 Royalty

Under KDP's published paperback terms:

• Amazon marketplaces: 60% of list price, minus printing cost.
• Amazon.com list prices below $9.99: 50% of list price, minus printing cost.
• Expanded Distribution (sales through other retailers): 40% of list price, minus printing cost.

So your royalty per sale on Amazon is roughly (list price × royalty rate) − printing cost. Confirm current rates in your KDP dashboard. The KDP royalty calculator lets you test different prices.

7.3 Minimum list price

KDP won't let you set a price where your royalty would be below zero. The minimum is roughly printing cost divided by the royalty rate. KDP displays it for each marketplace. Expanded Distribution has a lower rate, so it pushes your minimum higher.

Set your price with your genre's typical paperback prices in mind, not just the minimum. You can change the price later.

Step 8: Settings you can't change after publishing

According to KDP's help pages, some details are fixed once a paperback is published. Confirm the current list in KDP before you submit.

Setting	Changeable after publishing?
ISBN	No
Trim size	No
Ink and paper type	No
Bleed setting	No
Publication date	No
Title, subtitle, author, edition, language	No (generally requires a new edition)
Interior PDF and cover PDF	Yes, with re-review (cover must match new page count)
Description, keywords, categories	Yes
List price	Yes

If you need to change a locked setting, you publish a new paperback with a new ISBN and unpublish the old one. Reviews may not carry over cleanly. That's the main reason to order a proof first.

Step 9: Publish

On the Rights & Pricing page, choose your territories, primary marketplace, list prices and whether to enable Expanded Distribution. Then click Publish Your Paperback Book. KDP reviews the files and shows the status in your Bookshelf. When it goes live, check the product page and the "Look Inside" preview.

For a checklist version of these steps, see the Amazon KDP publishing guide. Inkora's Publishing Hub also has a step-by-step KDP paperback checklist. You still do the upload in your own KDP account.

Common problems and fixes

The previewer says text is outside the margins. Your gutter is probably too small for your page count, or the PDF page size doesn't match the trim. Re-export with the correct page size and a wider inside margin.

The cover is rejected for the wrong size. The spine width doesn't match the page count KDP detected from your interior. Recalculate using KDP's page count, not your word processor's, and rebuild the cover.

The barcode covers part of your design. Move back-cover text away from the bottom-right corner and re-upload.

The proof colours look darker than on screen. Screens are backlit and print isn't. Lighten dark images and raise contrast, then order another proof.

You picked the wrong trim or paper and already published. You can't edit it. Create a new paperback with the correct settings and a new ISBN, then unpublish the old one.

The paperback and ebook show on separate product pages. They usually join automatically if the title and author match exactly. If they don't, contact KDP support and ask them to link the formats.

KDP flags rights or content concerns. Reply through the email KDP sends, and provide any documentation they request, such as proof you own the rights to the text or images.

Where to go from here

A KDP paperback mostly comes down to two correct files and a handful of settings you can't undo. Get the trim, paper, bleed and ISBN right, size the cover to your real page count, and read a printed proof before you publish. After that, price changes and file updates are routine.